Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg was recently described by The Times newspaper as a 'national treasure'. Taking his cue from the righteous anger of punk and the socially conscious, strongly articulate folk tradition of artists such as Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, Billy became the leading figure of the alternative folk scene in the 80s - a refreshing blast of reality in the middle of the glossy, escapist New Romantic movement.
His early work contained forthright commentary on the impact of Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government on the fabric of British society, in particular the decimation of the mining communities. During this time he helped to form Red Wedge - an initiative which aimed to persuade young people to vote in the 1987 election (implicitly for Labour) for which he toured with such luminaries as The Style Council, Madness and The Smiths. In 1985, his good friend, the late Kirsty MacColl took one of his best-loved songs "New England" to number seven on the British singles chart.
Throughout the decade he bashed out songs which were often musically and vocally stark, but still strongly melodic and memorable.
Lyrically, Billy has revealed himself to be a hopeless romantic as well as a passionate and committed social commentator. While his songs, with their main themes of love, relationships and politics, are bitingly intelligent, insightful and sometimes uncomfortably raw, they are also warm, deeply compassionate and witty, often revealing his wry sense of humour. His work has covered subjects such as racism, football hooliganism, national identity and fatherhood.
In the late 90s he was approached by Nora Guthrie, daughter of seminal American folk hero Woody Guthrie, to 're-invent' some of her father's unfinished songs. The result was the Grammy nominated 'Mermaid Avenue' album released in 1998. Billy's main collaborators on the project were alt.country rockers Wilco, with additional contributions from English fiddle player Eliza Carthy, bluesman Corey Harris and acclaimed singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant. So much material was recorded during these sessions that Mermaid Avenue Volume 2 was issued 2 years later.
Billy Bragg's current touring and recording band, The Blokes, features a variety of talented musicians, including the great keyboard talents of "ex-Small Face" Ian McLagan on Hammond Organ and Piano.
The PRS Foundation spoke to Billy to find out what he's been listening to on his summer break...
The Streets: A Grand Don't Come For Free
Mike Skinner is a story-teller in the Woody Guthrie tradition. This album is one long talking blues about getting by in contemporary Britain. What I love about it is that it nicks stuff from lots of different styles and makes imaginative use of them. There are real emotions here - the whole arm around your mates shoulder vibe that comes across in Dry Your Eyes is a refreshing break from the macho posturing of so much beats based music. Best of all, he makes it sound like anyone can make this kind of music.
The Ordinary Boys: Over The Counter Culture
Good to hear the return of guitars on pop records. The Ordinary Boys are a band in the great English tradition of the Kinks, The Small Faces and the Jam. This has been my soundtrack to the summer. It belts along with cracking tracks like 'Talk Talk Talk' and 'Seaside'. I like their attitude too, they're not afraid to address issues with their songwriting.
http://www.theordinaryboys.co.uk/
Laura Nyro: Spread Your Wings And Fly
This is not a record by a new artist, but it is something that aspirant songwriters should check out. Laura Nyro recorded this live set at the Filmore East in 1971 and it displays her great talent as a singer-songwriter and performer. At a time when bland ballads were all the rage, she refused to comply, penning complex melodies which she sang with a powerfully emotional voice. More Nyro, less Dido, that's what I say!
For more information about Billy www.billybragg.co.uk .