Erland Dahlgren

Born: 10 July 1902 in Bispberg, Säter, Dalarna, Sweden Died: 17 April 1980 in Matteus parish, Stockholm, Sweden During the 1920s, a young man from Dalarna became widely known for his mighty body forces. His name was Erland Dahlgren, born in Bispberg in 1902. In his early teens, he began as a worker in a mine but became more and more interested in Greco-Roman wrestling, and as an especially strong man he and other strong men attracted and drew audiences to the Swedish Folkparks, with their touring shows or at occasional appearances in local revues. Then, around the year 1939, his whole life would take a new turn, and it attracted a lot of excitement in the district, when people learned that the popular artist had found salvation. After his conversion he left the life of the Folkparks and began singing in churches and chapels, now writing his own songs and collaborating with lyricists of the time. He wrote over 100 own melodies, including texts by Sven Lidman, Göte Strandsjö, Lennart Thanner and Theofil Engström. Some 20 of these are published by Gehrmans Musikförlag. It is said that the theme of the song Härlighetens Morgon, found on this release: [r14043966], is taken from his childhood mining environment. After a night shift in the dark and humid mine, the miner boy met with the glorious sunshine of the summer morning. The contrast between darkness and light reminded of the salvation experience – from darkness to light!