The accordion king of Ådalen

Erling Grönstedt

1923 – 2012

Erling Grönstedt was the younger of the two great accordionists from Lugnviksstrand. Less famous than his brother Karl, but every bit as skilled – and a composer whose melodies are still played all over Sweden.

Swedish junior champion in 1938
18 years as an accordion teacher
Composer of “Kaffetåren” and “Norrlandstakter”

Born in Lugnviksstrand

March 21, 1923, youngest of five siblings

Swedish junior champion

1938, aged 14

Composer

“Kaffetåren,” “Norrlandstakter” and 100+ melodies

Married 1964

To Birgit Margareta Bruno from Lien

Erling’s story

A life in five chapters

Childhood in Lugnviksstrand (1923–1934)

Bengt Gustaf Erling Grönstedt was born on March 21, 1923, in Lugnviksstrand in the parish of Bjärtrå, Ångermanland, the youngest of five siblings – Karl (1912), Ture (1913), Gösta (1916), Margot (1919–1949) and Erling.

The family was “accordion-crazy,” and along the Ångerman River there was music “everywhere, in every single cottage.” While his big brother Karl was already known as a competition accordionist, Erling grew into the music – at the age of eleven, in 1934, he made his debut as an accordion soloist.

Competition successes (1936–1939)

1936 (aged 12): third place in Sweden’s first junior accordion championship at the Auditorium in Stockholm on February 2 – “knee-high, neatly slicked-down hair with a side parting,” ahead of Lill-Acke Jakobsson and Lill-Arne Söderberg, among others
1937 (aged 13): competing in the Ådalen Championship at Skog on March 7 – as last year’s winner of class II, while big brother Karl played hors concours
1938 (aged 14): Swedish junior accordion champion at the Auditorium in Stockholm, February 5–6 – with the Excellent accordion bearing the name ERLING, now in the Accordion Archive in Kramfors
1939 (aged 15): third prize in the Nordic junior accordion championship at Cirkus in Stockholm, March 18–19, where the audience voted – 174 votes

Erling had inherited the family talent. His technical skill and musical feeling made him one of Sweden’s most promising young accordionists.

Radio debut (1938)

In 1938, at fifteen, Erling made his radio debut – in a live broadcast from Sundsvall. “I was nervous, of course,” he recalled much later. At the same time he played drums in big brother Kalle’s band, together with his brothers Ture and Gösta, at dance venues such as Furuparken in Ullånger and Geresta in Nordingrå. The following spring, in 1939, he set out on his first tour with the Femlingarna – see the photos from his album.

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A very young Erling Grönstedt.

Erling Grönstedt som 12-åring i sjömanskrage med sitt Excellent-dragspel märkt ERLING

Erling at 12 in a sailor collar, photographed at Grundel’s photo studio in Klockestrand. The accordion reads ERLING – it is the Excellent instrument he won the junior championship with, now in the Accordion Archive in Kramfors.

Affisch för nyårsvaka i Rundvik med revyn Lev Livet Leende och dansmusik av Kalle Grönstedts Swing-kvartett, med foton av Karl och Erling

New Year’s Eve in Rundvik – dance music by Kalle Grönstedt’s Swing Quartet, with little brother Erling.

From the family papers

Programblad från Svenska Junior-Mästerskapet å dragspel på Auditorium i Stockholm söndagen den 2 februari 1936

The programme from Sweden’s first junior accordion championship, Auditorium, 2 February 1936.

Programsida med porträtt av de åtta deltagarna i Sveriges första junior-SM, bland dem tolvårige Erling Grönstedt

The eight competitors – Erling top centre.

Programmets första avdelning där Erling Grönstedt, Sandöverken, 12 år, spelar Washington Post och en hambo-mazurka

From the programme: “Erling Grönstedt, Sandöverken, 12 years” – Sandöverken was Lugnviksstrand’s postal address.

Tidningsreferat med rubriken 14-åring från Svartvik juniormästare på dragspel och gruppfoto på de åtta unga dragspelarna

The 1936 report – Einar Sandström won, Erling came third.

Tidningsnotis om ungdomslogens skidtävling i Lugnviksstrand där åttaårige Erling Grönstedt kom tvåa och Gösta Grönstedt vann sin klass

The ski race at Lugnviksstrand – Erling, “just turned 8”, second; Gösta won his class.

Tidningsnotis om skoltävling i skidåkning i Strömnäs där Ture Grönstedt från Lugnviksstrand blev pristagare på 10 km

Big brother Ture among the prize-winners over 10 km at Strömnäs.

