The Dolphin Club () was a music club in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The club was started at the initiative of the Norwegian painter and graphic artist (a.k.a. Dolphin)''Norsk kunstnerleksikon'': Ole Hauki.
(In Norwegian) on March 12, 1966.''Aftenposten'', March 12, 1966. Hauki had returned from a stay in the United States, and brought the idea for the club back with him. Hauki managed the club for five years. The club's first meeting place was at what is now the Vegeta Vertshus restaurant (formerly known as ''Frisksportrestauranten'') at Grensen no. 18 in Oslo. The venue was limited to 70 people and music evenings were held on Saturdays. The club was so popular that it also started meeting on Wednesdays. In 1968, the club relocated to the

Masonic Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

building, where there was room for 300. It became in active in 1970. The Dolphin Club started the Norwegian "ballad wave" (''visebølgen''). The movement therefore did not start in lugubrious cellars with wine and candles, but in an alcohol-free vegetarian café where carrot juice was the strongest drink.Bing, Morten. 2015. A Folkrocker's Guide to the Universe • 1965–1975. ''Viser/Visor'' 1.
/ref> The first group to appear at the Dolphin Club was The Sing Singers with Ole Hauki, Bjørn Tonhaugen, Karin Hvidsten, and

Ole Paus Ole Paus (1947–2023) was a Norwegian singer-songwriter and poet, widely regarded as one of the most innovative Norwegian musical figures of the 20th century and "Norway's most significant troubadour at the time of his death." Emerging during t ...

. Others that were active there included

Lillebjørn Nilsen Lillebjørn Falk Nilsen (born Bjørn Falk Nilsen; 21 December 1950 – 27 January 2024) was a Norwegian singer-songwriter and folk musician. He was born in Oslo, and was considered by some to be the leading "voice of Oslo", thanks to numerous c ...

Kari Svendsen Kari Svendsen (born 5 September 1950) is a Norwegian singer, banjo player and revue artist. She was born in Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipal ...

Bjørn Morisse Bjørn Morisse (7 February 1944 – 27 July 2006) was a Norwegian musician, illustrator and comics creator. Personal life Morisse was born in Oslo and was a brother of Tor Morisse. Having spent part of his childhood in the United States, he ...

Øystein Sunde Øystein Olaf Sunde (born 24 January 1947) is a Norwegian folk singer and guitarist. He is known for his high-speed guitar and banjo style and his satirical lyrics. Although often regarded as a comedian, Sunde is a versatile guitarist who has p ...

Lars Klevstrand Lars Klevstrand (born 30 September 1949) is a Norwegian singer, guitarist, composer and actor. He was born in Drammen, Buskerud, the son of Olav Klevstrand and Grethe Sofie Larsen, and was brought up in Bærum. Career His debut album was ''V ...

Hege Tunaal Hege Tunaal (born 17 June 1948) is a Norwegian singer. She was born in Bærum. As a singer she reached national popularity in the 1970s, releasing albums such as ''Olje, brød og vin'' (1972) and ''Vide med vind'' (1974) and singles such as ''I Lo ...

Finn Kalvik Finn Bjørn Kalvik (born 30 April 1947) is a Norwegian singer and composer. He represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981. Early career He was born in Fåvang, but his family moved to the working class district of Grorud, Oslo in 19 ...

, Jon Arne Corell, and

Steinar Ofsdal Steinar Ofsdal (born 4 October 1948) is a Norwegian composer and flutist. Career Ofsdal has since 1967 performed on numerous stages in Norway, and worldwide in different settings. He has performed alone or within one of his many bands, and is ...

, as well as groups such as Kinsfolk,

Gruppe 4 Gruppe or Gruppé may refer to: *Gruppe, a military term, see Glossary of German military terms *Parliamentary group (Germany), known as ''Gruppe'' in German * Charles Paul Gruppé (1860–1940), an American painter * Emile Albert Gruppé (1896–1 ...

Christiania Fusel & Blaagress Christiania Fusel & Blaagress was a band started at Øystein Sunde's home after an evening at the Dolphin Club (Norway), Dolphin Club in Oslo on February 18, 1968. Its first performance was on February 22 the same year. The original membership of ...

, and The Young Norwegians.

References

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References

Further reading