To Helen with Best Wishes, Sincerely Evert
These two 78s were given to me by my Mom, who was sent them one day them from my maternal great aunt Helen, who bought them when she went on a cruise in Sweden with her mother Julia, her sister Violet, and Violet’s daughter whose name I do not know. Julia, my great grandmother, came to America when she was five after having been born in Sweden. The “Evert” who signed these records to my great-aunt is the same Evert who sang them, as a form of merch after a performance. He had quite the career, rounding cape horn on a four masted sailing ship three times before 1930, marrying some kind of princess, and singing this record. I can’t figure precisely what year this cruise took place, Mom estimates it as having been the mid 1970’s, however the Swedish American Line has had three ships named the “M.S. Stockholm” and the first two either sank or were destroyed by the army. The third was only named the Stockholm from 1948-1960, when it was sold to East Germany. It is still in service but now known as the M.V. Astoia. Eriksson became purser in 1949 just after the charter of the Stockholm, but moved to the Kungsholm in 1953. I can confidently say this record was recorded between 1949 and 1953, and unless he kept the old label when he moved to his new position purchased by my great-aunt some time in that range as well. His biography lists a song not reproduced here named after his later position, so it is my assertion that these objects predate that post.
A British Pathé tour of the Stockholm on its launch:
sources:
Julie Earl, who is my mom
The labels reproduced above
Swedish American Line 100 year Anniverssary website, subsection Evert Eriksson. URL: https://www.salship.se/eriksson.php retreived Tuesday 08 October 2019 (Thanks to Indiana Popovich for the link!)
The Wikipedia Page for the Ship Formerly Known as Stockholm. wiki ref. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Astoria retrieved Tuesday 08 October 2019
New Swedish SS Stockholm. (video, embedded above) British Pathé, 1948. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD6kk_NJcAo retrieved Tuesday 08 October 2019