Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg, popularly known as Billy Bragg, was born December 20, 1957, in Barking, Essex. He is a musician noted for his poetic and often politically conscious lyrics, as well as his goodhearted temperament. Bragg currently lives in Dorset, but still considers Barking his hometown, even affectionately earning the nickname, The Bard of Barking. Other than his affinity for English, Bragg did not particularly excel in school. But he finished nonetheless, and set out intent to do something interesting with his life. Along with Wiggy, his next door neighbor, the two would practice guitar and teach each other new songs. They cite their musical influences as The Faces, The Rolling Stones, and the punk movement as a whole as it became more prominent throughout the 70s.
By 1977, Bragg had formed a band called Riff Raff which frequented the London pub circuit. Releasing many singles, the band never received the necessary exposure and eventually fell apart. Faced with the disintegration of his band, Bragg left music and decided to join the British army. He became a trooper for the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars in 1981. Bragg realized immediately that his brash abandonment of music was premature. After only one month in physical fitness and three months in basic training, Bragg paid 175 pounds to buy himself out of the army. He returned home where his mother and his music were waiting. Bragg returned with a new outlook and a new determination. He began performing relentlessly, but this time as a solo act. His demo tape was initially ignored until Bragg decided to take his fate into his own hands. Impersonating a television repair man, Bragg conned his way into Peter Jenner’s office of Charisma Records. Jenner was impressed, but dealing with his company’s impending bankruptcy simply couldn’t sign a new artist. Jenner did agree to release an album of Bragg’s demos with the understanding that there was no money to promote him. Bragg took it upon himself to continue gigging until his new album Life’s a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy obtained the deserved exposure. The album was generally considered the work of a bright new star in the music world.
Charisma was bought out by Virgin Records, and Jenner became Bragg’s manager. In 1984, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg was released, and in 1985 came Between the Wars. Bragg’s sound became increasingly political with each new album. By 1986, Bragg found commercial success with Talking with the Taxman About Poetry, which was a surprise hit and landed in the top ten. He had another success in 1988 with Workers Playtime, which was his fist album featuring accompaniment. It is still considered some of his best work. During the next few years, Bragg released more albums and in 1991, his smash single “Sexuality” made it to the charts. Taking five years off to dedicate to his family, his next album William Bloke, arrived in 1996. Shortly after he was asked to record Woody Guthrie’s previously unrecorded lyrics. The albums Mermaid Avenue in 1998 and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II in 2000 were both successes and led to Bragg enlisting a new band, The Blokes with Ian McLagan of The Faces (one of Bragg’s inspirations to play music in the first place). Since the release of Guthrie’s album, Bragg has found continued success with the release of best of albums and compilation discs. Besides his music, Bragg is most known for his outspoken political views. A proponent of racial, sexual, and gendered equality as well as a proponent of such causes as the miner’s strike in 1984, Bragg has received a lot of opposition from the conservative right. His critics also accuse Bragg of living a hypocritical lifestyle—by promoting cultural equality and integration then making expensive purchases and living in a predominantly white, upper-class neighborhood. Bragg married in 1992, and his son Jack was born in 1993. The family has settled in Dorset, England. YUDDY |
