Johannes Alfred Hultman died at age 81 in Glendale, CA, on August 7, 1942, doing what he was known for: singing a concert. Known as “the Sunshine Singer,” Hultman also was a preacher, composer, and publisher of hymns.
Hultman was born on a small farm in Småland, Sweden on July 6, 1861. As a small boy, he loved music and would sit long times to listen to the organ. His family emigrated to the US in 1869 to a farm near Essex, Iowa. Whenever he worked, he sang gospel songs. With his savings, Hultman purchased an organ and began his music education.
The Rev. Andrew Hallner, pastor in Fridhem, NE, invited him to teach Sunday School and direct their church choir. Hultman accepted. Later he became the pastor and represented that church at the Chicago Mission Synod Conference.
Hultman was enthused about Chicago and decided to stay and study at the Chicago Atheneum. While there, he served as choir director in the now Douglas Park Covenant Church. He preached and sang in the Evanston church. Hultman met and married Carolina Palmer, who became his work mate in churches. Their family consisted of three daughters and one son.
After completion of his two years of study in Chicago, Hultman became an itinerant preacher-singer and wound up in Omaha, NE, in 1881, where he planted a church. For 14 years he served as its pastor. This church grew to be one of the leading western Covenant churches.
When the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church was organized in 1885, Hultman became a charter member. In 1896 and 1897, he served on North Park College’s music staff but declined to be director.
After all his preaching and singing, Hultman finally was ordained a minister in May, 1900, and accepted the call to be pastor at the Salem Square Church in Worcester, MA. An assistant pastor allowed Hultman to give more time to concert tours. After six years as pastor, he resigned to give full time to concerts and his music business.
The Hultman family moved to Sweden in 1909. During his four years there, Hultman performed hundreds of concerts and became known as “the Sunshine Singer,” because of his joyous songs and personality.
When the family returned to Worcester, Hultman and his son opened the Hultman Conservatory of Music. Later he moved it to Chicago.
Hultman and his wife returned often to Sweden. There in 1919, Carolina Hultman died. Hultman spent more time in his homeland, returning occasionally to the US to give concerts. On one of his visits he married Margaret Jansson.
In his early days the press had criticized Hultman for his music selections, his informality, and his singing technique. However, when he gave concerts, the churches and auditoriums were packed.
Hultman contributed a third of his concert proceeds to the attending church, to a needy cause, and kept the remaining third. His needy causes were such as foreign missions, soldiers’ and sailors’ missions, sick preachers, organ funds and so forth. North Park College’s Caroline Hall was made possible partly through funds from the Hultman concerts.
His first collection of hymns, Cymbalen, was published in 1885. Ten years later he jointly published Jubelklangen, which was widely used by Covenant congregations. He helped to compile Sions Basun, the first official Covenant hymnal.
Johannes Alfred Hultman never retired, singing of the Lord God unto his death.
Thanks to God for My Redeemer