Bubbi Morthens


Bubbi Morthens is an Icelandic singer and songwriter. Aside from a lengthy solo career, he has been a member of such Icelandic bands as Utangarðsmenn and Egó.

Personal life

Bubbi was born in Reykjavík to a Danish mother and a half-Norwegian father. Bubbi is a common nickname for Ásbjörn.
He developed a strong addiction to cocaine and alcohol in his youth, later in life he became an advocate for sobriety and addiction prevention. In 2018 he published the poetry book Rof about the sexual abuse he was a victim of as a child.
In 1973, Bubbi became a migrant worker.
In 2004, the documentary Blindsker about the life of Bubbi was released.
In 2020, a musical based on the life of Bubbi, named Níu líf was shown in Reykjavík City Theatre.

Career

Bubbi recorded his first solo album in 1979, a blend of rock, blues and reggae, and published it the following year as Ísbjarnarblús.
;In Utangarðsmenn
His first important band was Utangarðsmenn, a punk band that led the new wave movement in Iceland. The band was formed with Michael D. Pollock, Daniel Pollock, drummer Magnús Stefánsson and bassist Rúnar Erlingsson. Utangarðsmenn gained renown in Iceland by means of extensive press coverage and several gigs, including three at Laugardalshöll, Iceland's biggest sports arena, where one of the gigs they performed was as supporting band for The Clash. Bubbi left the band after the fourth album, Í Upphafi Skyldi Endinn Skoða in 1981, and the others continued the band with the new name "Bodies".
;In Egó
At that time, Bubbi and his brother, Bergþór, were joined by bassist Þorleifur Guðjónsson, and formed the band Egó. The band had their first tour in Reykjavík when Magnús Stefánsson and Tómas Magnús Tómasson replaced departing original band members. The band's debut album, Breyttir Tímar, released 1 April 1982, became one of the best-selling albums in Icelandic music history, climbing to second place on the Icelandic album chart, and staying in the top ten for 19 weeks. During the promotional tour for the album in Iceland, Þorleifur left the band and was replaced by Rúnar Erlingsson.
Egó followed up with Í Mynd the same year and it was considered better than the previous album. With this release, Egó toured Scandinavia, where Magnús decided to leave the band and was replaced by Jökull Úlfsson, and the band was extended once more with the addition of Gunnar Rafnsson on keyboards.
Internal conflicts led the band to break up but, having signed a contract under which they were obliged to release another album, they did not split up until after releasing their final work in 1984. Bubbi left Iceland and the musicians continued along different paths. In 2001, Egó reunited to release a compilation under the title of Frá upphafi til enda.
;In Das Kapital
Later in 1984, Bubbi returned to Iceland and formed a rock and roll band called Das Kapital and released an album called Lili Marlene; the band broke up afterwards.
;Solo
In 1985, he signed with Swedish record label Mistlur, and released Frelsi til Sölu which brought further commercial success. Dögun, was released in 1987, and became a smash success. Bubbi's popularity was finally established in 1990 with the release of Sögur af Landi, which received good reviews.
;In MX-21
Towards 1987 Bubbi joined guitarist Þorsteinn Magnússon, Jakob Smári Magnússon, drummer Halldór Lárusson and keyboardist Tómas Magnús Tómasson to form a new group called MX-21. The band collaborated with Megas and Sykurmolarnir on Skytturnar, the soundtrack to the film directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson.
;Solo
By the early 1990s, Bubbi was planning to record a Spanish-language album; this work was consolidated with the release of Von, which was recorded in Cuba with the band Sierra Maestra. In 1993, Bubbi moved towards a mellower country music style with the release of Lífið er Ljúft, and in 1994 experimented with rap music in the album 3 Heimar.
;In G.C.D.
In the 1990s, Bubbi joined Rúnar Júlíusson to form a rock band called G.C.D. He recorded a tribute album for his beloved crooner uncle, Haukur Morthens, and a spoken word album of original poetry in 1996. In 1998, Arfur, an album featuring traditional Icelandic rhymes and ballads, was released.

Discography

With Utangarðsmenn, (1980–1981)

EPs

Discography of Egó :

Albums

Album

Singles

Album

Albums

Singles

Singles

Solo albums