As a young man Fonandern studied to be an architect. Upon graduation he opened his own firm in
Gävle. It wasn’t long, however, before he began performing in cabarets in addition to his work as a draftsman. Eventually the singing took over, but he continued with his architectural activities when time allowed. During the 1910s and 1920s Fonandern toured frequently and performed in
Sweden's folk parks. In 1921 he embarked on an American tour, which took him from coast to coast by automobile, something never done by a Swedish artist before. In Duluth, Minnesota Fonandern gave his first ever radio performance. Gustav Fonandern stayed in the
United States off and on from 1921 through 1926. When he was not on tour or in the recording studio, he worked as an architect in
Chicago and other cities. In addition to buildings in
California and
Florida, he designed 150 houses and a large hotel on
Long Island, outside of
New York. After returning to
Sweden Fonandern continued to tour, this time by car, which was so unusual at the time that advertising posters read: "Performance by GUSTAV FONANDERN, architect and ballad singer with his own car!". Despite his great success as an entertainer, Fonandern never put away the drafting pen for good. In the early 1930s he founded yet another architectural firm, this time on Drottninggatan in
Stockholm. ==Legacy==