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Billy Bragg

 
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Billy Bragg

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Singer, songwriter, activist

Briton Billy Bragg began his career as a self-described "hard-core folksinger." His marriage of the angry, "in-your-face" sensibility of punk rock with the humanitarian, activist ideals of traditional folk music made Bragg a particularly strange hybrid in the music business. Influenced by the seminal punk group the Clash and grim social conditions under conservative former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Bragg set his unapologetic socialist politics to spare electric guitar melodies in service to both his music career and the higher purpose of inspiring his listeners to rethink their social and political complacency. Yet throughout his career, Bragg has managed to avoid the preachy posturing of many a pop star by mixing his messages with arch wit and self-mocking warmth.

Born Steven-William Bragg on December 20, 1957, Bragg was raised in the East London neighborhood of Barking—a working-class locale of row houses that produced his characteristic Cockney accent. He left school at 16, bought a cheap guitar, and embarked on a series of day jobs that included stints as a bank messenger and goatherd. By most accounts he actually learned how to play his guitar from his boyhood chum and current guitarist-confidante, Wiggy. Bragg’s music career began in earnest in 1977 when he and Wiggy formed the punk band Riff Raff. Bragg played rhythm guitar and contributed vocals. After releasing several independent singles, Riff Raff unveiled an EP titled / Wanna Be a Cosmonaut in July of 1978. Their musicianship of dubious quality—a Melody Maker reviewer remarked of the record, as reprinted in the Billy Bragg Songbook: "Riff Raff, ‘I Want to be a Cosmonaut,’ I wish he would and take his record with him"—Riff Raff drew little acclaim and folded early in 1981. ‘"Failure to come to terms with abject poverty,’ was the official reason for the split," the Songbook explained.

Suddenly unemployed and frustrated by the dissolution of his band, Bragg joined Her Majesty’s Forces at Catterick Camp, where he hoped to learn tank-driving skills. He realized immediately, though, that he had no business in the military, served out his 90-day term, and retired from the service. Bragg returned to Barking, where he concentrated on both his songwriting and facility with the guitar.

Galvanized by Margaret Thatcher
While paying his dues as a musician, according to a 1991 Monthly Review interview with author David Batstone, Bragg became galvanized politically by the 1983 reelection of Margaret Thatcher, whose Tory government had ruthlessly cut the social programs Bragg had taken for granted. He told Batstone: "Then in ’84, of

course, was the miners’ strike, which was the big political catalyst for my generation.… A lot of us who had started to write political songs had the opportunity to find out whether those songs actually meant anything in a real political context."

After a series of subway performances and club gigs, at which Bragg—billed as Spy vs. Spy—showcased his increasingly political songs, a lucky break arrived when a prescient soul gave him an opportunity to make demo recordings; several of these stripped-down "live" recordings would eventually find their way onto Bragg’s first album, Life’s a Riot With Spy vs. Spy. Recorded in three days in February of 1983, the seven-song, roughly 17-minute EP contained what Bragg called during a 1984 appearance in Boston "highspeed punk-folk numbers." The record, featuring both sweet-clever love songs—"The Milkman of Human Kindness"—and fierce indictments of British class structure and diminishing economic opportunity—"To Have and to Have Not"—did not immediately find its niche with any record company.

However, visionary Peter Jenner, at the time creative director of Charisma Records, spotted in Bragg’s unusual talent advantages where other record-company recruiters saw only liabilities. Bragg’s first effort was finally released in July of 1983 on Charisma’s Utility label. Although Life’s a Riot was not an immediate hit, The Billy Bragg Songbook reports that Melody Maker contributor Adam Sweeting was in the vanguard when he called Bragg a "hit and run attraction" spinning "deceptively robust melodies and razor-sharp earthy wit." London disc jockeys John Peel and Kid Jensen gave Bragg’s career a further boost by playing cuts from the record on their popular radio shows.

That September, Charisma was swallowed by Virgin Records, and Bragg and Utility were transferred to the GO! Discs label; there, the record began to take off. Buoyed by public enthusiasm for the track "A New England," which featured the refrain "I don’t want to change the world/I’m not looking for a new England/I’m just looking for another girl," Life’s a Riot reached the top spot on the British independent charts in January of 1984—remaining there for three months—and eventually sold over 500,000 copies to earn a gold record. Putting his friend-of-the-workingman philosophy to practical use, Bragg caused a brouhaha when he insisted that copies of the record be labeled with a maximum-price sticker, thereby guaranteeing that retailers would not charge more than a low, preset price; as the record had been made on a shoestring budget, Bragg reasoned, the savings should be passed on to the consumer. Triumphant in the ensuing struggle with infuriated distributors of his record, Bragg was soon on tour in Europe and the U.S. warming up for better-known acts. September of that year saw him performing in British coalfields for a Feed the Miners benefit.

