Last update: 2010

Matti Norlin, born 21 dec 1972 in Hoting, Sweden, grew up listening to Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Rickard and other rythm and blues artists. By the age of ten he picked up his first guitar and it didn´t take long until he sang and played Heavy Metal with some other kids from the same village. As teenagers they recorded two E.P.s, the first was done in 1986.

1991 Matti bought an LP with Robert Johnson and a whole new world
opened up. The focus of the exercises was changed from distorted Heavy Metal riffs to acoustic finger-picking, and since then, Matti has almost exclusively devoted himself to music which was recorded for over eighty years ago in the southern United States.

After finishing school Matti had a short career as a music teacher, and at the same time he was out playing well known songs at pubs, restaurants and private parties. With over 800 songs on his repertoire he became known as a "livin jukebox". But after a couple of years he got bored with commercial music and moved to the capital of Sweden-Stockholm.

1995, as he moved, Matti produced his first blues CD "Pre War Blues" and at the same time he appeared in a Swedish TV-show,that combination made it possible for him to start working as a professional musician in Stockholm and the rest of Europe, in the time of writing, he has done about 1500 gigs.

1996 CD "Ett svin i en kö (A pig in a queue) 'by Matti and his friend Fredrik Haake, quotes from a newspaper: "Frank Zappa in swedish".
1997 "Skifid Things" CD with the bluesrock-trio Dry Weave which toured a lot in Italy.
1998 "Kitchen Sink Blues", the sequel to "Pre War Blues", an album with only his own compositions.

Over the years, Matti worked both solo and in groups, in varying musical styles as hard rock, jazz, fusion, rock and blues bands, as a studio-musician and more.
1999  Matti formed a blues trio together with Fredrik Haake and Stefan Rolén, the trio resulted into a frenetic phycobilly/punk-blues band and in 2001 they named their band Badge.

2000s has almost exclusively been in the folk music character, Matt was able to borrow a Nyckelharpa (key-harp) at home in Hoting and when he mastered the instrument he began to explore the old notes, recordings and played at folkmusic festivals in Sweden. It felt the same as the meeting with Robert Johnson's music. Matti mostly explores folk music from his home areas in southern Lappland and nothern Ångermanland.
In 2002 he formed the folk group Skrömta and released his third solo blues album "Slidin Out".

Between 2004-2006 Matti toured as a musician in the theater Komandivas set of "Loranga, Masarin and Dartanjang ". Matti has also since 2005 has made numerous solo blues performances at various County Music Organizations around the country, public events, clinics and workshops at music schools as well as school concerts for middle school and up.
2006 Badge released their debut album "Kill Another Fuzz" and Skrömta released their debut album "Grejhojta", and on Tony Naima & The Bitters "Dismember" Matti participated on nyckelharpa and arranged some songs.

Since then, Matti has made several solo blues tours, toured with Skrömta, Badge and others, and became father of two. He has learned to play more instruments (banjo, fiddle, accordion, hurdy-gurdy), which are used in various projects.
2009 Matti formed the"baking tray trio" Urban Clash with Fredrik Haake (Badge) and Lennart Zehtzon (Dry Weave). He also began playing the blues with Anders Norudde (Hedningarna).

2010 Matti released his fourth solo-blues album ”LIVE > 3 Trappor Upp”.

Contact / Booking: mattinorlin@gmail.com