Affisch: Vem blir Sveriges första Junior-Mästare å dragspel? Auditorium, med porträtt av de tävlande, bland dem Erling Grönstedt

“Who will be Sweden’s first junior champion?” – the poster for the contest at the Auditorium, 1936.

Turkos affisch: Hör det 11-åriga dragspelsfenomenet Erling Grönstedt å Olympia Lugnvik på nyårsafton, Lugnviks I.F.

“The 11-year-old accordion phenomenon” – New Year’s Eve at Olympia, Lugnvik.

Blå affisch för Ådals-Mästerskapet för dragspel i Skogs B.-G. söndag 7 mars, med foton av Erling i sjömanskostym och Karl bland pokaler

The Ådalen Championship, 7 March 1937. Erling had won class II the year before; Karl played hors concours.

Programomslag: Auditorium 5–6 februari, Svenska Junior-Mästerskapet å dragspel 1938, med Herbert Landgren, Ulla Billquist och Gösta Jonsson

Programme for the Swedish Junior Championship, 5–6 February 1938, hosted by Herbert Landgren.

Uppslag ur programmet till Junior-SM 1938 med deltagarlistan, där Erling Grönstedt från Sandöverken, 14 år, finns med

In the 1938 list of contestants: “Erling Grönstedt, Sandöverken (aged 14)” – the year he won.

Blå affisch: Nordens J.M. på dragspel 1939 på Cirkus, med porträtt av de tävlande och Publiken dömer

The Nordic Junior Championship, 1939, at Cirkus – the audience picked the winner.

Orange programomslag: Cirkus 18–19 mars, Nordiska Juniormästerskapet å dragspel 1939 och Cabaré

The programme, Cirkus, 18–19 March 1939.

Tidningsklipp ur GT 18 mars 1939, Kabaré och dragharmonika, med bild av fyra unga mästerskapsspelare med dragspel

“Cabaret and accordion” – GT, 18 March 1939.

Tidningsnotis från Göteborgs-Posten 20 mars 1939 om att Erling Grönstedt tog tredje pris i nordiska juniormästerskapet på Cirkus

Third prize with 174 votes – Göteborgs-Posten, 20 March 1939.

Spring 1939

The first tour – the Femlingarna

In the spring of 1939, at sixteen, Erling set out on his first tour. In his photo album he wrote the heading “Från min första Turné – Våren 1939” (From my first tour – spring 1939) and noted the performers:

John Boberg · Karl Grönstedt · Birger Sahlberg · Tore Strid · Erling Grönstedt

The tour went through the inland of northern Sweden – across the ferry at Meselefors, past log cabins and charcoal kilns around Ramsele, to the art blacksmith Nordling in Trångsviken and on to Frösön and Östersund. Erling wrote the captions himself, and the humor is unmistakable.

Femlingarna vid färjstället i Meselefors på Erlings första turné våren 1939: John Boberg, Karl Grönstedt, Birger Sahlberg, Tore Strid och Erling Grönstedt

“The Femlingarna at the ferry landing in Meselefors”

“Vem är björnen?” – Femlingarna i skogen under turnén våren 1939

“Who is the bear? Don’t ask me, I’m asking myself.”

Femlingarna framför en kolmila i Ramseletrakten, våren 1939

“Charcoal kiln near Ramsele”

“Vem är tokigast?” – Femlingarna på gatan i Östersund, våren 1939

“Who is the craziest? Strange photo from Östersund”

The captions are Erling’s own, from his 1939 photo album, translated from Swedish.

Browse Erling’s photo album 1939–1947 →

1964

From Lugnviksstrand to Tokyo

Erling wrote a march for football: the “Gre-No-Li March,” named after Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm – the Swedish stars who made a sensation at AC Milan – and dedicated to “all the world’s football players.”

The march reached all the way to Japan. According to the Swedish news agency TT, the Japan Football Association adopted it for use at the Olympics and other competitions. On March 31, 1964, NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, wrote to Erling in Solna. Radio Japan wanted to play his music in the program “Till våra lyssnare i Skandinavien” (To Our Listeners in Scandinavia) on its European service, on Sunday, April 26, 1964, from 9:30 to 9:45 a.m. Swedish time.

But at the Tokyo Olympics that fall, the march was never played.

The news item also reveals that Erling had been a really promising skier as a young man – but with dance gigs from Wednesday to Sunday, there was not much energy left for sports.

Sources: TT news item “Erling Grönstedt gör marsch till ’All världens fotboll’” and a letter from Radio Japan (NHK), Tokyo, March 31, 1964 – both in the family’s possession.