Brewing Up With Billy Bragg, the singer’s second solo release, appeared in October of 1984. It reached Number 16 on the British LP chart—without a single or video—before dropping from sight. The 11-song release added organ and trumpet to Bragg’s trademark lacerating rhythm guitar. Brewing Up mixed outrage at the careless acceptance of undisguised sexist and right-wing propaganda in England’s newspapers, in "It Says Here," with bitter contemplation of betrayed emotional commitment, in "The Myth of Trust."

The next record, 1985’s four-track Between the Wars EP—released in conjunction with a Jobs for Youth tour sponsored by Britain’s Labour Party—featured the song "Between the Wars," which radiated Bragg’s ripening songwriting gift and vocal nuances; a tender, pacifist ballad, sung from a workingman’s point of view, the song captures Bragg’s suspicion of the military’s role in economic recovery and his belief that it is the fundamental responsibility of government to provide its citizens with "a living wage." Arguably one of his most moving compositions, "Between the Wars" has an anthem-like quality that surfaces frequently in Bragg’s work.

Made News on College Charts
The American music press began to take notice of Bragg in 1985. People contributor Susan Schindehette summed up initial U.S. response: "In concert he just stands there in a spotlight wearing blue jeans and a polo shirt, bashing on an old electric guitar. Then he stops and talks about miners’ strikes and the welfare state. What’s wrong with this guy?" American students, nonetheless, seemed to feel there was nothing wrong with Bragg; his records regularly held their own at the top of the college charts.

The previous year Bragg had articulated his politics and motivation for his growing American audience. He stated in Rolling Stone, "Some things have to be defended: the welfare state, free education, free health care, the right for old people to retain their dignity. My government just doesn’t care anymore, and if that doesn’t inspire you to write songs…" With typical understatement, he added, "I’m not a revolutionary. Just someone who managed to overcome the shyness of my generation to sing political songs."

1987 marked the release of Bragg’s third LP, Talking With the Taxman About Poetry. Taxman further enlarged Bragg’s sound—this time with a variety of instrumental, and some vocal, accompaniment; the raw style so evident on the early records had been enriched by a distinct flavor of pop and rhythm and blues. "While purists might bitch," allowed Rolling Stone reviewer David Handelman, "the result is a winning mesh, by turns as political as the Clash, as clever as [acerbic wit] Elvis Costello, as melodic as [Kinks front man] Ray Davies and as rocking as [rock and roll pioneer] Chuck Berry." The inclusion of songs like "There Is Power in a Union" and "Levi Stubbs’ Tears" indicates that Bragg was equally concerned with the ideas of communist theory and the comforting power of Motown tunes.

When not in the studio, Bragg continued to tour, joined by local grassroots activists who gathered petition signatures for human rights organizations, encouraged voter registration, and distributed free condoms in the lobbies of concert halls. In 1988 he made news by cofounding Red Wedge—described by The Progressive as "a coalition of artists and musicians supporting the Labour Party and various progressive causes in Great Britain"—and by releasing a live EP called Help Save the Youth of America, culled from performances in Moscow, London, and Washington, D.C.

Also in 1988 Bragg unveiled Workers Playtime, its title borrowed from a post-World War II radio show. Fans and critics again found Bragg flexing his musical muscles; Workers Playtime includes a haunting a cappella examination of the special bond between soldiers called "Tender Comrade," a bouncy sing-along titled "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards," full of clever, self-referential couplets that address Bragg’s mix of "pop and politics," and perhaps the record’s strongest cut, "Must I Paint You a Picture," which exposes a guilty lover claiming that "Virtue never tested is no virtue at all."

Workers Playtime a Breakthrough
With Workers Playtime American critics woke up to Billy Bragg. Said Michael Small in People, "Bragg defiantly bucks the trends by writing sweet melodies that are easy to sing and adding lyrics that are clear, clever, and meaningful." Stereo Review contributor Steve Simels, on the other hand, averred, "Like anybody else who’s got strong opinions, Bragg can be a bloody bore as often as he can be compelling," concluding, "He doesn’t have a good beat, and you can’t dance to him." But most reviewers echoed David Fricke’s Rolling Stone comment on Workers Playtime: "Bragg’s pithy, poignant wordplay, combining … tragicomic ingenuity … with the directness of a political tract, is a treat in itself."

