Remembering Swedish singer Alice Babs

Tom Crann
St. Paul, Minn.
Alice Babs
American Jazz musician, bandleader and composer Duke Ellington with Swedish jazz singer Alice Babs, during rehearsals at Westminster Abbey, London, for the premiere of Ellington's Third Sacred Concert, Oct. 24, 1973.
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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Alice Babs died yesterday at the age of 90. She began her career as a teenage pop singer in her native Sweden. In 1958, her fame grew as she was chosen to represent Sweden on an international stage as the nation's first entry in the Eurovision song contest.

Babs was one of Sweden's most celebrated artists, and was appointed Royal Court Singer by the King. She really found her voice later in Jazz, and in her collaborations with jazz musician Duke Ellington. Her music was frequently played on Minnesota Public Radio's "Jazz Image" hosted by Leigh Kamman.

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