Photo of John Nordenström from online family collection.
Photo of article on John Nordenström. From "Lidentidningen" Februrary, 2017 https://www.scribd.com/document/377126185/Lidentidningen-2017-02
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Johan Olof Theodor Nordenstrom, better known as “Kämp-Olle-Janne” in Sweden, was a musician, farmer, shoemaker, mason, carpenter, violin maker, and pioneer settler, he carried the musical traditions of eastern Jämtland into a new world and became one of the best-known Swedish-American fiddlers of his era.
He was born September 10, 1859, in Håsjö, Jämtland, Sweden, the son of Olof Nordenström, known locally as “Kämp-Olle.” The family later moved through Fors and Västeråsen before settling at the remote homestead Kämpensborg, near Kämpensborgssjön, in the forests of eastern Jämtland. Johan inherited both artistic and musical gifts from his father, Olof Nordenström, a farmer, musician and poet who published his own poetry collection, Skogsfågeln (“The Forest Bird”), in 1874. Johan was a well-known, skilled dance fiddler in his Jämtland region. People said, “he brought such life into the music.” He played fiddle, accordion, and pump organ, and was sought after for playing dances and community gatherings. In 1882 he married Martha Greta Magnusdotter, also known as Märta Larsson, from Bjällsta, Medelpad. Two years later, Johan performed for King Oscar II during his visit to Ragunda for the inauguration of a new railway line in northern Sweden. As the royal train arrived, Johan stood on the station platform and played for the passing procession In 1888 Johan and Märta emigrated to the United States with their two sons, Oskar and Karl, joining the wave of Scandinavian immigrants settling in Minnesota. During the Atlantic crossing, a daughter was born aboard ship and was given the name Atlanta. The family settled in Grass Lake Township in Kanabec County, Minnesota, where they cleared land and built a farm from the wilderness. The family later moved to Mora, Minnesota, a major center of Swedish-American life. Johan worked many trades throughout his life, including making violins, and became widely known throughout Scandinavian-American communities as both a grand musician. Only one known tune survives from his Swedish years: “Kämp-Olle-Jannes vals.” The melody was preserved by the fiddler Arvid Brännlund and later published as #659 in the Svenska Låtar collection for Jämtland. In America, Johan expanded his repertoire beyond Swedish folk music and adapted a more international musical culture. Surviving program materials describe him as the “Champion Northwest Fiddler” and show a remarkably diverse repertoire including Swedish polskas, German waltzes, Polish polkas, schottisches, Civil War marches, and tunes that today would be recognized as early bluegrass or old-time American fiddle music. His reputation brought him before notable public figures on both sides of the Atlantic world. More than forty years after playing for King Oscar II, Johan performed in Minneapolis for the king’s grandson, Gustaf VI Adolf, during the Crown Prince’s 1929 visit to America. Newspaper accounts reported that Johan debated whether he should play traditional Swedish music or well-known American tunes for the royal guest. He also performed for Grover Cleveland, making him one of the few Swedish immigrant fiddlers known to have played for both European royalty and an American president. A high point of Johan Nordenstrom’s musical career came when he entered a major national old-time fiddlers contest sponsored by Henry Ford. Ninety-four fiddlers from across the United States competed. Johan Nordenstrom, nearly seventy years old and coming from the forests of eastern Jämtland, emerged as the contest winner. An excerpt of an article from the Kanabec County Times, February 11, 1926. "John Nordenstrom, dean of local fiddlers won the Northwest Fiddling Championship at the Twin City Auto Show last Saturday night. John Nordenstrom is too well known in this community to need any explanation as to who he is, for there is hardly a man, woman, boy or girl of dancing age and inclination in this entire section who has not danced to his music." He played around the region with his band which he called the, "John Nordenstrom: Cheer Up Better Times Are Coming" orchestra. Despite his accomplishments, Johan appears to have remained primarily a musician of the people rather than the concert hall. He played in community spaces, dances, gatherings, and immigrant celebrations, bringing Swedish and American traditions together through everyday music-making. Special thanks and credit to Daryl Peterson of the Historical Grass Lake Mission Church for discovery and research
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