Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado

Two Decades on the Road

Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado began in 2003 under the name Thorbjørn Risager Blue 7. In 2014 the group renamed itself to make plain that this was a permanent ensemble rather than a singer with backing musicians — and to make itself easier to find abroad.

Risager grew up in Jyllinge in a household of two music-teacher parents, raised on Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Fats Domino before discovering B.B. King and Ray Charles. Study at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, he has said, turned him from an interpreter of other people's songs into a songwriter.

The sound

Their music blends Chicago blues, soul, boogie and rock 'n' roll, with Risager's voice drawing frequent comparisons to Ray Charles, Van Morrison and Billy Gibbons. The band works like road warriors, touring nine to ten months a year and playing in more than twenty-one countries. Albums include From the Heart (2006), Too Many Roads (2014) and Navigation Blues (2022).

Recognition

They have won two Danish Music Awards from seven nominations, taking Best Album and Best Live Act in 2023, and have twice received the German Record Critics' Award. The European Blues Awards named them Best Band. Dan Aykroyd has publicly praised their original songwriting and Risager's vocal delivery.