Sjöberg Bildbyrå Fotograf Anders Svahn
Olle Adolphson 1956 - Premium poster with matte paper
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Poster with a picture of Olle Adolphson in his home in Norr Mälarstrand in 1956
Olle Adolphson 1956 – the year the door to the stage opened
In 1956, Olle Adolphson was 22 years old, a tall, thin Stockholmer with a guitar in his hand and literary studies on his mind. He studied a little here and there, wrote poems and played at parties, but that was the year he stepped out of the shadows and onto the stage – literally. After the ban on variety shows was lifted the year before, the cabaret scene in Stockholm exploded. Olle was one of the young guys with a guitar and his own lyrics who suddenly had an arena.
1956 was the year that put him on the map:
On October 19, he made his debut at Hamburger Börs in the cabaret show Harlekinad, directed by Lulu Ziegler. She had discovered this new talent and gave him the chance to sing his songs in front of an audience that didn't know what was going on. It was his first big stage – and it was clear that he belonged there.
A week later, on October 26, he recorded his very first EP. It included the cheerful nonsense song Okända djur, with lyrics by Beppe Wolgers. It wasn't a big hit right away, but the recording caught Olle's attention: a hoarse voice, clever words and a melody that stuck.
1956 was the year when Olle Adolphson stopped being a secret among friends and became an artist with real milestones. He was still unknown to the masses, but in the cabaret world and among poets there was whispering about this guy who could make an entire salon listen devoutly.
This was the start of a career that would explode with more records and television appearances. But 1956 laid the foundation for his role as one of the greats of Swedish folk singing. Olle became the one who mixed literature and songs in a way that no one else could.
Olle Adolphson wrote over 300 songs, made around 20 records, acted in theater, wrote music for films and revues – and always did it in his own way: low-key, intelligent and with a humor that could cut like a razor blade.
When he died in 2004, at the age of 69, the newspapers wrote that an era had ended.
