For the first time since the 1970s, 78-year-old Benny Borg is on tour with a band. And for the first time ever, he is touring with songs from his last three albums, the critically acclaimed trilogy that deeply and honestly deals with the now 78-year-old Benny’s life as an old man and a widower.
The two who will have much of the era because Benny found himself musically and after turning 70 has released what many believe are his three best and most personal records ever, are the Sunnmøre producers Rune Berg (from Giske) and Åge Reite ( from Søvika). They are also included as musicians on the tour Benny Borg started this week, “A day on earth”. On Thursday 8 February they will come to Giske Church and on Friday 9 February at Løvenvold Theater.
A big surprise
The critically acclaimed producer and guitarist Rune Berg, who is probably best known from his time in The Margarets, tells how the collaboration with Benny Borg started:
– Almost ten years ago, my colleague, Åge, who had recently moved in next to my own studio, Lydbroderiet, happened to pass a sound check at the cultural center in Kolbotn. It sounded incredibly good, he thought, and crept in to see who it was. He was not a little surprised when he saw that it was Benny Borg!
Rune goes on to say that Åge came to him fired up and told him about what he had heard and seen. He wanted them to invite Benny into the studio together.
– I had no relationship with Benny Borg and was skeptical, but Åge continued to pester me. At the same time, he pestered Benny, who was not at all interested. He had sworn that the album he had released in 1992 would be his last! But he expressed that it was nice to be asked after all.
– A primal force!
Eventually Åge managed to soften both Rune and Benny, and the three met. It quickly became apparent that they found the tone and enjoyed chatting together.
– Benny eventually took out a guitar and started playing a song he had written. There was an incredible presence, almost a primal force, in the mediation, and I was carried away from the first moment, recalls Rune.
He says that he asked Benny for several songs and encouraged him to write about something in his life. Benny started writing, and within a fairly short time he had come up with around 30 new songs. One of the songs was the upcoming smash hit “Good morning, my love”, which is about missing his then recently deceased wife.
Sunnmørs producers Rune Berg and Åge Reite have collaborated with Benny Borg for close to ten years. It has led to three albums that have received fantastic reception from critics. Now they are out on tour with the new songs for the first time. On Thursday and Friday, “A day on earth” can be experienced in Giske church and Løvenvold Theater.
Photo: Press photo: Martin Bremnes
Benny’s best
– Shouldn’t we make a record? I asked, and despite the fact that Benny had sworn that he had recorded his last album almost 25 years earlier, we ended up releasing “Den siste reisen” in 2016, Rune continues.
The album was received with a standing ovation by the critics, who believed that Benny had made his best album ever.. With heaps of songs that didn’t fit, Rune thought that another album was in order. Once again, it took a process of persuasion, but a new album was made – and on 29 December last year, album number three in what has become a trilogy about an elderly man’s life and loss – and not least about the grieving process after the loss of his lifelong companion .
First band tour since the ’70s
Rune Berg does not expect that there will be more albums from Benny Borg with the same theme, but does not disregard the fact that he will release new music with a different theme. First of all, the faith will travel around Norway and give people a completely new live experience:
– If we disregard Dizzie Tunes in the 1980s, Benny Borg has not been on tour with a band since the ’70s! He has only traveled around alone with his guitar, and mostly he has played other people’s songs, either Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley or Cornelis Vreeswijk. So this will be the first time in 40-50 years that Benny can be experienced live with a band, and it will be everyone’s first time to hear him perform the songs from his last three albums, Rune Berg points out.
Giske church and Løvenvold Theater
The entire one hour and twenty minute long tour concert is exclusively via songs from the trilogy. On Thursday 8th and Friday 9th, Benny Borg, Rune Berg and Åge Reite will come to Giske Church and Løvenvold Theater respectively. Rune is very excited:
– The concert at Løvenvold Theater was quickly sold out, and then I really wanted to try to arrange an extra concert in Giske Church, which I have a strong relationship with: I was baptized there, I have been to important funerals there and I played at beautiful weddings, so I’m very happy that we got to set up a concert there. It will be very nice and full of atmosphere, Rune Berg promises.