| Bjarne Liller | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bjarne Bent Rønne Pedersen |
| Also known as | Liller |
| Born | September 25, 1935 |
| Died | September 6, 1993 (aged 57) |
| Genres | Dixieland, Jazz, Pop music |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Banjo |
| Associated acts | Viking Jazz Band |
Bjarne Bent Rønne Pedersen, known as Bjarne Liller (25 September 1935 – 6 September 1993), was a Danish jazz musician and singer-songwriter.
Liller was born on Vesterbro in Copenhagen.[1] He got his breakthrough as a banjo player and singer in Papa Bue's Viking Jazz Band.[2] He played with the Viking Jazz Band from 1956 to 1970, and again from 1976 to 1979, and made around 30 records with the band.[3] Liller was also a successful solo artist, mainly in the pop music genre.[3] He worked with John Mogensen,[3] and got a gold record for selling 100,000 copies of his solo pop hit "Billet mrk./Ensom dame 40 år".[1] He finished second at the 1979 Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, singing the duet "Alt er skønt" with Grethe Ingmann.[4] Liller received a silver record for 25,000 copies sold of each of his two albums "Man kan ikke gøre for, at man har charme" (1975) and "Livet er skønt" (1976).[2]
He appeared in three Danish films; as a singer in "Thorvald og Linda" (1982), and in minor roles in Erik Clausen's films "Den store badedag" (1991) and "De frigjorte" (1993).[5] Liller credited Kim Larsen and Erik Clausen for re-igniting his passion for music during the last years of his life.[2] Despite his commercial success, Liller's heart lay with the sound of Nyhavn; traditional Dixieland jazz, and he was active until his death in September 1993.[6] At his death, Liller's originality and personality was likened to that of Povl Dissing.[7] A sold-out benefit concert was held by his former jazz colleagues at the Tivoli Gardens later that month.[8]