Hellbillies are by far one of Norway’s best live bands, and their popularity only continues to increase as time goes on. Now they are coming to the Notodden Blues Festival for the third time. The first time was in the sunshine at Brygga already in 2014. Hellbillies is still one of Norway’s very best bands regardless of genre. Their roots in American southern rock are becoming increasingly apparent, and the band appears more and more as a pure rock band.

The Hellbillies were a success right from the start in 1990 with hit songs, strong record sales and sold-out concerts. Now they have remained in the top echelon of Norwegian music for more than 30 years. They have delivered an endless number of hit songs, 17 record releases that have all sold gold and they have played several thousand concerts all over the country.

The Hellbillies have sold over one million records, and new generations are constantly discovering their many contributions to the Norwegian song treasure. A recent example of this is the shooting star Emma Steinbakken, who interpreted the Hellbillies classic “I never forget you” into the NRK hit Rådebank, and who topped both the radio and streaming charts with “I never forget you” for a long time.

The Hellbillies have been honored and respected for their ability to fuse American and Norwegian musical traditions with a distinctive character that means there is never any doubt that it is the Hellbillies you are hearing. Not least, the texts of Arne Moslåtten have had great significance. With originality and a high literary level, the lyrics, together with the music of Aslag Haugen and Lars Håvard Haugen, have become an important part of Norwegian cultural life. This has made the Hellbillies a role model for many bands within their genre. They are therefore not only bearers of tradition, but also to the highest degree creators of style within Norwegian musical life.

It is therefore extra nice for the band that a number of young artists have picked up their songs and had success with it. That’s no small recognition for a band that has been around for more than 30 years. This will be the Hellbillies’ third visit to the Notodden Blues Festival.