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Billy Bragg
In 2012, Billy Bragg appeared in
Brief Biography
Alternative rock musician and left-wing activist, Billy Bragg, is an acclaimed international artist who is probably best described as a combination folk musician, punk rocker and protest singer. His active involvement with a variety of grassroots, broadly leftist, political movements, is often reflected in lyrics that explore both political and romantic themes. During the Margaret Thatcher era, Bragg formed a collective of musicians to discourage young people from voting for the Conservative Party. He has also been an outspoken opponent of fascism, racism, bigotry, sexism and homophobia, and he was an active supporter of the Occupy Movement Protests in 2011. In 1992, Nora Guthrie, daughter of the revered American folk artist, Woody Guthrie, asked Billy Bragg to set some of her father's unrecorded lyrics to music. The result was a celebrated collaboration with the band, Wilco. Together they released the acclaimed albums, Mermaid Avenue (1998), nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album, and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II (2000), which included All You Fascists, a song that Woody Guthrie himself could not get away with recording. One of Billy Bragg’s best loved songs, A New England, became a hit single for fellow British artist, Kristy MacColl. During his still vigorous recording career, Billy Bragg has put out a significant volume of music that has garnered critical acclaim, with 13 studio albums, 10 compilation albums, and 5 live albums. Mariposa is very proud, indeed, to present this influential international musical activist on our stage.
ARTIST WEBSITE: www.billybragg.co.uk
