Johan Rutger Gunnarsson (12 February 1946 – 30 April 2015)^[1] was a Swedish musician, bass guitarist, guitarist, arranger and producer. He was closely associated with the pop group ABBA.

This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2023)

Quick Facts Background information, Birth name ...

Rutger Gunnarsson
Gunnarsson in 1983 at Polar Studios
Background information
Birth name	Johan Rutger Gunnarsson
Born	(1946-02-12)12 February 1946 Linköping, Sweden
Died	30 April 2015(2015-04-30) (aged 69) Stockholm, Sweden
Genres	Pop rock schlager
Occupation(s)	Musician producer arranger
Instrument(s)	Bass guitar
Years active	1960s–2015
Labels	Polar Polydor Atlantic Epic RCA

Close

Gunnarsson grew up in Ledberg parish. His career began with Björn Ulvaeus in the Hootenanny Singers. He went on to work with ABBA, playing on all their albums and participating in their tours. He later worked on several musicals and musical events, including: Chess, Les Misérables, Rhapsody In Rock, 007, Mamma Mia! and Diggiloo. Gunnarsson also arranged strings and played bass for others, including Celine Dion, Westlife, Elton John, Lee Hazlewood, Adam Ant, and Bobbysocks. He produced and arranged music for artists such as Gwen Stefani, Elin Lanto, Joyride, and Alla Pugacheva.^[2]