TT-notisen “Erling Grönstedt gör marsch till All världens fotboll”

The TT news item about the Gre-No-Li March.

Brev från Radio Japan (NHK) till Erling Grönstedt, Tokyo 31 mars 1964

The letter from Radio Japan (NHK), Tokyo, March 31, 1964. The full text is below.

The letter from Tokyo

Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai, 31 mars 1964

The original (in English)

Tokyo, March 31st, 1964

Mr. Erling Grönstedt
Liljegatan 3,
Solna, Sverige.

Dear Mr. Grönstedt:

Owing your address to the Japan Soccer Association, we have pleasure of expressing our cordial esteem to your wonderful musical contribution to that sports.

Having a shortwave programme for our listeners in the Scandinavian countries, we are intending to express our sentiment about the matter, by broadcasting it within that programme. We are sure you would also like to hear your music in a programme from a far land.

Anticipating your consent, we hope to lay it in realization as following:

PROGRAMME: Till Våra Lyssnare i Skandinavien,
TRANSMISSION: Radio Japan’s European Service, after its English part.
DATE: April 26th (Sun) between 9:30 and 9:45 a.m. (Stockholm Time)
FREQUENCIES: 11,780 kcs. – 25 m.; 15,135 – 19; 17,875 – 16

In order to have more listeners to your music, we postponed the plan one month later. Please excuse our delay in telling you about this.

Hoping for your favour and satisfaction, we remain,

Sincerely Yours

Tokue Aiba
In charge of the above-mentioned programme
Radio Japan (NHK), Tokyo

Swedish translation

Tokyo den 31 mars 1964

Herr Erling Grönstedt
Liljegatan 3
Solna, Sverige

Bäste herr Grönstedt,

Vi har fått er adress av Japans fotbollsförbund och vill gärna framföra vår varma uppskattning av ert underbara musikaliska bidrag till sporten.

Vi har ett kortvågsprogram för våra lyssnare i de skandinaviska länderna och tänker uppmärksamma saken genom att sända er musik i det programmet. Vi är säkra på att även ni skulle vilja höra er musik i ett program från ett avlägset land.

I förhoppning om ert samtycke planerar vi följande:

PROGRAM: Till våra lyssnare i Skandinavien
SÄNDNING: Radio Japans europeiska sändning, efter den engelska delen
DATUM: söndagen den 26 april, mellan kl. 9.30 och 9.45 (Stockholmstid)
FREKVENSER: 11 780 kHz (25 m), 15 135 kHz (19 m), 17 875 kHz (16 m)

För att fler ska kunna höra er musik har vi skjutit upp planen en månad. Ursäkta att vi meddelar er detta så sent.

Med förhoppning om er välvilja och belåtenhet förblir vi

Med vänlig hälsning

Tokue Aiba
Ansvarig för ovannämnda program
Radio Japan (NHK), Tokyo

Radio and television

Erling on the air

After his radio debut in 1938 Erling returned to the airwaves many times, and in the 1970s he also appeared on television. Two of the programmes are preserved in the family’s papers.

Thores Trekvart (1967)

On 8 November 1967 the radio programme “Thores Trekvart” was recorded for Swedish Radio P3. It went out from 10.00 to 10.45 pm, with a repeat on 11 November. In the running order Erling’s number is the eleventh: “Erling Grönstedt, accordion: Svarta ögon” (Dark Eyes).

Dragspelsälven (1972)

In the summer of 1972 the local paper Nya Norrland wrote about Eric Forsgren’s TV programme “Dragspelsälven” (The Accordion River) about the accordion kings of Ådalen, featuring Karl and Erling, Andrew Walter, Hans-Erik Nääs, Kurt Nessén and Dan Janzon. A sequel followed: “Dragspelsälven slår till igen – the second programme about the accordion kings of Ådalen” was broadcast by Swedish Television on 12 October 1972. It ran for 29 minutes and 39 seconds, was produced by Bertil Hedlund and narrated by Eric Forsgren. The “accordion doctor” August Öberg also took part.

“7-year-old Erling Grönstedt junior plays an accordion.”

So reads SVT’s archive card. Erling junior is Erling’s son – and the programme showed three generations of Grönstedts playing the accordion. See the photos from 1972.

Sources: the running order for Thores Trekvart (1967), Nya Norrland 27 June 1972 and SVT’s archive card for the programme (prod. no. 34-71/8016) – all in the family’s possession.

