Arnold Børud

Who is Arnold Børud?

Arnold Børud is a Norwegian singer, musician and record producer.

He grew up in Askim, and has been a devout Christian since the age of 18, when a friend invited him to a Christian camp. Only two years later, he had learned the guitar and piano, and released his first record as a part of the duo Arild og Arnold. In 1973, he started two gospel choirs, Tvers and Mini-Tvers. With these choirs Børud became a pioneer in introducing gospel music to Norwegian Pietist segments. He has thus been called "Mr. Gospel" in Norway.

He had already, in 1972, formed the gospel group Frisk Luft together with Rune Larsen, Ivar Skippervold and Kjell Fjalsett. The group formed by coincidence when Larsen and Børud, performing at Hedmarktoppen, spotted the already-known Fjalsett and Skippervold in the audience and invited them onto the stage. They released two LPs in the 1970s, and participated in a television show named Gospelkveld. Members of Tvers contributed on their first LP. Frisk Luft was said to be the first Christian supergroup in Norway.

In the 1980s, Børud performed with the group Børud-gjengen. It consisted of himself and his three children Thomas, Linda and Ole.