Bragg moved a giant step closer toward his goal of media access for his causes with the 1991 release of Don’t Try This at Home. On it Bragg effortlessly mixes flawed romance, weighty social issues, ingenious puns, and a head-spinning variety of musical genres, all in an impressively broadened, though still heavily accented, voice. In England the single "Sexuality"—from which a very un-Bragg-like dance mix was made—became a runaway hit. The song’s dynamic and responsible attitude toward the title subject, its catchy melody, and lines like "Just because you’re gay/I won’t turn you away" seemed positively revolutionary and attracted attention on both sides of the Atlantic. Teaming with Michael Stipe and Peter Buck, members of the rock band REM, Bragg also recorded the rollicking, countrytinged "You Woke Up My Neighborhood." Another standout on the record was "Cindy of a Thousand Lives," its lush, surging production almost obscuring the cut’s dark lyrics of envisioned ruin and paranoia.

Don’t Try This at Home, which presented Bragg for the first time with a full band, received raves from almost every critical corner. One dissenter, Rolling Stone contributor Rob Tannenbaum, groused that "[Bragg’s] songs are so full of Britannia … that his albums should come with footnotes." Calling the record "morose" and "sometimes listless," Tannenbaum nevertheless mustered some praise: "With his consistently fresh rhymes and winning sense of self-parody, Bragg sings about racism, jingoism and other liberal themes without succumbing to a stiff political correctness." Sally Margaret Joy was less ambivalent in Melody Maker, enthusing, ‘"Don’t Try This at Home’ is Bragg’s most complete and accessible album to date. He has waded into the waters of pop and his principles haven’t dragged him down."

The further spread of Bragg’s message is difficult to predict; what is certain, however, is that he will continue to use his personal experiences to explore the human condition and urge his listeners to social action—whether or not he succeeds critically and commercially. As he stated to David Fricke in Rolling Stone of his aspirations for society, "Because we can’t get Utopia tomorrow doesn’t mean we should stop trying."

Selected discography
(With Riff Raff)/Wanna Be a Cosmonaut (EP), Chiswick Records, 1978.
Life’s a Riot With Spy vs. Spy (mini-LP; includes "The Milkman of Human Kindness," "To Have and to Have Not," and "A New England"), GO! Discs/Utility Records, 1983.
Brewing Up With Billy Bragg (includes "It Says Here" and "The Myth of Trust"), GO! Discs, 1984.
Between the Wars EP (includes "Between the Wars"), GO! Discs, 1985.
Back to Basics (contains Life’s a Riot With Spy vs. Spy, Brewing Up With Billy Bragg, and Between the Wars EP), Elektra, 1987.
Talking With the Taxman About Poetry (includes "There is Power in a Union" and "Levi Stubbs’ Tears"), Elektra, 1987.
Help Save the Youth of America, Elektra, 1988.
Workers Playtime (includes "Tender Comrade," "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards," and "Must I Paint You a Picture"), Elektra, 1988.
The Internationale (EP), Elektra, 1990.
Don’t Try This at Home (includes "Sexuality," "You Woke Up My Neighborhood," and "Cindy of a Thousand Lives"), Elektra, 1991.
The Peel Sessions: 1983-88, Strange Fruit, 1992.
Also recorded several independent singles with Riff Raff.

Sources
Books
The Billy Bragg Songbook, International Music Publications, 1985.

Periodicals
Audio, January 1989.
In These Times, November 13, 1991.
Melody Maker, September 14, 1991.
Metro Times (Detroit), November 20, 1991.
Monthly Review, February 1991.
Mother Jones, November/December 1990.
Musician, December 1991.
New Musical Express, September 14, 1991.
New Statesman & Society, June 22, 1990.
People, July 29, 1985; December 5, 1988; August 13, 1990; February 3, 1992.
The Progressive, July 1988.
Pulse!, November 1991.
Rolling Stone, September 12, 1985; March 26, 1987; June 2, 1988; November 17, 1988; January 12, 1989; October 18, 1990; November 15, 1990; January 24, 1991; June 27, 1991 ; October 13, 1991; January 23, 1992.
Select, September 1991.
Spin, April 1991; November 1991.
Stereo Review, February 2, 1989.
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Billy Bragg

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  • Genres: Rock

Biography

Finding inspiration in the righteous anger of punk rock and the socially conscious folk tradition of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg was the leading figure of the anti-folk movement of the '80s. For most of the decade, Bragg bashed out songs alone on his electric guitar, singing about politics and love. While his lyrics were bitingly intelligent and clever, they were also warm and humane, filled with detail and wit. Even though his lyrics were carefully considered, Bragg never neglected to write melodies for songs that were strong and memorable. Throughout the '80s, he managed to chart consistently in Britain, yet he only gathered a cult following in America, which could be due to the fact that he sang about distinctly British subject matter, both politically and socially.

