The recipient of multiple Spellemannprisen awards, Åge Aleksandersen is a Norwegian singer/songwriter whose career spans numerous decades and includes a long list of full-length album releases, several of which were number one hits in his homeland. Like fellow Norwegian singer/songwriter Terje Tysland, he embarked on his solo career in the mid-'70s after garnering acclaim as a bandmember of Prudence. Born on March 21, 1949, in Namsos, Norway, Aleksandersen began his recording career as a founding member of Prudence, who were comprised of Terje Tysland (vocals, guitar), Per Erik Wallum (flute), Johan Tangen (mandolin), Kjell Ove Riseth (bass), and Kaare Skevik, Jr. (drums) in addition to Aleksandersen (guitar). Prudence were founded in 1969 in Namsos and came to define the Norwegian rock style coined trønderrock. After releasing a few singles on Experience Records in 1970-1971, the band made its full-length album debut with Tomorrow May Be Vanished (1972). Subsequent full-length studio efforts include Drunk and Happy (1973), No. 3 (1974), and Takk Te Dokk (1975), the latter of which was awarded a Spellemannprisen for Pop Album of the Year. Prudence broke up in 1975, releasing the double-length live album 11/12-75 (1976) as a swan song, and both Tysland and Aleksandersen subsequently embarked on successful solo careers as singer/songwriters. Aleksandersen made his solo album debut in 1975 with 7800 Namsos and proceeded to release follow-up albums more or less annually throughout the remainder of the century and well beyond. While most of his full-length efforts were Top Five hits on the Norwegian albums chart, several were chart-toppers, among them Levva Livet (1984), Eldorado (1986), Solregn (1989), and To Skritt Frem (2005). In addition to blockbuster commercial success, Aleksandersen was critically acclaimed, winning Spellemannprisen awards in 1980, 1981, 1984, and 2006. ~ Jason Birchmeier
