Page 12 - BiTS_01_JANUARY_2022

BiTS: What do you consider to be your principle influences? Do you have any artists that are

outstanding for you?

TR: I have two that I put above everybody else and that is B.B. King and Ray Charles. They are the
ones who inspire me the most.

BiTS: Why is that?

TR: Again, it’s first and foremost as singers that they inspire me. Well, B.B. King, he just sings the
blues better than anybody else [chuckles]. That’s maybe the simplest way of putting it. He has so

much power and so much soul and all his phrases are just so beautiful and wonderful.

BiTS: When you listen to music these days, who do you listen to? Who are contemporary musicians
that you listen to?

TR: I have a bit of a problem there because I have difficulty finding contemporary artists that I
really enjoy, but of course, there is the Tedeschi Trucks band. I like them and people like Keb' Mo'

and Clapton. He’s still alive! He’s one of my favourite artists also, but I find it hard to find younger
musicians that I really enjoy listening to. I don’t know why. Maybe I’m just getting old, or maybe
they were just better [chuckles] in the old days. It seems to me that they were better in the old
days.

BiTS: Tell me about the formation of the Black Tornado. First of all, tell me why the name? Why
did you use the name Black Tornado?

TR: First of all, we wanted to have a name that people could pronounce. Before the Black Tornado,

it was only my name and that’s too difficult to pronounce - at least it is difficult to pronounce and
that’s a bit of a problem. I have thought about many times to get a stage name, but it just never
happened. But then we thought when we made the “Too Many Roads” album, we thought now is the
time to add something to the name that will make it easier for people to pronounce. And, of course,
there is a little bit of an alliteration thing with Thorbjørn and Tornado, it starts with the same

sound.

BiTS: Am I right in thinking that Emil
Balsgaard (keys with the band and in a duo Ed)
has been with you since the beginning?

TR: Yes, and also before that. We have actually
played together for about 28 years, me and
Emil. So we had a band going-on way, way

before the Black Tornado, actually. And also,
with the bass player (Søren Bøjgaard), I’ve
been playing with him for about 22 or 23
years. I also played with him before the
Tornado.

BiTS: Now you’ve got a double album out

celebrating 20 years in the business, or at least
20 years with Black Tornado. Tell me
something about that. It must have been very
difficult to select the tunes that you wanted to
include on the albums.