Bragg began performing in the late '70s with the punk group Riff Raff, which lasted only a matter of months. He then joined the British Army, yet he quickly bought himself out of his sojourn with 175 pounds. After leaving the Army, he began working at a record store; while he was working, he was writing songs that were firmly in the folk and punk protest tradition. Bragg began a British tour, playing whenever he had the chance to perform. Frequently he would open for bands with only a moment's notice; soon, he had built a sizable following, as evidenced by his first EP, Life's a Riot with Spy vs. Spy (1983), hitting number 30 on the U.K. independent charts. Brewing Up with Billy Bragg (1984), his first full-length album, climbed to number 16 in the charts.

During 1984, Bragg became a minor celebrity in Britain, as he appeared at leftist political rallies, strikes, and benefits across the country; he also helped form the "Red Wedge," a socialist musicians collective that also featured Paul Weller. In 1985, Kirsty MacColl took one of his songs, "New England," to number seven on the British singles chart. Featuring some subtle instrumental additions of piano and horns, 1986's Talking with the Taxman About Poetry reached the U.K. Top Ten.

Bragg's version of the Beatles' "She's Leaving Home," taken from the Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father tribute album, became his only number one single in 1988 -- as the double A-side with Wet Wet Wet's "With a Little Help from My Friends." That year, he also released the EP Help Save the Youth of America and the full-length Workers Playtime, which was produced by Joe Boyd (Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, R.E.M.). Boyd helped expand Bragg's sound, as the singer recorded with a full band for the first time. The following year, Bragg restarted the Utility record label as a way of featuring non-commercial new artists. The Internationale, released in 1990, was a collection of left-wing anthems, including a handful of Bragg originals. On 1991's Don't Try This at Home, he again worked with a full band, recording his most pop-oriented and accessible set of songs; the album featured the hit single, "Sexuality." Bragg took several years off after Don't Try This at Home, choosing to concentrate on fatherhood. He returned in 1996 with William Bloke.

In 1998, he teamed with the American alternative country band Wilco to record Mermaid Avenue, a collection of performances based on unreleased songs originally written by Woody Guthrie. Reaching to the Converted, a collection of rarities, followed a year later, and in mid-2000 Bragg and Wilco reunited for a second Mermaid Avenue set. While touring in support of Mermaid Avenue, Vol. 2, Bragg formed the Blokes in 1999 with Small Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan. Lu Edmonds (guitar), Ben Mandelson (lap steel guitar), Martyn Barker (drums), and Simon Edwards (bass) solidified the group while Bragg moved from London to rural Dorset in early 2001. One year later, the Blokes joined Bragg for England, Half English, his first solo effort since William Bloke.

In 2004, Bragg collaborated with Less Than Jake for "The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out," a track included on the Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 compilation. The two-CD Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg appeared in 2003 with initial copies featuring a third bonus CD of collectibles and rarities. The Yep Roc label released the box set Volume 1 in 2006. The set included seven CDs and two DVDs of previously unavailable live footage, and the label simultaneously reissued four titles from Bragg's early back catalog in expanded editions. Billy Bragg spent the next year recording in London, Devon, and Lincolnshire, and 2008 saw the release of Mr. Love & Justice, his first solo effort in six years. Although the Blokes served as Bragg's backing band on the album, a limited-edition package also included a second disc comprised of intimate solo recordings. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Billy Bragg

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Billy Bragg

Bragg at a protest calling for electoral reform in 2010
Background information
Birth name Stephen William Bragg
Born 20 December 1957 (1957-12-20) (age 54)
Barking, Essex, England
Genres Folk punk,[1] folk rock, alternative rock
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 1977–present
Associated acts The Blokes
Riff-Raff
Wilco
Website billybragg.co.uk

Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957), better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist.[2][3] His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes. His music career has lasted more than 30 years.

Contents

Early life

Bragg was born in 1957 in Barking, Essex,[4] the son of Dennis Frederick Austin Bragg, an assistant sales manager to a Barking cap and hat maker, and his wife, Marie Victoria D'Urso.[5] Bragg was educated at Barking Abbey Secondary School in Barking.[6]

Career

 This section of a biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2008)

In 1977, Bragg formed the punk rock/pub rock band Riff Raff, and toured London's pubs and clubs. The band released a series of singles, which did not receive wide exposure. He also worked in Guy Norris Records in Barking. Bragg became disillusioned with his music career, and in May 1981 joined the British Army as a recruit destined for the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars of the Royal Armoured Corps. After three months, he bought his way out of the army for £175 and returned home, having attended basic training but having never served in a regiment as a soldier.[7]

Bragg began performing frequent concerts and busking around London, playing solo with an electric guitar. His roadie at the time was Andy Kershaw, who became a BBC DJ (Bragg and Kershaw later, in 1989, appeared in an episode of the BBC TV programme, "Great Journeys", in which they travelled the Silver Road from Potosí, Bolivia, to the Pacific coast at Arica, Chile).[8]

