Modern Folk/Protest Singer

BILLY BRAGG

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THE ARTIST

• Stephen William "Billy" Bragg was born on December 20, 1957, in Barking, Essex, England. He is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes (Wikipedia, 2014)

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THE MUSIC

• Billy Bragg began his musical career In 1977 when he formed the punk rock/pub rock band Riff Raff. The band released a series of singles, which did not receive wide exposure. Bragg later began performing solo concerts and busking around London with his electric guitar.

• In 1984, he released Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, a mixture of political and love songs.

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THE MUSIC

• In 1985, Bragg released Between the Wars, an EP of political songs that made the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and earned Bragg an appearance on the BBC’s Top of the Pops show. His song "A New England” became a Top 10 hit in the UK for Kirsty MacColl.

• In 1986 Bragg released Talking with the Taxman about Poetry, which became his first Top 10 album.

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THE MUSIC

• In May 1990 Bragg released the political mini-LP, The Internationale.

• In 1991 the album Don't Try This at Home was released and included the song, "Sexuality", which reached the UK Singles Chart.

• After taking time off to help raise his son, Bragg released the album William Bloke in 1996.

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THE MUSIC

• Around the same time, Nora Guthrie (daughter of American folk legend Woody Guthrie) asked Bragg to set some of her father's unrecorded lyrics to music. The resulting material, performed with the band Wilco and Natalie Merchant, became the album Mermaid Avenue in 1998, and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II in 2000.

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THE MUSIC

• On March 18, 2013, Bragg released his latest studio album, five years since Mr. Love & Justice, titled Tooth And Nail. It featured 11 original songs, including one written for the Bush Theatre, and a Woody Guthrie cover.

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ACTIVISM

• Bragg has been involved with grassroots, broadly leftist, political movements 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.” (Wikipedia, 2014)

CONNECTING TO HIS FANS

• Billy Bragg makes extensive use of social media, including Facebook and Twitter to both promote his music and his political messages.

• Bragg maintains very active accounts and posts on both services regularly, sometimes daily.

CONNECTING TO HIS FANS

• He has 180,000 followers on Twitter and 163,000 likes on Facebook.

• Bragg also makes use of Myspace (50,000 followers) and puts his music on Last.fm.

WEB PRESENCE

• Bragg maintains a busy website that also promotes his music and activism. It also includes a fan forum (currently under maintenance) where his followers can discuss both. Both his Twitter feed and Facebook posts are prominently shown on the site.

BRAGG SWAG

• Billy Bragg’s website also contains a well-stocked e-commerce shop that sells directly to fans who might want to pick up his latest CD, a t-shirt, concert poster, book or knick knack.

MEMBERS ONLY

• For an annual subscription, Bragg’s most ardent fans can also view his video archives, get pre-sale alerts on tickets sales, gain access to sound-checks, discounts in the Shop, free monthly downloads and even talk to the man himself one-to-one on Skype – all for just about $1 a month.

VIDEO PROMOTION

• Billy Bragg also uses YouTube and Vevo to share his latest videos on the internet (click the image below to view his latest video promoting his new album).

OWNERSHIP• Billy Bragg believes strongly

in retaining ownership of his material and continues to sign record deals with Cooking Vinyl. The record company specializes in “service only deals” that allow Bragg to retain the copyright for his music, a clause that is still rare in the recording industry (billybragg.co.uk, 2013).