Alice Babs

In 1972 she was named Sweden's Royal Court Singer, the first non-opera singer as such.

• Name — Alice Babs • Birth Name — Hildur Alice Nilson • Born — 26 January 1924 • Birthplace — Kalmar, Sweden • Died — 11 February 2014 • Place of death — Stockholm, Sweden • Occupation — Singer, actress • Years Active — 1939–2004 • Genre — * Jazz • schlager

After making her breakthrough in the film Swing it, magistern! ('Swing It, Teacher!', 1940), 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". • Illustration — Nilson in the Eurovision Song Contest 1958, representing Sweden • Illustration — Nilson (centre) with the rest of the Swe-Danes in 1961 A long and productive period of collaboration with Duke Ellington began in 1963. 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. In 1963, her recording of "After You've Gone" (Fontana) reached No. 29 on the British New Musical Express charts. 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.

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). • Illustration — Alice Babs and daughter Titti Sjöblom in an advertisement for Toy chewing gum, 1960 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.

Babs died of complications from Alzheimer's disease at age 90 on 11 February 2014 in Stockholm.

• 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

Alice Babs was recorded at birth as Hildur Alice Nilson. She also worked under the name Alice Babs. Her recorded language was Swedish. Her recorded confession was Lutheranism. She was the child of Jean Nilson. One child is recorded: Titti Sjöblom.

Alice Babs is recorded as singer, actor, jazz musician and film actor.