Fred Bo Gunnar Åkerström (27 January 1937 – 9 August 1985) was a Swedish singer and activist born in Karlskrona, Stockholm. After hearing the local songwriter Ruben Nilson, he aspired to become a vissångare and began performing on the barge Storken in Stockholm. His first recording, Fred Åkerström sjunger Ruben Nilson (1963), marked his entry into the folk revival scene and established his resonant bass‑baritone voice. Over the next decades he released a steady stream of albums, beginning with Fred besjunger Frida (1964) and Visor i närheten (1965), and later collaborated with Cornelis Vreeswijk, touring together and issuing a joint record early in their careers. His interpretations of Carl Michael Bellman began with a live performance of "Nå skruva fiolen" (1964) and expanded into full‑length albums such as Fred sjunger Bellman (1969), Glimmande nymf (1974), and Vila vid denna källa (1977), the latter featuring trio accompaniment of guitar, cello, and flute. In the late 1960s he adopted left‑wing politics, joining the Communist Party and recording protest songs like Kapitalismen (1967). Åkerström’s catalog includes later releases such as Två tungor (1972) and Sjöfolk och landkrabbor (1978). He died on 9 August 1985.
