Biography
Vømmøl Spellmannslag emerged in 1973 as a Norwegian folk-pop ensemble based in Trøndelag and achieved striking commercial results during its brief mid-1970s run. Singer and songwriter Hans Rotmo, born March 10, 1948, and sometimes credited under the name Kristian Schravlevold, assembled the lineup that also included mandolinist Hans Løkken, known on record as Konrad Vømmølbakken, guitarist Geir Solheim, listed as Peder Storvømmølvold, and bassist Leiv Prestvik, billed as Birger Skruddusvingen. The group issued two widely embraced albums, Vömmöl'n in 1974 and Vömlingen in 1975, along with the singles “Hølverivisa” in 1974 and “Telefonsentralmontørene” in 1975. Vömmöl'n remained inside the Norwegian albums chart’s Top Ten for 43 straight weeks and reached number two, while Vömlingen climbed to the top position. Capitalizing on that momentum, Rotmo dissolved the original band and launched Arbeidslaget Hass K. Vømmølbakken, which delivered Grovarbeid and Varsko Her! in 1976; neither matched the earlier commercial peak. He next formed Heimevernslaget and recorded several albums with it toward the end of the decade. In the early 1980s Rotmo issued a pair of solo projects before adopting the alias Ola Uteligger for additional releases later in the decade. The original quartet reconvened in 1984, a decade after its debut, to release Vömmölåret, which entered the Top Ten and prompted the 1985 retrospective Vømmøl Special. Subsequent anthologies appeared, among them Vømmøltoppen in 1989 and the number-one collection Vømmølmusikken in 1996. Marking its 25th anniversary, Vömmöl'n was reissued in 2009 and again reached the Top Ten.
Albums