Bragg performing at South by Southwest in 2008

Bragg's demo tape initially got no response from the record industry, but by pretending to be a television repair man, he got into the office of Charisma Records' A&R man Peter Jenner.[9] Jenner liked the tape, but the company was near bankruptcy and had no budget to sign new artists. Bragg got an offer to record more demos for a music publisher, so Jenner agreed to release them as a record. Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy was released in July 1983 by Charisma's new imprint, Utility. Hearing DJ John Peel mention on-air that he was hungry, Bragg rushed to the BBC with a mushroom biryani, so Peel played a song from Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy although at the wrong speed (since the 12" LP was, unconventionally, cut to play at 45rpm).[9] Peel insisted he would have played the song even without the biryani and later played it at the correct speed.

Within months, Charisma had been taken over by Virgin Records and Jenner, who had been laid off, became Bragg's manager. Stiff Records' press officer Andy Macdonald – who was setting up his own record label, Go! Discs – received a copy of Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy. He made Virgin an offer and the album was re-released on Go! Discs in November 1983. In 1984, he released Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, a mixture of political songs (e.g., "It Says Here") and songs of unrequited love (e.g., "The Saturday Boy"). The following year he released Between the Wars, an EP of political songs that included a cover version of Leon Rosselson's "The World Turned Upside Down" – the EP made the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and earned Bragg an appearance on Top of the Pops. Bragg later collaborated with Rosselson on the song, "Ballad of the Spycatcher". In 1985, his song "A New England", with an additional verse, became a Top 10 hit in the UK for Kirsty MacColl. After MacColl's early death, Bragg always sang the extra verse in her honour. In 1984–1985 he toured North America.

In 1986, Bragg released Talking with the Taxman about Poetry, which became his first Top 10 album. Its title is taken from a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky and a translated version of the poem was printed on the record's inner sleeve. Back to Basics is a 1987 collection of his first three releases: Life's A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, and the Between The Wars EP. Bragg released his fourth album, Workers Playtime, in September 1988. With this album, Bragg added a backing band and accompaniment. In May 1990, Bragg released the political mini-LP, The Internationale. The songs were, in part, a return to his solo guitar style, but some songs featured more complicated arrangements and included a brass band. The album paid tribute to one of Bragg's influences with the song, "I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night", which is an adapted version of Earl Robinson's song, "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night", itself an adaptation of a poem by Alfred Hayes.

Performing with The Imagined Village at Camp Bestival, 20 July 2008

The album Don't Try This at Home was released in September 1991, and included the song, "Sexuality", which reached the UK Singles Chart. Bragg had been persuaded by Go! Discs' Andy and Juliet Macdonald to sign a four-album deal with a million pound advance, and a promise to promote the album with singles and videos. This gamble was not rewarded with extra sales, and the situation put the company in financial difficulty. In exchange for ending the contract early and repaying a large amount of the advance, Bragg regained all rights to his back catalogue. Bragg continued to promote the album with his backing band, The Red Stars, which included his Riff Raff colleague and long-time roadie, Wiggy.

Bragg released the album William Bloke in 1996 after taking time off to help raise his son. Around that time, Nora Guthrie (daughter of American folk artist Woody Guthrie) asked Bragg to set some of her father's unrecorded lyrics to music. The result was a collaboration with the band Wilco and Natalie Merchant (with whom Bragg had worked previously). They released the album Mermaid Avenue in 1998, and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II in 2000. A rift with Wilco over mixing and sequencing the album led to Bragg recruiting his own band, The Blokes, to promote the album. The Blokes included keyboardist Ian McLagan, who had been a member of Bragg's boyhood heroes The Faces. The documentary film Man in the Sand depicts the roles of Nora Guthrie, Bragg, and Wilco in the creation of the Mermaid Avenue albums.

In 2004, Bragg joined Florida ska-punk band Less Than Jake to perform a version of 'The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out' for the Rock Against Bush compilation.

At the 2005 Beautiful Days Festival in Devon, Bragg teamed up with the Levellers to perform a short set of songs by The Clash in celebration of Joe Strummer's birthday. Bragg performed guitar and lead vocals on "Police and Thieves", and performed guitar and backing vocals on "English Civil War", and "Police on my Back".

In 2007, Bragg moved closer to his English folk music roots by joining the WOMAD-inspired collective The Imagined Village, who recorded an album of updated versions of traditional English songs and dances and toured through that autumn. Bragg released his album Mr. Love & Justice in March 2008.[10] This was the second Bragg album to be named after a book by Colin MacInnes. In 2008, during the NME Awards ceremony, Bragg sang a duet with British solo act Kate Nash. They mixed up their two greatest hits, Nash playing "Foundations", and Bragg redoing his "A New England".[11] Bragg also collaborated with the poet and playwright, Patrick Jones, who supported Bragg's Tour.

