Alf Cranner

Alf Cranner (25 October 1936 – 3 March 2020) was a major Norwegian folk singer, lyricist and painter, considered by many to be the pioneer of the Norwegian folk music wave of the 1960s. The citation for the award of Evert Taube Memorial Fund Grant 1994, to Cranner states: «Det är motiverat att anse honom som sin tids fader för den norska viskonsten» (It is motivated by the regard of him as the father of the Norwegian folk music genre). He is known for several popular folk music interpretations and beautiful folk tunes, including these: Å, den som var en løvetann with lyrics by another great Norwegian folk singer and lyricist Alf Prøysen (1914–1970), Bare skrap and Den skamløse gamle damen with lyrics by Klaus Hagerup and Sjømannsvise with the text of Harald Sverdrup. Among Cranner folk songs with his own lyrics is Båt til lyst and Hambo i fellesferien two of the best known. The folk song Din tanke er fri, is Cranner translation of the German Die Gedanken sind frei. Alf Cranner was born in Oslo, and studied painting at Statens Kunst- og Håndverksskole (National Arts and Crafts School), where he also taught music and drawing until he retired in 1998. Cranner received violin lessons as a child (by among others his grandfather Ingvald Cranner), and began playing guitar as a 13-year-old. He had diverse musical interests. Cranner played classical guitar and hung out in jazz circles. In 1961 he became a member of the club Visens venner (friends of folk song). Here he met with among others the Swedish folk singer Olle Adolphson, which was a great influence when he determined the future career. Here he also began his work with Norwegian folk songs, which came to characterize his repertoire until the mid-1970s. Rolv Wesenlund, who was then head of the recording label Philips, offered Cranner a record contract in 1963, and the following year came the LP Fiine antiquiteter. It consists of 18 Norwegian folk songs, adapted and performed by Cranner accompanied on guitar only.