Ola Bøe was born in the municipality of Vestre Slidre in Oppland county, Norway, the son of Per Person Bøe (1859–1922) and Rangdi Jakobsdotter (1867–1934). His father played the Hardanger fiddle but died when Ola was twelve years old. As a result, he learned many tunes from his mother, who was good at humming dance tunes.
Bøe moved to Oslo in 1935 and soon became an important fiddler in the folk music scene there. Foreign many years, he regularly played with the Valdres Fiddling Group (Norwegian: Valdreslaget) and was also active in the Folk Music Association (Norwegian: Laget for folkemusikk). The fiddlers that came to learn from him included Bernt Balchen Junior., Trygve Bolstad, and Harald Røine.
He had a personal style of playing, and often used a homemade fiddle.
He was considered a very talented dance fiddler, although it could take some time for him to really get warmed up. He knew many old tunes played using less common tunings, and he played in an older style.
He also used a fingering technique that was difficult to imitate. Bøe played extensively for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (Norsk Rikskringkasting) from 1953 onward, and there are many recordings of his playing.
Bøe resided at Nadderud and died in Bærum.
