Sputnik (singer)
Encyclopedia
Knut T. Storbukås more commonly known by his stage name, Sputnik, is a musician and truck driver from Bostrak
in the village of Tørdal
which is in the municipality of Drangedal
, Telemark
. His most well known songs are Skilles Johanne (Separating from Johanne) og Lukk opp din hjertedør Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)
.
In only a few years, Storbukås sold more than one million cassettes, and set records in a series of places where he performed. He was rated as artist of the year in Norway
in 1990, and in the fall of 1993 he got into the The Guinness Book of World Records
when he performed thirty-six times in locations from Mandal in the south to Tromsø
in the north in the period of only 72 hours.
During Easter
in 1990, he was in the Soviet Union
and was a part of the most original music video that a Norwegian had ever made at the time. Under glasnost
, Sputnik stood in Red Square
in Moscow
and sang Lukk opp din hjertedør. The video was later shown in its entirety in Norwegian
on Dagsrevyen
. Sputnik stole the show during the opening of TV2
in Grieghallen in the fall of 1992, in a duet with Kjell Bekkelund.
He has also performed in Sweden
, Denmark
, USA, Svalbard
, Zanzibar
, and Spain
. However, most of all, he has performed hundreds of times in both big and small places around all of Norway
. In the beginning, Sputnik received a harsh treatment from the critics, but he was loved by the people.
Today, Sputnik is a living legend, and a symbol of popularity in Norway
. There are books written about Sputnik, and he has been mentioned in Stortinget. Norway's Prime Minister
has visited Sputnik at his home, and each year thousands of his fans come to visit him at home in Bostrak
. As a bunch of artists have done, in the USA and other places abroad, Sputnik has given everyone that wishes the permission to see his large collection of silver, gold, diamond, and platinum records
in his own Sputnik Museum.
Bostrak
Bostrak is a village in the Tørdal district of Drangedal municipality, Norway. It is located near the western shore of Bjorvatnet lake....
in the village of Tørdal
Tørdal
Tørdal is a district in Drangedal municipality, in the county Telemark, Norway....
which is in the municipality of Drangedal
Drangedal
Drangedal is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Prestestranda. The municipality of Drangedal was established on 1 January 1838...
, Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
. His most well known songs are Skilles Johanne (Separating from Johanne) og Lukk opp din hjertedør Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)
Open up Your Heart (and Let the Sunshine in)
"Open up Your Heart " is a popular song. It was written by Stuart Hamblen. The song was published in 1954.The biggest hit version in the United States was a recording by the Cowboy Church Sunday School ; in the United Kingdom, by Joan Regan and her son Rusty...
.
In only a few years, Storbukås sold more than one million cassettes, and set records in a series of places where he performed. He was rated as artist of the year in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in 1990, and in the fall of 1993 he got into the The Guinness Book of World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
when he performed thirty-six times in locations from Mandal in the south to Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
in the north in the period of only 72 hours.
During Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
in 1990, he was in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and was a part of the most original music video that a Norwegian had ever made at the time. Under glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
, Sputnik stood in Red Square
Red Square
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and sang Lukk opp din hjertedør. The video was later shown in its entirety in Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
on Dagsrevyen
Dagsrevyen
Dagsrevyen is the daily evening news programme for the Norwegian television channel NRK1, the main channel of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation , broadcast at 7 pm. In 2007, the programme started airing simultaneously on NRK's dedicated news channel NRK2, but this arrangement ended that same...
. Sputnik stole the show during the opening of TV2
TV 2 (Norway)
TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway....
in Grieghallen in the fall of 1992, in a duet with Kjell Bekkelund.
He has also performed in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, USA, Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
, Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. However, most of all, he has performed hundreds of times in both big and small places around all of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. In the beginning, Sputnik received a harsh treatment from the critics, but he was loved by the people.
Today, Sputnik is a living legend, and a symbol of popularity in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. There are books written about Sputnik, and he has been mentioned in Stortinget. Norway's Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Norway
The Prime Minister of Norway is the political leader of Norway and the Head of His Majesty's Government. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Stortinget , to their political party, and ultimately the...
has visited Sputnik at his home, and each year thousands of his fans come to visit him at home in Bostrak
Bostrak
Bostrak is a village in the Tørdal district of Drangedal municipality, Norway. It is located near the western shore of Bjorvatnet lake....
. As a bunch of artists have done, in the USA and other places abroad, Sputnik has given everyone that wishes the permission to see his large collection of silver, gold, diamond, and platinum records
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in his own Sputnik Museum.
Albums
- Sputnik 1 (1986)
- Sputnik 2 (1986)
- Sputnik 3 (1987)
- Sputnik 4 (1988)
- Sputnik 5 (1989)
- Romjulsmusikken til Sputnik (1989)
- Sputnik 6 (1990)
- Sputnik 7 (1991)
- Den store festkassetten (1991)
- Sputnik 8 (1992)
- Bedehusmusikken til Sputnik (1993)
- Sputnik 9 (1994)
- Sputnik 10 (1995)
- Gull og grønne skoger (1996)
- Lykkelandet Zanzibar (1997)
- Sputnik 11 (2001)
- Sputnik 12 (2001)
- Sputnik 13 (2003)
- Sputnik 20 (2006)
- Det er vanskelig å være beskjeden (2007)
- 50 år på veien (2009)