Kai Gullmar

Swedish singer, composer and actor, born on April 2 1905 in Sundsvall, Medelpad and died on March 25, 1982 in Oscar, Stockholm.
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Gullmar made her debut, together with Ernst Rolf, on stage at Chinateatern in Stockholm in 1929. At the beginning of 1930, she started working in a shop selling pianos and could there let prospective buyers listen to how the instrument sounded to her melodies.

A stroke of fate was decisive for the rest of her life, in which the opera conductor Nils Grevillius was to play a central role. He heard Kai Gullmar sing, and was charmed by her voice. On his initiative, she was able to make a record with his melodies and Nils Grevillius Orkester. In connection with that, the stage name Kai Gullmar saw the light of day.

Gullmar, who made her recording debut in 1931, had started to sing songs on Sveriges Radio already in 1930. In total, she would compose more than 500 melodies for films, for theatre stages and on records during her career.

Kai Gullmar was also the first Swedish woman to compose popular music. Her method was to compose the music to a song after she had reviewed the lyrics.

Gullmar used some aliases, as well: Leslie Hammond, Leo Jackson, Billy Gold and D'Alvarez-Carter.