In 2008, Bragg played a small role in Stuart Bamforth's film "A13: Road Movie".[12] Bragg is featured alongside union reps, vicars, burger van chefs and Members of Parliament[12] in a film that explored "the overlooked, the hidden and the disregarded."[12]

He was involved in the play Pressure Drop at the Wellcome Collection in London in April and May 2010. The production, written by Mick Gorden, and billed as "part play, part gig, part installation", featured new songs by Bragg. He performed during the play with his band, and acted as compere.[13]

Bragg curated the Leftfield stage at Glastonbury Festival 2010.[14]

He will also be partaking in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six where he has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.[15]

Politics

Bragg has been involved with grassroots, broadly leftist, political movements,[3] and this is often reflected in his lyrics. Bragg has recorded and performed cover versions of famous socialist anthems The Internationale and The Red Flag. Bragg said in an interview: "My theory is this; I'm not a political songwriter. I'm an honest songwriter. I try and write honestly about what I see around me now."[16] In another interview, Bragg said: "I don't mind being labelled a political songwriter. The thing that troubles me is being dismissed as a political songwriter."[17] In an interview with Bullz-Eye, Bragg said:

I would then say that I am Mr. Love and Justice, and to check out the love songs. That’s how I capture people. People do say to me, “I love your songs, but I just can’t stand your politics.” And I say, “Well, Republicans are always welcome. Come on over!” I would hate to stand at the door, saying to people, “Do you agree with these positions? If not, you can’t come in.”[18]

Bragg expressed support for the 1984 miners' strike, and the following year he formed the musicians' alliance Red Wedge, which promoted the Labour Party and discouraged young people from voting for the Conservative Party in the 1987 general election. Following the defeat of the Labour Party and the repeated victory of Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative government, Bragg joined Charter88 to push for a reform of the British political system.

Also during the 1980s, Bragg travelled to the Soviet Union a few times, after Mikhail Gorbachev had started to promote the policies of perestroika and glasnost. During one trip, he was accompanied by MTV, and during another trip he was filmed for the 1998 mini-documentary Mr Bragg Goes to Moscow, by Hannu Puttonen.

On TV series After Dark in 1987

On 12 June 1987, the night after the UK General Election, he appeared on a memorable edition of After Dark. In 1999, Bragg appeared before a commission that debated possible reform of the House of Lords.[19]

During the 2001 UK general election, Bragg attempted to combat voter apathy by promoting tactical voting in an attempt to unseat Conservative Party candidates in Dorset, particularly in South Dorset and West Dorset. The Labour Party won South Dorset with their smallest majority, and the Conservative majority in West Dorset was reduced.

Bragg has developed an interest in English national identity, apparent in his 2002 album England, Half-English and his 2006 book The Progressive Patriot. The book expressed his view that English socialists can reclaim patriotism from the right wing. He draws on Victorian poet Rudyard Kipling for an inclusive sense of Englishness.[20] Bragg has participated in a series of debates with members of the Socialist Workers Party who disagree with his argument. Bragg also supports Scottish independence.[21]

Supporting a demonstration against police misuse of anti-terrorism legislation; Trafalgar Square, London, 23 January 2010

Bragg has been an outspoken opponent of fascism, racism, bigotry, sexism and homophobia, and is a supporter of a multi-racial Britain. As a result, Bragg has come under attack from far right groups such as the British National Party. In a 2004 The Guardian article, Bragg was quoted as saying:

The British National Party would probably make it into a parliament elected by proportional representation, too. It would shine a torch into the dirty little corner where the BNP defecate on our democracy, and that would be much more powerful than duffing them up in the street – which I'm also in favour of.[22]

Also in 2004, Bragg collaborated with American ska punk band Less Than Jake to record a song for the Rock Against Bush compilation album.

