Johann Jonatan - Jussi - Björling was born on February 5th 1911 in Stora Tuna, Sweden, son of a tenor (who had made an appearance at the MET) and one among many talented brothers, toghether with whom he formed the Bjoerling Male Quartet, led by his father. As a child Jussi toured with the Bjoerling Male Quartet in the years 1916-26 throughout Sweden and the United States. After the father's death in 1926, Jussi studied at the Stockholm Royal Academy of Music, upon recommendation by the leading tenor in Sweden at the time. Four years after his father's death, in June 1930, Jussi made his operatic debut in a minor part at the Royal Opera of Stockholm, which soon led to superior roles as Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Almaviva in Rossini's Il Barbieri di Siviglia and Arnoldo in Rossini's Guglielmo Tell.

Europe soon followed, as well as Chicago and Buenos Aires and he finally appeared at the MET in 1938 as Rodolfo. He was then only 26.

He reached immense acclaim during his career and undoubtedly came to represent to many a music lover the voice of the century. With a smooth yet full-bodied timbre and an extraordinary evenness of tone, Jussi Björling possessed one of the most distinct tenor voices in history, topped by a ringing top B flat and a particularity for the melancholy. Jussi Björling came to be the only and unique non-Latin tenor that could rival the Italian dominance in the tenor heritage and he appeared while such grand and famed tenors as Martinelli, Schipa, Gigli and Lauri-Volpi were still present and active.

His health weakened during the 50's and suffered a heart attack in March 1960 just before going on-stage at a performance at London's Covent Garden but did still perform. He died six months later in Sweden.