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Billy Bragg

Origin: Barking, England
(December 20, 1957)

Heroic Values: Achievement, Integrity, Perseverance, Tolerance, Vision, Wisdom

Background

Stephen William Bragg was born in Essex and began playing in a punk band at age twenty. After very limited success, he left four years later to join the tank brigade in the British Army. He swiftly bought his way out of that and concentrated on playing solo, spending a lot of time busking on the streets and acting as a backup to anyone who would have him.

He soon received a break and recorded an album with just his electric guitar. This was the way he remained on a number of albums before getting a band together. His songs are famously about love and politics, with clever lyrics and a unique sound. He became progressively more famous and in the late eighties he was asked by Nora (daughter of Woodie) Guthrie to record some of Woodie's unrecorded lyrics.

Bragg is very vocal with his politics and is happy to support them at a grassroots level. He has traveled around the world to play benefit gigs for people on strike. He uses his music to help spread the word; combatting bigotry, homophobia, right wing extremism, and racism. He has recently published a book on nationalism called The Progressive Patriot.

Sources

Wikipedia
The online encyclopedia

BillyBragg.co.uk
Billy's home on the web

The Rollins Show
Live performance of "Waiting For the Great Leap Forward"