During the 2005 general election campaign in the Bethnal Green and Bow constituency, Bragg supported Oona King, a pro-Iraq war Labour candidate, over George Galloway, an anti-war Respect Party candidate, due to a belief that splitting the left-wing vote would allow the Conservatives to win the seat.[23] Galloway overturned King's 10,000-strong majority to become his party's only MP.[24]

In March 2006, journalist Garry Bushell (a former Trotskyist who ran as a candidate for the English Democrats in 2005) accused Bragg of "pontificating on a South London council estate when we all know he lives in a lovely big house in West Dorset".[25]

In January 2010, Bragg announced that he would withhold his income tax as a protest against the Royal Bank of Scotland's plan to pay bonuses of approximately of £1.5 billion to staff in its investment banking business. Bragg set up a Facebook group, made appearances on radio and television news programmes, and made speech at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park. Bragg said,“Millions are already facing stark choices: are they willing to work longer hours for less money, or would they rather be unemployed? I don’t see why the bankers at RBS shouldn’t be asked the same.”[26]

On the eve of the 2010 general election, Bragg announced that he would be voting for the Liberal Democrats because "they've got the best manifesto".[27] He also backed the Lib Dems for tactical voting reasons. Bragg later expressed disappointment with the party, stating that 'the Lib Dems had failed democracy'.[28]

Bragg was also very active in his hometown of Barking as part of Searchlight's Hope not Hate campaign, where the BNP's leader Nick Griffin was standing for election. At one point during the campaign Bragg squared up to BNP London Assembly Member Richard Barnbrook, calling him a "Fascist Racist" and saying "when you're gone from this borough, we will rebuild this community". The BNP came third on election day.[29]

Bragg is a board director and key spokesman for the Featured Artists Coalition, a body representing the rights of recording artists. Bragg founded the organisation Jail Guitar Doors, which supplies instruments to prisoners to encourage them to address problems in a non-confrontational way.[30]

Bragg is a regular at the Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival, an annual event celebrating the memory of those transported to Australia for founding a union in the 1830s.[31]

In January 2011, news sources reported that 20 to 30 residents of Bragg's Dorset hometown, Burton Bradstock, had received anonymous letters viciously attacking Bragg and his politics, and urging residents to oppose him in the village. Bragg claimed that a BNP supporter was behind the letters, which argued that Bragg is a hypocrite for advocating socialism while living a wealthy lifestyle, and referred to him as anti-British and pro-immigration.[32]

In July 2011 Billy joined the growing protests over the News of the World phone hacking affair with the recording of "Never Buy the Sun" which references many of the scandals key points including the Milly Dowler case, police bribes and associated political fallout. It also draws on the 22 year Liverpool boycott of The Sun for their coverage of the Hillsborough Disaster.[33]

In 2011 Bragg joined the Occupy Movement Protests.

Personal life

Billy lives in Burton Bradstock, Dorset with his wife Juliet and son Jack.[34]

