Evan Ljunggren was a Swedish engineer and producer, known for running Falks Studio in Eksjö and owning the label FALK (3). He was born on March 13, 1931, in Vetlanda and passed away on January 15, 2020, in Eksjö.
Growing up in Tånghult, Evan demonstrated an early interest in sound and photography. As a teenager, despite attending school for only six years, he built a simple speaker to listen to the radio in a neighboring room. His passion for sound led him to record artists and choirs in churches and homesteads during the 1940s, utilizing various technologies from engraving machines to tape recorders and eventually digital equipment.
In 1952, Evan met his future wife, Vivi-Anne, a Salvation Army soldier who balanced her career between singing and driving a bus. The couple married in 1955 and soon welcomed their sons, Bengt and Kjell, into the family business. At the age of 28, he acquired Falks Foto, a shop located at Norra Storgatan 25 in Eksjö, which later moved to Västerlånggatan in 1963 and Södra Storgatan 5 in 1965.
Around this time, Evan established Falk's Studio in the basement of his home. His first recording in this studio featured his wife alongside Anna-Lisa Lindén and Gunnar Holmgren, resulting in a limited EP release of 50 copies. During Easter 1963, he recorded his first non-family-related project in a rented basement in central Eksjö with Målle Lindberg. Due to noise complaints from neighbors, the session continued at Målle's sister's home in Bänarp, where the duo Curt & Roland also participated.
Evan innovated a business model requiring artists to pay a lump sum upfront, which covered the recording and the production of 100 records for personal sale. In 1967, he collaborated with singer-evangelist Artur Erikson on the LP "När den evigt klara morgon gryr," which sold 25,000 copies and became Sweden's first "religious" gold record. Another collaborative Christmas record with Anna-Lena Löfgren also achieved gold status, with a young Michael B Tretow as the technician. This project marked the beginning of Tretow's illustrious career, which would later include work as ABBA's sound engineer.
That autumn, 17-year-old Agnetha Fältskog recorded her debut in Evan's studio. Accompanied by Bernt Enghardt's Orkester from Jönköping, she later catapulted to fame, reaching Svensktoppen shortly after Evan sent a tape to producer Little Gerhard in Stockholm. Years later, in 1982, Lena Philipsson recorded a demo with her mother at the studio.
Evan's work extended to numerous artists, including Jokkmokks-Jokke, Carola, Göingeflickorna, Pelle Näver, Lapp-Lisa, Lars Gullin, Kjell Öhman, Arvid Sundin, Anna-Lena Löfgren, Stålfarfar, Ingeborg Nyberg, and the Christian country duo Bosse & Anita.
In the late 1970s, after meeting a Polish singer in Småland, he founded an aid organization that has since donated approximately SEK 200 million to Poland. For his efforts, he was awarded the Polish Order of Commanders, a medal distinguished by its gold and red design with a blue silk ribbon.
Evan was honored with an invitation to the Royal Palace in Stockholm, where he met King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia during Gustaf "Stålfarfar" Håkansson's 100th birthday celebration in 1985. Additionally, Swedish Radio sought Falks Studio's expertise in converting old recording formats, including vintage thread recordings.
His youngest son, Bengt Ljunggren, compiled a book detailing Evan's life, while over 1,000 recordings were produced at Falks Studio, with output peaking at 50-60 titles per year until the 1980s. In 1984, Evan sold Falks Foto to Margit Petersson and Gun-Britt Gustafsson but continued to record until the end of his life, with his final artist being Lyckans Trio from Eksjö.
