Alice Babs
Alice Babs | |
---|---|
![]() Nilson in 1940 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Hildur Alice Nilson |
Born | Kalmar, Sweden | 26 January 1924
Died | 11 February 2014 Stockholm, Sweden | (aged 90)
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
Years active | 1939–2004 |
Hildur Alice Nilson (26 January 1924 – 11 February 2014), known by her stage name Alice Babs, was a Swedish singer.[1] She worked in a wide number of genres – Swedish folklore, Elizabethan songs and opera. While she was best known internationally as a jazz singer, Babs also competed as Sweden's first annual competition entrant in the Eurovision Song Contest 1958. In 1972 she was named Sweden's Royal Court Singer, the first non-opera singer as such.
Career
[edit]After making her breakthrough in the film Swing it, magistern! ('Swing It, Teacher!', 1940),[2] she appeared in more than a dozen Swedish-language films. Despite being cast as the well-behaved, good-hearted, cheerful girl, the youth culture forming with Babs as its icon caused outrage among members of the older generation. A vicar called the Babs cult the "foot and mouth disease of cultural life".[3]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Deelneemster_Alice_Babs_%28Zweden%29%2C_Bestanddeelnr_909-4000.jpg/220px-Deelneemster_Alice_Babs_%28Zweden%29%2C_Bestanddeelnr_909-4000.jpg)
![Alice Babs with the Swe-Danes in 1961](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Swe-danes.jpg/220px-Swe-danes.jpg)
A long and productive period of collaboration with Duke Ellington began in 1963.[2] Among other works, Babs participated in performances of Ellington's second and third Sacred Concerts which he had written originally for her. Her voice had a range of more than three octaves; Ellington said that when she was not available to sing the parts that he had written for her, he had to use three different singers.[4]
In 1963, her recording of "After You've Gone" (Fontana) reached No. 29 on the British New Musical Express charts.[5]
In 1972, she contributed to the recording of "Auntie", a Dutch song commemorating the beginning of British Broadcasting Corporation's radio broadcasts 50 years before.
Personal life
[edit]In 1943, Babs married Nils Ivar Sjöblom (1919–2011). Their three children are Lilleba Sjöblom Lagerbäck (born 1945), Lars-Ivar (Lasse) Sjöblom (born 1948), and Titti Sjöblom (born 1949).[6][7]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Alice_Babs_och_Titti_Sj%C3%B6blom_g%C3%B6r_reklam_f%C3%B6r_Toy_tuggummi.jpg/220px-Alice_Babs_och_Titti_Sj%C3%B6blom_g%C3%B6r_reklam_f%C3%B6r_Toy_tuggummi.jpg)
Between 1973 and 2004, Babs and her husband resided in Costa del Sol, Spain, while still working in Sweden and internationally. In their later years, they returned to Sweden.
Awards
[edit]She was awarded the Illis quorum by the government of Sweden in 2003.[8]
Death
[edit]Babs died of complications from Alzheimer's disease at age 90 on 11 February 2014 in Stockholm.[4][6][7][9]
Filmography
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1938 | Thunder and Lightning | Flower Girl | Uncredited |
1940 | Swing it, magistern! | Inga Danell | |
1941 | Magistrarna på sommarlov | ||
1941 | Sjung och le | Short | |
1942 | Vårat gäng | Alice, Bergendals dotter | |
1942 | En trallande jänta | Inger 'Babs' Jansson | |
1944 | Eaglets | Marianne Hedvall | |
1945 | Skådetennis | Short | |
1946 | Det glada kalaset | Anita | |
1947 | Song of Stockholm | Britt | |
1952 | Drömsemestern | Herself | |
1952 | H.C. Andersens sagor | Storyteller | |
1953 | Kungen av Dalarna | Herself | |
1953 | I dur och skur | Greta Norman | |
1953 | Resan till dej | Gun Karlsson | |
1955 | Swedish Girl | Karin Pettersson | |
1956 | Symphonie in Gold | Singer | |
1956 | Swing it, fröken | Alice Lind | |
1958 | Musik ombord | Ulla Wickström / Ulla Winther | |
1959 | Swinging at the Castle | Inga 'Trollet' Larsson | (final film role) |
2008 | Alice Babs – Swing´it | (orig. Naturröstens hemlighet, Documentary | |
2013 | Alice Babs förlorade rättigheter | (Alice Babs' Lost Rights, Documentary |
Discography
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Sonora505.jpg/220px-Sonora505.jpg)
Alice Babs' discography includes more than 800 recordings since her debut with Joddlarflickan in 1939. The following is a list of her recordings available on CD, listed chronologically from when they were originally recorded.
