Gustav Fonandern

Gustav Fonandern [1]

The Harry Lauder of Sweden [2]
Born July 14, 1880
Gävle, Sweden
Died November 22, 1960 (aged 80)
Occupation architect, singer
Spouse(s) Maria Lovisa Fonandern [3]

Gustav Fonandern (1880-1960) was a Swedish architect, singer, lyricist and actor, who lived in the United States during the 1920s.[1]

Architect and entertainer

As a young man Fonandern studied to be an architect. Upon graduation he opened his own firm in Gävle. It wasn’t long, however, before he began performing in cabarets in addition to his work as a draftsman.[4] Eventually the singing took over, but he continued with his architectural activities when time allowed.[5]

During the 1910s and 1920s Fonandern toured frequently and performed in Sweden's folk parks. After meeting the comedian Olle i Skratthult, he was persuaded to accompany him on an American tour. It was a successful collaboration that took them from coast to coast by automobile, something never done by a Swedish artist before. In Duluth, Minnesota Fonandern made his first radio appearance in 1920.[4]

Gustav Fonandern stayed in the United States for six years. When he was not on tour with Olle i Skratthult or in the recording studio, he worked as an architect in Chicago and other cities. In addition to buildings in California and Florida, he designed 150 houses and a large hotel on Long Island, outside of New York.[5]

After returning to Sweden Fonandern continued to tour, this time by car, which was so unusual at the time that advertising posters read: "Performance by GUSTAV FONANDERN, architect and ballad singer with his own car!" [6]

Despite his great success as an entertainer, Fonandern never put away the drafting pen for good. In the early 1930s he founded yet another architectural firm, this time on Drottninggatan in Stockholm.[5]

Legacy

Between 1908 and 1932 Gustav Fonandern recorded over three hundred songs in Sweden and the United States.[4] His American releases, mostly on the Columbia and Victor labels, introduced current Swedish hits to immigrant audiences.[7] The Swedish-American singer Olga Lindgren-Nilsen, who was married to Olle i Skratthult in the 1920s, gave credit to Fonandern, Lydia Hedberg and other performers from Sweden for providing much of her new material.[8]

The Centre for Swedish Folk Music and Jazz Research had one recording by Fonandern and two by Hedberg on its album "From Sweden To America", which was released as an LP in 1981 and as a CD in 1996.[8] In 2011 the twenty-three tracks on the CD were released on iTunes and Amazon mp3.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gustav Fonandern sv.wikipedia.org. Retrieved: December 26, 2011.
  2. ↑ The Kane Republican (Kane, PA), November 10, 1925.
  3. ↑ The Woodland Cemetery hittagraven.stockholm.se. Retrieved: March 9, 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Gustav Fonandern" folkpark.nu. Retrieved: December 26, 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Arbetarbladet September 6, 2009.
  6. ↑ Gustav Fonandern. atspace.co.uk. Retrieved: December 26, 2011.
  7. ↑ Ethnic Music on Records: A Discography of Ethnic Recordings Produced in the United States, 1893-1942 by Richard K. Spottswood, (University of Illinois Press, 1990) LCCN 89-020526. Volume 5, pp. 2693-2695.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 From Sweden To America (Stockholm: Caprice Records, 1981).

External links

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Online recordings

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