Jan. 26, 1924 -- Swedish vocalist Alice Babs was born on this day as
Alice Nilsson. Here's a mini-biography of her from the
prophonerecords website:

Singer Alice Babs made her breakthrough only 15 years old in 1939,
recording the popular song Joddlarflickan (The Yodeling Girl). Soon
she was caught by jazz, and had a string of hits singing swing in
Swedish. Though extremely popular, parts of the establishment
condemned her for being vulgar and, with her singing "wild jazz",
promoting promiscuity. But this "moral majority" soon vanished.

Alice Babs very quickly entered the film business, and became one of
the most talked-about female moviestars in Sweden. At the same time
she developed her singing through the 1940s and 1950s, mainly in the
jazz and popular fields. Her voice impressed by its compass, varmth,
agility and clarity. The foundation in the late 1950s of the group
Swe-Danes, with fiddler Svend Asmussen and guitarist Ulrik Neuman,
lead to tours in the USA and world fame. Many people still remember
their hit Side by side. Extreme rhythmic control and marvellous
harmony singing characterized their music, as well as a fine sense of
humour. Though only a trio, they sounded like a whole orchestra.

In the 1960s Alice Babs started to sing in churches, both sacred songs
and music by Bach and Mozart. This resulted in classical recordings,
and albums of hymns and spirituals. In the beginning of the 1970s one
of her dreams came through when she was invited to sing in Israel. The
album from this event, Oh What a Joy! became a bestseller. At this
time she also worked with Duke Ellington and his sacred concerts in
Europe, a collaboration that would influence her for the rest of her
life.

In the 1980s she suffered some health problems, and moved to Spain,
retiring from music.

In 1998, when visiting a church in Spain where she could not abstain
from singing, she was persuaded by some friends to make a comeback.
The following tours in Sweden were unbelievable successes, with
sold-out houses everywhere. Everyone, including the critics, were
amazed that her voice was still solid, bright, supple and clear.

Her broad musical taste, long career and varied recorded output make
Alice Babs unique even in an international perspective.