| Vazelina Bilopphøggers | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Gjøvik, Norway |
| Genre: | Rockabilly |
| Years Active: | 1979–2022 |
Vazelina Bilopphøggers were a Norwegian band founded in 1979, in Gjøvik, Norway.[1] They are known for their comedic re-interpretations of old rockabilly songs, where they re-write the lyrics in their own dialect. They have had several hits in Norway and have worked with many Norwegian stage artists and comedians. They have also been interpreted through comic books and computer games. In 1991 they provided the music for the Norwegian version of Rock-A-Doodle, and also provided the voices of some of the characters in the Norwegian dub; Viggo Sandvik voiced Chanticleer, Eldar Vågan voiced Patou, Jan Einar Johnsen voiced Snipes and Arnulf Paulsen voiced Stuey. In December 2000 they starred in a Christmas revue on TV 2.
They are one of the active groups in Norway that have been playing the longest. The name, as the myth goes, was improvised on the phone, when they needed a band name in their first competition, where they won. Bilopphøggers is a variation of the Norwegian word for auto wreckers, and drummer Arnulf Paulsen ran a wrecking yard on the side.
In September 2019, the band announced that they would call it quits after the farewell concert "40 år med vondt brenn'vin (40 years of bad liquor)" in Oslo Spektrum in March 2020. The concert was sold out in 3 minutes, and an extra concert was added the day before. The concerts have since been postponed three times, most recently until October 2022, when three concerts were to be held. Vazelina Bilopphøggers held their farewell concert on 8 October 2022
Their singer and trumpeter, Viggo Sandvik, quit in January 2006 after being an important band member for 25 years. He was then replaced by 34-year-old Kjetil Foseid.
Besides playing in the band, the drummer, Arnulf Paulsen, A.K.A. "Høgger'n" ("The Chopper"), also runs a wrecking yard and used automotive spare parts shop in Hunndalen, a few miles west of Gjøvik.