Erik Moll

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Erik Moll (born 7 September 1948) is an American-born Norwegian singer, songwriter and composer. He plays guitar and sings, drawing on traditional folk, country, blues, swing, gypsy, tex-mex, calypso and rock.

Born in Wisconsin, Moll moved to Bergen, Norway in 1961, learned guitar and began writing songs. He played local bars in Bergen in the 1960s. In 1972 his Bergen-based band Hole in the Wall released its self-titled debut, created with Rune Walle. From 1973 to 1977 he lived in California, joining Happy Valley and The Remnants. Back in Norway, he re-formed Hole in the Wall and released the album Rose of Barcelona in 1979.

In the 1980s he joined the Norwegian band NRI in Copenhagen, led his own Erik Moll Band, headed the Bergen calypso group Bolingo (which issued a single in 1983), did numerous solo concerts, and kept reviving Hole in the Wall. He took part in Norway’s first Hair production at the National Theatre (1970) and acted in plays, films and TV commercials, as well as performing at concerts, festivals and on radio.

During the 1990s Moll lived in Austin, Texas, where he wrote songs for Rita Eriksen, Lynni Treekrem and other Norwegian artists. He released four albums on his own label, with two distributed in Scandinavia. He returned to Bergen in 1999, toured southern Norway with a trio from Texas, and later formed the Texanos with Arve Håland while continuing his solo career.

Over the years Moll has performed for famous artists such as Willie Nelson, Taj Mahal and Tom Paxton, and contributed to numerous compilations in the United States and Norway.