Alice Babs

Alice Babs, born Hildur Alice Nilsson (Kalmar, January 26, 1924 – February 11, 2014), was a Swedish singer and actress. As a singer, she dabbled in various genres, such as folklore, Renaissance music, and opera. In 1958 she was the first representative of her country in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Career

After making her debut in Swing it magistern (Swing It, Teacher!) (1940), she appeared in more than a dozen Swedish films.

In 1958 she was the first artist to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in fourth place with the song "Lilla stjärna" ("Little Star"). The same year, she formed the group Swe-danes with guitarist Ulrik Neumann and violinist Svend Asmussen. The group toured the United States, then disbanded in 1965.

She had a long and productive period of collaboration with Duke Ellington, beginning in 1963. Among other works, Alice Babs participated in performances of Ellington's second and third Sacred Concerts that he had originally written for her. Her voice had a range of more than three octaves; Ellington said that when she was not singing the pieces she wrote for him, she had to use three different singers.

From 1943 until her death Babs was married to Nils Ivar Sjöblom (1919-2011). She had three children: Lilleba Sjöblom Lagerbäck (1945), Lars-Ivar (Lasse) Sjöblom (1948) and Titti Sjöblom (1949); the latter appears with her mother in the early 1960s in advertising for Chewing Gum toys. In Babs' last years she resided in Sweden.

Death

Babs died of complications from Alzheimer's disease on February 11, 2014.

Filmography

• 2004 - Alice Babs och Nisse Linds Hot Trio
• 1959 - Det svänger på slottet
• 1957 - Swing it fröken
• 1955 - Sommarflickan
• 1953 - Resan till dej
• 1953 - I dur och skur
• 1952 - Drömsemestern
• 1947 Sången om Stockholm
• 1944 - Örnungar
• 1942 - In trallande jänta
• 1942 - Vårat gäng
• 1941 - Sjung och le (short)
• 1941 - Magistrarna på sommarlov
• 1940 - Swing it magistern
• 1938 - Blixt och dunder