Kalle Nämdeman (31 December 1883 – 28 June 1945) was the stage name of Karl Gustafsson, a Swedish songwriter, performer and recording artist.
Life and legacy As a young man Kalle Nämdeman apprenticed as a goldsmith, but he eventually began working as an entertainer. He "discovered" the military conscript as a comic type, appearing as such on stage or in top hat and tails. Although he never dressed the part of a bondkomiker (rustic comic), his songs had a similar appeal.På Nöjets Estrader by Uno Myggan Ericson, (Stockholm: Bonnier, 1971) pp. 170-184.
One of the first artists booked on the folk park circuit, by the 1930s Nämdeman was no longer welcome at such venues because of his sometimes improper conduct. His last public appearance was in 1941. He moved to Virserum, Småland, where he lived out his days in straitened circumstances. His statue now stands in Eskilstuna's Folk Park.Kalle Nämdeman. atspace.cc. Retrieved: 21 June 2019.
In America, his humorous songs were recorded by Olle i Skratthult,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. who also published them in his songbooks. The most popular of these was Flickan på Bellmansro (The Girl at Bellmansro), a story of unrequited love in Stockholm's Djurgården park.Songbook indexes archive.org. Retrieved: 3 May 2015.
References
Gallery
External links
Kalle Nämdeman discography - Victor Kalle Nämdeman at Gustavus Adolphus College Kalle Nämdeman at the National Library of Sweden Kalle Nämdeman songbook Kalle Nämdeman audio at the Internet Archive.