
Erik Erikssønn Bye (March 1, 1926 – October 13, 2004) was a versatile
Norwegian-American
Norwegian Americans () are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 milli ...
journalist, artist, author, film actor, folk singer and radio and television personality. He was one of the 20th century's most well-known and popular radio and television figures in
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 ...
.
Born in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York, to Rønnaug (née Dahl) and opera singer
Erik Ole Bye, his family moved home to Norway when he was six years old. After a few years in
Ringerike they settled in the
Nordstrand borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
in Oslo, where they took over a bed and breakfast. In his teens, Bye joined the
Norwegian resistance movement during the
occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Following the war, he returned to the United States for his university education, studying English, journalism and drama at
Midland Lutheran College
Midland University is a private Lutheran university in Fremont, Nebraska. It has an approximate enrollment of 1,600 students on campus. Known as Midland Lutheran College from 1962 to 2010, the college is affiliated with the Evangelical Luthe ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
and the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
in
Madison. During his studies he also traveled extensively throughout the United States, taking odd jobs and gathering impressions.
In 1953, Bye took his first job as a reporter with the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
and as a freelancer for the
Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company.
The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...
(NRK). In 1955, he moved to London and worked three years at the
BBC Overseas Service as an apprentice to Anthony Martin before returning home. Bye enjoyed immense popularity with generations of Norwegians, and his songs and programs on radio and television were magnets to audiences of all ages. He was noted for his gift of being equally comfortable with the King of Norway and a random character met on the street. His roaming reports from around the world ranged from searching America for an old Apache chief to bringing an African chieftain from Ghana who answered a message in a bottle released by NRK to Norway.
Bye was well known for his support of Norwegian sailors. He also spent much time helping the
Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue and their cause, raising funds for a brand new rescue ship in 1960, ''Skomvær II'', which was named after the
barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...
''
Skomvær'' in Bye's song "Skomværvalsen." The society also named one of their rescue vessels after the artist.
In 1978 the King of Norway made him a Knight, 1st Class in the
Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. In 2005 he was voted the third greatest Norwegian of the 20th century by the viewers of
NRK, behind
King Olav V
Olav V (, ; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991.
Olav was born at Sandringham House in England, the only child of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud of Wa ...
and
Einar Gerhardsen.
Bye was married to politician
Tove Billington Jørgensen from 1953 until his death from cancer, which took place in
Hvalstad,
Asker
Asker (), also called Asker proper (''Askerbygda'' or ''gamle Asker'' in Norwegian), is a district and former Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus, Norway, located approximately 20km southwest of Oslo. From 2020 it is part of the ...
, Norway.
Filmography
* 1961: ''
I faresonen''
* 1966: ''
Reisen til havet'' as Hilmar
Discography
*Vi går ombord (1960)
*Erik Bye Synger Skjæraasen (1966)
*Jeg Vet en Vind (1972)
*Gjensyn (1974)
*Gammel Er Min Fjord (1974)
*Blow Silver Wind (1976)
*En Dobbel Deylighet (1978) with Birgitte Grimstad
*Norske Folketoner (1978)
*Vandring på Vår Herres Klinkekule (1985)
*Langt Nord i Livet (1994)
*En sang under skjorta- Et Visevalg Fra Skattkammeret (1995)
*I dur og brott (2003) with Royal Norwegian Navy Band
References
External links
Erik Bye 1926–2004– Summary obituary,
Aftenposten
(; ; stylized as in the masthead) is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation as well as Norway's newspaper of record. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 daily copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen ...
, October 14, 2004
Erik Bye – sound and audio– From the archive of the
Norwegian Broadcasting System (NRK)Profile of Bye at NRK
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bye, Erik
1926 births
2004 deaths
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
Spellemannprisen winners
Male actors from Brooklyn
Norwegian expatriates in the United States
Norwegian expatriates in England
Associated Press reporters
NRK people
Deaths from cancer in Norway
People from Asker
Norwegian resistance members
Norwegian Army personnel
20th-century Norwegian male singers
20th-century Norwegian singers
Journalists from Brooklyn
20th-century Norwegian journalists