Discography

Main article: Billy Bragg discography

See also

References

  1. ^ "Billy Bragg's 'Mao-ist Sing-Along' at SXSW". NPR. 14 March 2008. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88411607. Retrieved 28 January 2010. 
  2. ^ Collett-White, Mike (18 January 2010). "Singer Billy Bragg to stop paying taxes over bank bonuses". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60H3JG20100118. 
  3. ^ a b Walker, Kirsty (19 January 2010). "Billy Bragg in Facebook protest as he refuses to pay income tax unless RBS bonuses are curbed". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1244137/Billy-Bragg-Facebook-protest-refuses-pay-income-tax-unless-RBS-bonuses-curbed.html. 
  4. ^ Deborah Ross (11 November 2002). "Billy Bragg: Rebel with a cause". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/billy-bragg-rebel-with-a-cause-603981.html. Retrieved 9 January 2010. 
  5. ^ Nick Barratt Published: 12:01 am BST 31 Mar 2007 (31 March 2007). "Family Detective: Billy Bragg". London: Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2007/03/31/nosplit/ftdet131.xml. Retrieved 28 January 2010. 
  6. ^ Bragg school named[dead link]
  7. ^ Andrew Collins (2007). Still Suitable for Miners: Billy Bragg (revised and updated ed.). London: Virgin Books. pp. 69–79. ISBN 978-0-7535-1245-6. 
  8. ^ Billy Bragg, Still Suitable for Minors, Andrew Collins, 1998 ed, p. 204.
  9. ^ a b "Radio 1 – Keeping It Peel – Billy Bragg". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/artists/b/billybragg/. Retrieved 28 January 2010. 
  10. ^ "Billy Bragg: Mr Love Justice". lovemusic.co.nz. http://lovemusic.co.nz/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=259&Itemid=53. Retrieved 28 January 2010. 
  11. ^ "Billy Bragg and Kate Nash Mash at NME Awards". Anti.com. http://www.anti.com/news/index/447/Billy_Bragg_and_Kate_Nash_Mash_at_NME_Awards. Retrieved 28 January 2010. 
  12. ^ a b c "A13 Road Movie". http://www.uel.ac.uk/news/latest_news/stories/roadmovie.htm. [dead link]
  13. ^ "Pressure Drop". April–May 2010. http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/the-identity-project/play-pressure-drop.aspx. 
  14. ^ Glastonbury Festival announces return of Leftfield with. Billy Bragg. Retrieved on 23 July 2011.
  15. ^ Bush Theatre[dead link]. Bush Theatre. Retrieved on 23 July 2011.
  16. ^ "LiP | Interview | Bill Bragg Interview: Preaching to the Unconverted". Lipmagazine.org. http://www.lipmagazine.org/articles/revitalvi_82.htm. Retrieved 28 January 2010. [dead link]
  17. ^ Gazette, The (16 June 2008). "Interview: Billy Bragg". Canada.com. http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=a855dd81-39ba-4646-b1ae-ee720ad8a704. Retrieved 28 January 2010. 
  18. ^ Harris, Will (20 October 2008). "A Chat with Billy Bragg, Billy Bragg interview, Mr. Love & Justice". Bullz-eye.com. http://www.bullz-eye.com/music/interviews/2008/billy_bragg.htm. Retrieved 28 January 2010. 
  19. ^ "UK Politics | Ensuring the will of the people". BBC News. 22 July 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/400230.stm. Retrieved 28 January 2010. 
  20. ^ Rhyme and Reason, BBC Radio 4, 25 January 2011
  21. ^ "Take Down The Union Jack". Billybragg.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20081006070343/http://www.billybragg.co.uk/releases/albums/england_half_english/take_down_the_union_jack.html. Retrieved 17 August 2011. 
  22. ^ "Jonathan Freedland: End of the peer show | Politics | The Guardian". London: The Guardian<!. 18 February 2004. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2004/feb/18/constitution.lords. Retrieved 28 January 2010. 
  23. ^ "Rockin' the vote: Billy Bragg for Blair? – Red Pepper". Red Pepper<!. http://www.redpepper.org.uk/article601.html. Retrieved 28 January 2010. 
  24. ^ "Politics | Election 2005 | Galloway's East End street fight". BBC News. 6 May 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4519575.stm. Retrieved 28 January 2010. 
  25. ^ "Bushell On The Box". garry-bushell.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 July 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080716083210/http://www.garry-bushell.co.uk/box/index.asp. Retrieved 17 August 2011. 
  26. ^ Asthana, Anushka. "BraggRBS". The Times (UK). http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article7010492.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=2015164. Retrieved 1 February 2010. 
  27. ^ "General Election 2010: Billy Bragg pledges to support Liberal Democrats". The Daily Telegraph (London). 22 April 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7616323/General-Election-2010-Billy-Bragg-pledges-to-support-Liberal-Democrats.html. 
  28. ^ Bragg, Billy (11 November 2010). The Daily Mirror. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/11/11/billy-bragg-lib-dems-have-failed-democracy-not-students-115875-22708040/. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
  29. ^ "Bragg Vs Barnbrook in Barking & Dagenham". Searchlight. 19 April 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMA3-vVEXL4&feature=related. Retrieved 23 February 2011. 
  30. ^ "Jail Guitar Doors". http://jailguitardoors.org.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
  31. ^ Wilkes, David (6 January 2011). "Musician Billy Bragg victim of malicious 'hypocrite' hate mail attack in Dorset village". The Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1344406/Musician-Billy-Bragg-victim-malicious-hate-mail-attack-Dorset-village.html. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
  32. ^ Morris, Steven (6 January 2011). "Billy Bragg's neighbours urged to drive him out of village". The Guardian (UK). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jan/06/billy-bragg-neighbours-hate-mail. Retrieved 6 January 2011. 
  33. ^ "Never buy The Sun". http://www.billybragg.co.uk/sun.php. Retrieved 13 July 2011. 
  34. ^ We Love Leftie Lord of the Manor Daily Mail, retrieved 22nd September 2011.

Further reading

External links

Wikisource has original works written by or about: Billy Bragg
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Studio albums
Compilations,
and boxsets
Singles and EPs

"Between the Wars EP" · "Days Like These" · "Levi Stubbs' Tears" · "Greetings to the New Brunette" · "She's Leaving Home" · "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards" · "She's Got a New Spell" · "Won't Talk About It" · "Sexuality" · "You Woke Up My Neighbourhood" · "Accident Waiting to Happen EP" · "Upfield" · "The Boy Done Good" / "Sugardaddy" · "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" (with Wilco)  · "She Came Along to Me EP" (with Wilco)  · "England Half English" / "St Monday" (with The Blokes)  · "Take Down the Union Jack" (with The Blokes)  · "We Laughed" (Rosetta Life feat. Billy Bragg)  · "I Keep Faith" · "The Beach Is Free" / "I Almost Killed You" · "Never Buy The Sun"
Live albums

"Help Save the Youth of America" · "No Pop, No Style, Strictly Roots" · "Mermaid Avenue Tour" · "Going to a Party Way Down South" · "Live at the Barbican"
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