Kalle Nämdeman

Who is Kalle Nämdeman?

Kalle Nämdeman was the stage name of Karl Gustafsson, a Swedish songwriter, performer and recording artist. He had planned on becoming a goldsmith but became a bondkomiker instead. Nämdeman “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 rustic comic, his songs had a similar appeal.

One of the first artists connected with the booking agency for the newly formed Folk Parks, by the 1930s Nämdeman was no longer welcome at such venues on account 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.

In America his humorous songs were recorded by Olle i Skratthult, who also published them in his songbooks. The most popular of these was Flickan på Bellmansro, a story of unrequited love in Stockholm's Djurgården park.