Birgit Ridderstedt
Encyclopedia
Birgit Ridderstedt was a Swedish-American folk singer
and cultural ambassador who appeared at festivals and on television in the 1950s and early 1960s with material she produced herself.
, Sweden
, a daughter of Stefan Anderson
and Ragnhild Fredrika Sandberg, she immigrated with her husband C. Erik Ridderstedt and two small sons to the United States in 1950, settling in Chicago and later in Batavia, Illinois
.
and WGN
television in Chicago
in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her television appearances on public service and eventually for commercial
channels in Chicago added to her notoriety in the Chicago media market. Ridderstedt opened her own gift shop and organized entertainment for festivals and parades especially popular with Scandinavia
n-Americans in the Fox Valley (Illinois)
. She worked to establish a previously unusual cooperation between any talented residents she could find of Danish, Norwegian and Swedish extraction. She returned to Sweden in 1962 with the family, but was also active in western Florida in the 1970s with her folk song programs.
The Ridderstedt couple lived in the Stockholm suburb of Täby
when retired; he died in 1982. Birgit Ridderstedt was the mother of Swedish-American writer and entertainment director, Jacob Truedson Demitz
.
Folk Singer
Folk Singer is a 1964 album by Muddy Waters. Waters plays acoustic guitar, backed by Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums, and Buddy Guy on acoustic guitar...
and cultural ambassador who appeared at festivals and on television in the 1950s and early 1960s with material she produced herself.
Background
Born in LudvikaLudvika
Ludvika is a bimunicipal locality and the seat of Ludvika Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden, with 14,018 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:The conurbation of Ludvika extends over the border of Smedjebacken Municipality, where about 400 inhabitants live....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, a daughter of Stefan Anderson
Stefan Anderson
Knut Stefan Anderson was a Swedish industrialist, journalist and master craftsman watchmaker decorated with badges of chivalric orders by the Kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway and the President of Finland.He published articles and a whole series of trade papers, often using the pseudonym...
and Ragnhild Fredrika Sandberg, she immigrated with her husband C. Erik Ridderstedt and two small sons to the United States in 1950, settling in Chicago and later in Batavia, Illinois
Batavia, Illinois
Batavia was founded in 1833, and is the oldest city in Kane County, Illinois, with a small portion in DuPage County. During the Industrial Revolution, Batavia became known as ‘The Windmill City’ for being the largest windmill producer of the time...
.
Career
Ridderstedt was a cultural personality who gave presentations of Scandinavian music and folklore on WTTWWTTW
WTTW channel 11 is one of three Public Broadcasting Service member public television stations serving the Chicago, Illinois market; the others are WYCC and WYIN. WTTW began broadcasting on September 6, 1955 and it is owned and operated by Window to the World Communications, Inc., a not-for-profit...
and WGN
WGN
WGN may refer to:*World's Greatest Newspaper, former slogan of the Chicago Tribune and the namesake for the WGN broadcasting outlets in Chicago, Illinois.** WGN , a radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, United States...
television in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her television appearances on public service and eventually for commercial
Commercial broadcasting
Commercial broadcasting is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship...
channels in Chicago added to her notoriety in the Chicago media market. Ridderstedt opened her own gift shop and organized entertainment for festivals and parades especially popular with Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n-Americans in the Fox Valley (Illinois)
Fox Valley (Illinois)
The Fox Valley—also commonly known as the Fox River Valley—is a rural, suburban, and exurban region within Illinois and Wisconsin along the western edges of the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. This region centers on the Fox River of Illinois and Wisconsin...
. She worked to establish a previously unusual cooperation between any talented residents she could find of Danish, Norwegian and Swedish extraction. She returned to Sweden in 1962 with the family, but was also active in western Florida in the 1970s with her folk song programs.
The Ridderstedt couple lived in the Stockholm suburb of Täby
Täby
Täby is a trimunicipal locality and the seat of Täby Municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden, with 58,593 inhabitants in 2005. It is also partly located in Danderyd Municipality and Sollentuna Municipality...
when retired; he died in 1982. Birgit Ridderstedt was the mother of Swedish-American writer and entertainment director, Jacob Truedson Demitz
Jacob Truedson Demitz
Jacob Truedson Demitz is a Swedish-American writer and entertainment director known for his 1996 book about Scandinavian kings and, as Lars Jacob, for hundreds of cabaret shows in the United States and Europe from 1972 to 2004...
.