One of Sweden's national treasures, Alice Babs covered many styles - including jazz, opera and pop - in a long career in music and acting, which also included an appearance in the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest. A soprano with a three-octave range, she initially made her name as a cheery, wholesome character in the Swedish movie 'Swing It, Magistern' in 1940 and subsequently appeared in more than a dozen Swedish language films.

In 1958 she became the first artist to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in fourth place with the song 'Little Star' and went on to form the group Swe-Danes with guitarist Ulrik Neumann and violinist Svend Asmussen, who had a successful recording and touring career for seven years. She is perhaps best remembered, however, for her collaborations with Duke Ellington, which began in 1963, when she took part in his Sacred Concerts, which Ellington - impressed by her extraordinary vocal range - wrote specifically for her. She also had a UK hit in 1963 with her version of 'After You've Gone'.

In 1972 she was named Sweden's Royal Court singer and later became a member of the Royal Academy of Music, continuing to record and perform into her older life. She died in Stockholm in 2014 at the age of 90.

Alice Babs

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