Johnny Madsen (31 March 1951 – 4 November 2024) was a Danish musician, songwriter and painter. In the period 1983 to 1992, he was part of Dalton, a supergroup trio made of Madsen, Lars Lilholt and Allan Olsen.
Johnny Madsen lived on the island of Fanø, where he had his own art gallery, “Madsens Malerier”. He was also part of Hobo Ekspressen. Madsen died on 4 November 2024, at the age of 73.
Madsen painted for many years, mostly inspired by expressionism and mentioned Vincent van Gogh and Jens Søndergaard as inspirations.
Madsen exhibited in numerous galleries and at many events across Denmark and selected paintings are on permanent display at his art gallery on Fanø. In 2007, he published the book “Hvorom alting er“, discussing the artistic process as he sees it, and showing a few of his own works. The book has only been printed in limited copies, with a few translated to English titled “By all means”.
Political commitment
He was an outspoken liberal and committed to civil rights, especially criticism of the 2007 smoking law. Together with the band Den Gule Negl, he released the song Hold dig på maten in protest against the state’s interference in the individual’s freedom .
Literature and memories
Johnny Madsen was portrayed in the book Særling fra verdens ende (2008) and published his own memoirs titled Existence became my fate in 2023. His childhood road in Thyboron was renamed Johnny Madsens Vej in honour of his importance to the local area.
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Aldrig Mere
Færgemanden
Ræk dem en hånd, John
Nu falmer skoven trindt om land
Hjemad
Godt nyt
Moulin Rouge
Glasmanden
Udenfor sæsonen
Pothouse Hotel
Stjernenat