- Vax Records CD 1003 Alice Babs & Nisse Linds Hot-trio, originally recorded: 1939–41
- Naxos 8.120759 Swingflickan, originally recorded: 1939–44
- Vax Records CD 1000 Early recordings 1939–1949
- Klara skivan KLA 7802-2 Joddlarflickan (2 CDs), originally recorded: 1939–51
- Phontastic PHONTCD 9302 Swing it! Alice Babs!, originally recorded: 1939–53
- Sonora 548493-2 Swing it, Alice! (2 CDs), originally recorded: 1939–63
- Sonora 529315-2 Ett glatt humör, originally recorded: 1940–42
- Odeon 7C138-35971/2 Alice Babs, originally recorded: 1942–1947
- Metronome 8573-84676-2 Guldkorn, originally recorded: 1951–58
- Metronome 4509-93189-2 Metronomeåren, originally recorded: 1951–58
- Metronome 5050467-1616-2-7 Alice Babs bästa (2 CDs), originally recorded: 1951–61
- Bear Family BCD 15809-AH Mitsommernacht, originally recorded: 1953–59
- Bear Family BCD 15814-AH Lollipop, originally recorded: 1953–59
- EMI 7243-5-96148-2-3 Diamanter (2 CDs), originally recorded: 1958–60
- EMI 7243-5-20153-2-0 Just you, just me, originally recorded: 1958–72
- Pickwick 751146 Regntunga skyar, originally recorded: 1958–72
- Metronome 4509-95438-2 Swe-Danes Scandinavian Shuffle, originally recorded: 1959
- RCA 74321-12719-2 Alice and Wonderband, originally recorded: 1959
- Real Gone Music RGM-0496 Serenade to Sweden, Alice Babs and Duke Ellington, originally recorded: 1963
- Swedish Society Discofil SWECD 401 Sjung med oss mamma (Alice Tegnér), originally recorded: 1963
- Swedish Society Discofil SWECD 400 Alice Babs, originally recorded: 1964
- Swedish Society Discofil SWECD 402 Scandinavian songs (Svend Asmussen) originally recorded: 1964
- Prophone PCD 050 Yesterday, originally recorded: 1966–75
- Vax Records VAXCD 1006 "Illusion" (with Jan Johansson and Georg Riedels orchestra) Originally recorded 1966
- Vax Records CD 1008 "As time goes by" Alice Babs with Bengt Hallbergs trio and Arne Domnérus Big Band with Svend Asmussen. Originally recorded 1960–1969
- EMI 7243 5398942 2 Den olydiga ballongen/Hej du måne, originally recorded: 1968–76
- Prophone PCD 045 What a joy!, originally recorded: 1972–80
- Bluebell ABCD 052 There's something about me, originally recorded: 1973–78
- Prophone PCD 021 Serenading Duke Ellington, originally recorded: 1974–75
- Swedish Society Discofil SCD 3003 Om sommaren sköna – Sjunger Alice Tegnér, originally recorded: 1974
- Bluebell ABCD 005 Far away star, originally recorded: 1977
- RCA Victor 74321-62363-2 Swingtime again, originally recorded: 1998
- Sony SK 61797 A church blues for Alice, originally recorded: 1999
- Four Leaf Clover Records FLCDVD 8001 Swingtime Again with Charlie Norman recorded 1999
- Prophone PCD 062 Don't be blue, originally recorded: 2001
- Vax Records Vi Minns Alice Babs released: 2014[4]
Citations
[edit]- ^ Cook 2005, p. 27.
- ^ a b Yanow, Scott. "Alice Babs: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- ^ Reney, Tom (14 April 2014). "Alice Babs: The Rare Delight Of You". Biography. New England Public Radio - NEPR.net. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ a b c Mosey, Chris (25 September 2014). "Alice Babs: Vi Minns Alice Babs (2014)". Musical reviews. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ Chris Davies. British & American Hit Singles, Batsford.
- ^ a b Keepnews, Peter (14 February 2014). "Alice Babs, Who Sang for Ellington, Dies at 90". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Swedish singer Alice Babs dies aged 90". TheLocal.se. 11 February 2014. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ "Regeringens belöningsmedaljer och regeringens utmärkelse: Professors namn". Regeringskansliet (in Swedish). January 2006. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ Alice Babs död, Dagens Nyheter 11 February 2014 (in Swedish)
Sources
[edit]- Cook, Richard (2005). Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia. London: Penguin Books. p. 27. ISBN 0-141-00646-3.
Further reading
[edit]External links
[edit]- Alice Babs discography at Discogs
- Alice Babs at IMDb
- 1924 births
- 2014 deaths
- 20th-century Swedish women singers
- Singers with a three-octave vocal range
- Deaths from Alzheimer's disease
- Deaths from dementia in Sweden
- Duke Ellington Orchestra members
- Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1958
- Melodifestivalen winners
- People from Kalmar
- Musicians from Kalmar County
- RCA Victor artists
- Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Sweden
- Swedish film actresses
- Swedish jazz singers
- Swedish women jazz singers
- Swe-Danes members
- English-language singers from Sweden
- Recipients of the Illis quorum
- Swedish people of Walloon descent