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 in the forests of eastern Jämtland. Johan inherited both artistic and musical gifts from his father. Olof Nordenström was not only a settler and farmer, but also published his own poetry collection, Skogsfågeln (“The Forest Bird”), in 1874. Johan became known locally as a highly skilled dance fiddler. People remembered that “he brought such life into the music.” He played fiddle, accordion, and pump organ, and was sought after throughout the region for dances and social gatherings. In 1882 he married Martha Greta Magnusdotter, also known as Märta Larsson, from Bjällsta in Indals parish, Medelpad. Two years later, in 1884, Johan performed for Oscar II when the king traveled through Ragunda for the inauguration of the new railway line in northern Sweden. Johan stood on the station platform and played for the royal procession as the special train arrived. 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 appropriately given the name Atlanta. After arriving in America, the family settled in Grass Lake Township in Kanabec County, Minnesota, where they cleared land and built a farm from the wilderness much as Johan’s father had done in Jämtland. The family later moved to Mora, Minnesota, which became a major center of Swedish-American life. Johan worked many trades throughout his life and built violins and fiddles and became widely known throughout Scandinavian-American communities as both a musician and entertainer. Only one known tune survives from his Swedish years: “Kämp-Olle-Jannes vals.” The melody was preserved decades after his emigration by the fiddler Arvid Brännlund and later published as #659 in the Svenska Låtar collection for Jämtland. In America, Johan expanded his repertoire far beyond Swedish folk music. Performing for immigrant audiences from many European backgrounds, he adapted to 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 reportedly 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. The 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 by way of rural Minnesota, emerged as the contest winner. 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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