Claudia Scott – The Queen of Norwegian Americana

The award-winning singer and songwriter Claudia Scott has been a major force in Norwegian music for decades. Let me introduce you to Claudia’s musical universe. 

By Michael Hartmann. January 6, 2022. Last updated on June 12, 2023.

Meet Claudia Scott, a Norwegian/British singer, songwriter, and producer specializing in americana and folk music. She was born in Newcastle and spent her first few years in London, before moving at the age of 6 with her family to Bergen, Norway.

Have you heard Claudia’s music before? Her album Restless Souls is a good place to start.

Claudia: -The title track Restless Souls reflects the people I have met on the road throughout the years. We are fortunate to meet a lot of interesting people on our travels and some of them have become my dear friends.

-Writing songs, recording albums, and touring is a natural process in my work as a songwriter and musician, and when I have recorded an album, I always think about the follow-up.

Here’s the title track:

I think of all the times we pushed on through
Not knowing where we’d end
And I think of all the people we once knew
Whatever happened to them…

Claudia is a seasoned artist who has contributed to the music scene for decades. Her first Norwegian Grammy was in the roots and country category in 1985, and her second was in the country category in 2014.

Claudia traveled to the US this summer. In Memphis, Tennessee, she visited Overton Park Shell, an open-air amphitheater in Overton Park.

-I have only been to Overton Park Shell a few times before the picture was taken, and have no specific association with OPS,  but it was quite special to stand on the same stage Elvis Presley made one of his first performances.

This is a live performance from “Allsang på Grensen”, a televised concert series held at Fredriksten Fortress in Norway every summer.

When Love’s on Your Side is an uplifting and catchy song. As a result of hearing Claudia perform it live, it became one of my favorites.

When love’s on your side
When love’s on your side
You can do anything
Feel like a queen
When love’s on your side
We’re so much better
When we touch the soul of another
It doesn’t take a lifetime to discover…

How do we define Americana as a genre? This question seems to have many answers. One of them is this, taken from Wikipedia:

Americana, as defined by the Americana Music Association (AMA), is…

…contemporary music that incorporates elements of various American roots music styles, including country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B, and blues, resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw. While acoustic instruments are often present and vital, Americana also often uses a full electric band.

This is Changes:

A picture of my dad and I …is a hauntingly beautiful song…

We’d take the bus to the big, wide fjord

Have the best times we ever had…

It’s funny what sticks in the mind of a child

It’s the little things that make me smile

I can still see in my mind’s eye

A picture of my dad and I…

Claudia has collaborated with many great artists over the years. Casino Steel is one of her closest friends.

Steel is a Norwegian rock, punk, and country musician who has played in several bands in The UK and Norway. He tours all over the world with The Boys, a punk band he formed with Matt Dangerfield in the 70s.

Claudia met Casino and Ottar Johansen in 1983 when they formed the trio Claudia- Big Hand – Casino. The trio lasted until 1986 and Casino and Claudia then became part of the band CCCP together with Carlene Carter ( The Carter family) and John Payne ( Asia).

Carmelita.

In 1984, Claudia and Casino recorded the album  Scott & Steel which they also toured with. Today, they have their own solo careers, though Casino and Claudia often work on projects together.

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