Maskinskrivet programmanus till radioprogrammet Thores Trekvart 1967, där Erling Grönstedt spelar Svarta ögon

The running order for Thores Trekvart, November 1967. Erling plays “Svarta ögon” as number eleven.

SVT:s arkivkort för tv-programmet Dragspelsälven slår till igen, sänt 12 oktober 1972

SVT’s archive card for “Dragspelsälven slår till igen”, broadcast on 12 October 1972.

Studio portraits

Erling in the studio

As a touring artist, Erling needed photos for posters, flyers and record sleeves. Here is a selection of his studio portraits from the 1940s and 50s – with the accordion as his constant companion.

Erling Grönstedt, ateljéporträtt från Pan

Erling Grönstedt med dragspel, ateljéporträtt från Robert

Erling Grönstedt med dragspel, ateljéporträtt

Ateljéporträtt av Erling Grönstedt i rutig kavaj med pianodragspel

Erling Grönstedt i helfigur med dragspel, ena foten på en pall, ateljébild

Leende Erling Grönstedt lutad över sitt Accordia-dragspel med knappbas, närbild

Erling Grönstedt med dragspel, signerat ateljéporträtt i svartvitt

Studio portraits of Erling Grönstedt, including from the Pan and Robert studios. Family collection.

Erling Grönstedt med dragspel och förstärkare, 1970-talet

With accordion and amplifier in the 1970s.

With his Dari – which today stands next to Kalle’s Giulietti in the Accordion Archive.

Erling Grönstedt med sitt dragspel märkt GRÖNSTEDT

With the accordion marked GRÖNSTEDT, in his later years.

The painter

The brush and the accordion

Alongside his music Erling painted in oil, acrylic and watercolour, and he had a studio of his own. In the autumn of 1975 he exhibited at Galerie Swedenborgsgatan 13 in Stockholm. The opening was on Saturday 15 November, and the exhibition ran until 3 December.

Inbjudningskort till Erling Grönstedts utställning av olja, akryl och akvarell på Galerie Swedenborgsgatan 13 i Stockholm 1975

Invitation to the exhibition at Galerie Swedenborgsgatan 13, November–December 1975.

Familjens collage: Erling Grönstedt vid staffliet, med dragspelet och utanför ateljén, omgiven av sina tavlor

Erling at the easel, with his accordion and outside the studio. A collage made by the family.

Erling och Birgit Grönstedt står på var sin sida om en tavla med ett träd på ett staffli

Erling and Birgit among the paintings.

På Silvervåg – a film from 2002

In 2002 Erling junior filmed his parents in Ådalen and then added music. The film opens at the High Coast Bridge, where Erling looks out over the Ångerman River. In the second part Birgit picks apples in the garden, and in the last Erling shows his studio, full of paintings.

0:00 På Silvervåg · 2:48 Måvikens Ros · 5:20 Konstnären

Filmed and edited by Erling Grönstedt junior, 2002. 7 min 23 s, with the music “På Silvervåg”, “Måvikens Ros” and “Konstnären”.

Högakustenbron över Ångermanälven, ur filmen På Silvervåg 2002

The High Coast Bridge.

Solnedgång över Ångermanälven med granar i siluett

Sunset over the river.

Birgit Grönstedt i blå tröja ler i köket, 2002

Birgit in the kitchen.

Birgit Grönstedt i rosa tröja vid ett äppelträd på tomten i Lugnviksstrand vid älven

Birgit by the apple tree.

Birgit Grönstedt i rosa tröja i Erlings ateljé, med tavlor på väggarna

Birgit in the studio.

Erlings tavla som föreställer honom själv målande vid ett staffli vid vattnet, på staffliet i ateljén

Erling’s painting of himself at the easel.

Legacy

Erling’s legacy and significance

100+ melodies

Music that lives on

“Norrlandstakter” and “Det gamla speluret” are still found in accordionists’ sheet music folders all over Sweden.

18 years of teaching

The teacher

As a teacher in Stockholm he inspired generations of accordionists and carried the musical heritage of Ådalen forward.

A sense of home

Ådalen before the world

He turned down an international career to stay in Ådalen – a choice that defined his life.

In his own words

“The perch shoal off Granholmen was too hard to leave.” – Erling on why he turned down Caterina Valente’s offer of a career in France.

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The brothers

Karl and Erling – two sides of the same coin

Born 1912 · the eldest

Karl Grönstedt

Personality: outgoing, businesslike
Career: Stockholm, tours, film
Best known for: Månsken över Ångermanälven
Internationally: Nordic champion
Home: Stockholm and Värmdö

Read about Karl

Born 1923 · the youngest