Billy Bragg

The Profile

Billy Bragg is an English singer-songwriter and activist, born in 1957 in Barking, Essex. Blending punk energy with folk tradition, he’s known for incisive political songs and tender personal ballads. He collaborated with Wilco on Mermaid Avenue, setting Woody Guthrie’s lyrics to new music, and wrote enduring songs like A New England and Waiting for the Great Leap Forward.

Left-wing activist associated with UK protest movements; active since the early 1980s; collaborated with Wilco on the Guthrie-based Mermaid Avenue project; songs include A New England, Levi Stubbs’ Tears, Waiting for the Great Leap Forward; Mermaid Avenue received a Grammy nomination.

The reviews paint Billy Bragg as a courageous, politically engaged songwriter whose lyrics hit as hard as his guitar. Highlights include the transitional power of Talking With the Taxman About Poetry, the breadth shown in the Must I Paint You a Picture? anthology, and the Guthrie-fueled Mermaid Avenue with Wilco. Bridges Not Walls reaffirms his unwavering stance, while Don’t Try This at Home showcases his melodic and emotional range.