Evert Taube

Evert Axel Taube was born on March 12, 1890, on the rugged island of Vinga off Gothenburg, where his father was lighthouse keeper. Sailing before the mast as a teenager, he lived five adventurous years in Argentina working as a gaucho, surveyor, and musician in the pampas.

Returning to Sweden, Taube created an immortal musical genre fusing provencal troubadour traditions, Latin American tango rhythms, and Swedish coastal folk song. Masterpieces such as Calle Schewens vals, Änglamark, Sjösala vals, and Flickan i Havanna are memorized by every Swedish child. In the 1960s, he mobilized public opinion to prevent the damming of the Vindel River, pioneering environmental conservation. His portrait graces the Swedish 50 kronor banknote.