Grethe Kausland


Grethe Kausland was a Norwegian singer, performer and actress. As a child star she was one of Norway's most popular singers, and she participated in several films as a child. She represented Norway in the European Song Contest 1972 singing Småting with Benny Borg. From 1973 she performed regularly with the entertaining group Dizzie Tunes. Awarded "Spellemannprisen" 1978 for the album A Taste of Grethe Kausland, and "Leonardstatuetten" 1991 for her achievements on the revue scene.
She died from lung cancer on November 16, 2007 in Oslo, Norway.

Child career

Grethe made her stage debut at age 4 at a local revue, and cut her first record at age 8 in 1955, after winning a radio-transmitted amateur competition; the song, "Teddyen Min"/"Cowboyhelten" became a big radio hit in and sold over 100,000 copies. She made her first film, Smugler i smoking in 1957; by age 12 she had cut 10 records and acted in five films. Described "crazy about jazz" as a child, she visited jazz clubs while still underage, "swinging" like an adult jazz vocalist despite her youthful voice.

Shows with ''Dizzie Tunes''

Kausland's cooperation with the show group Dizzie Tunes started with her Chat Noir Theatre debut På go'fot. Later followed the shows Showkade med og uten fyll, Vi spillopper, Memories Of Music, The Show Must Go Home, Festsprell i Dizzie Tider. She also participated in many of their TV shows. Sing Sala Bim was awarded Bronze Rose at the Montreux festival.
Her music albums with Dizzie Tunes: Toppop 1, Mere Ra-ta-ta-ta, Folk i nord, Hei-hå-hei-hå, Norsklåt, På go'fot med Dizzie Tunes, Memories of Music, Go'biter med Dizzie Tunes.

A Star is Torn

In a 1993 adaptation of Robyn Archer and Rodney Fischer's show A Star is Torn Grethe Kausland portrayed nine tragic female fates in popular music: Bessie Smith, Helen Morgan, Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf, Marie Lloyd, Marilyn Monroe, Dinah Washington and Janis Joplin. A full evening one-woman-performance, first at Rogaland Teater, and later at Victoria Teater.

Television series

From the late 1990s Kausland participated in several TV series. In D'ække bare, bare Bernt she starred as "Vera", with Jon Skolmen as her husband "Bernt". In the situation comedy Karl & Co she appeared regularly as "Ruth Frantzen". She played the role "Mamsen" in the children's series Jul i Blåfjell in 1999. This series became quite popular, it received the Gullruten award in 2000 for Best TV drama, a music album from the series received Spellemannprisen in 1999 for Best children's album, and the follow-up series Jul på månetoppen appeared in 2002.

Discography

Singles on the Columbia label (as child star)

From 1966 to 1979 she was married to jazz guitarist Halvard Kausland. She did not revert to her maiden name Nilsen after the end of the marriage, but kept the name Kausland.