Editing Billy Bragg

{{Short description|British singer, songwriter and musician (born 1957)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Billy Bragg
| image             = Billy Bragg, May 2010 2.jpg
| caption           = Bragg in 2010
| alias             = William Bragg
| birth_name        = Stephen William Bragg
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1957|12|20|df=y}}<ref name="AMG">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-bragg-mn0000083554|title=Billy Bragg Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More...|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=14 June 2024}}</ref>
| birth_place       = [[Barking, London|Barking]], [[Essex]], England
| instrument        = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|bass guitar}}
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Folk punk]]|[[folk rock]]|[[indie folk]]|[[alternative rock]]|[[Americana (music)|Americana]]|[[alternative country]]|[[country folk]]}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|musician|author|political activist}}
| discography       = [[Billy Bragg discography]]
| years_active      = 1977–present
| label             = {{hlist|[[Charisma Records|Charisma]]|[[Go! Discs]]|[[Elektra Records|Elektra]]|[[Cooking Vinyl]]|[[Dine Alone Records]]}}
| website           = {{URL|billybragg.co.uk}}
| module            = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Billy Bragg BBC Radio4 Mastertapes 30 Oct 2012 b01nl6hs.flac|title={{center|Billy Bragg's voice}}|type=speech|description={{center|[[:File:Billy Bragg BBC Radio4 Mastertapes 30 Oct 2012 b01nl6hs.flac|Recorded October 2012]] from the BBC Radio 4 programme ''[[Mastertapes]]''}}}}
}}

'''Stephen William Bragg''' (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of [[folk music]], [[punk rock]] and [[protest song]]s, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His activism is centred on social change and [[left-wing politics|left-wing]] political causes.

==Early life==
Bragg was born in 1957 in [[Barking, London|Barking]], [[Essex]] (later part of Greater London)<ref name="ind rebel">{{cite news |first=Deborah|last= Ross|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/billy-bragg-rebel-with-a-cause-127290.html| title=Billy Bragg: Rebel with a cause| work=The Independent| location=London |date=11 November 2002|access-date=9 January 2010}}</ref> to Dennis Frederick Austin Bragg, an assistant sales manager to a Barking cap maker and milliner, and his wife Marie Victoria D'Urso, who was of Italian descent through her father.<ref name ="telegraph1">{{cite news|first=Nick|last=Barratt| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2007/03/31/nosplit/ftdet131.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506092320/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2007/03/31/nosplit/ftdet131.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 May 2008|title=Family Detective: Billy Bragg| newspaper=Telegraph|date=9 December 2011|access-date=28 January 2010 |location=London}}</ref>{{efn|Marie was the daughter of Daisy Simmonds and Anielli D'Urso, the son of Alfonso D'Urso an ice-cream vendor living in [[Holborn]]. Alfonso's wife, Trofimena Giudotti, was the daughter of Luigi Giudotti, who also sold ice cream. They wed at [[St Peter's Italian Church]] in 1906.<ref name="telegraph1"/>}} Bragg's father died of lung cancer in 1976,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.billybragg.co.uk/press/story.php?ID=330|title=Tony Parsons and Billy Bragg tell of the devastation of losing parents to lung cancer|publisher= | work= Mirror|date=9 December 2011|access-date=10 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714152833/http://www.billybragg.co.uk/press/story.php?ID=330|archive-date=14 July 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> and his mother died in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|first=John|last= Harris|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/mar/26/bragg-profile-new-album-lovesongs|title=Billy Bragg: Barking's Woody Guthrie on 30 years of songs and activism|work=The Guardian|location=London|date=26 March 2013|access-date=3 June 2013}}</ref>

Bragg was educated at Northbury Junior School and Park Modern Secondary School (now part of [[Barking Abbey School|Barking Abbey Secondary School]]{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=15}}) in Barking. He failed his [[Eleven-plus|eleven-plus exam]].{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=16}} He developed an interest in poetry at age twelve, when his English teacher chose him to read a poem he had written for a homework assignment on a local radio station.<ref name= graun>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/04/billy-bragg-a-lover-sings-selected-lyrics-extract |title=Billy Bragg: 'I got this crazy idea I was a poet' |last1=Bragg |first1=Billy |date=4 November 2015 |website= The Guardian |access-date=6 November 2015}}</ref> He focused on learning and practising the [[guitar]] with his next-door neighbour, Philip Wigg (Wiggy). Some of their influences were [[Faces (band)|the Faces]], [[Small Faces]] and [[the Rolling Stones]]. He was also exposed to folk and folk-rock music during his teenage years, citing [[Simon & Garfunkel]] and [[Bob Dylan]] as early influences on his songwriting.<ref name= graun />

During the rise of [[punk rock]] and [[New wave music|new wave]] in the late 1970s, [[Elvis Costello]] also served as an inspiration for Bragg.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=4 February 2008|title=Patriot games |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/patriot-games |magazine=[[Record Collector]] |issue=345|access-date=21 August 2021}}</ref> He was particularly influenced by [[the Jam]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.kexp.org/read/2019/2/28/billy-bragg-his-one-step-forward-two-steps-back-tour-and-what-punk-and-the-clash-mean-him/|title=Billy Bragg on His One Step Forward. Two Steps Back. Tour and What Punk and The Clash Mean to Him| publisher=[[KEXP]] |date=28 February 2019| access-date=30 December 2023}}</ref> as well as [[the Clash]], whom he had seen play live in London in May 1977 on their White Riot Tour, and again at a [[Rock Against Racism]] carnival in April 1978, which he admits was the first time he really stepped into the world of music as it is used for political activism.<ref name="Bragg">{{cite web|last = Bragg|first = Billy|title = British Rocker Billy Bragg Talks About Music and Unions|url = http://0-eds.b.ebscohost.com.ignacio.usfca.edu/eds/command/detail?sid=165b6263-9ff5-429d-81f7-185e9d801fe9%40sessionmgr120&vid=1&hid=103|publisher = WorkingUSA|access-date = 17 October 2013}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted= yes }}</ref> The experience of the gig and preceding march helped shape Bragg's left-wing politics, a change from his having previously "turned a blind eye" to casual racism.<ref name="Bragg"/>

==Career==
===Early career===
In 1977, Bragg formed the [[punk rock]]/[[Pub rock (United Kingdom)|pub rock]] band Riff Raff with Wiggy. The band decamped to rural [[Oundle]] in [[Northamptonshire]] in 1978 to record a series of singles (the first on independent [[Chiswick Records]]), which did not receive wide exposure. After a period of gigging in Northamptonshire and London, they returned to Barking and split in 1980.{{sfn|Collins|2018|pp=67–69}} Taking a series of odd jobs including working at Guy Norris' record shop in Barking high street, Bragg became disillusioned with his stalled music career and in May 1981 joined the [[British Army]] as a recruit destined for the [[Queen's Royal Irish Hussars]] of the [[Royal Armoured Corps]]. After completing three months' [[basic training]], he bought himself out for £175 and returned home.{{sfn|Collins|2018|pp=69–79}}

Bragg peroxided his hair to mark a new phase in his life and began performing frequent concerts and [[busking]] around London, playing solo with an electric guitar under the name ''Spy vs Spy'' (after [[Spy vs. Spy|the strip]] in ''[[Mad (magazine)|Mad]]'' magazine).{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=84}}

[[File:Billy Bragg shot by Kris Krug.jpg|thumb|280px|Bragg performing at [[South by Southwest]] in 2008]]
His demo tape initially got no response from the record industry, but by pretending to be a television repair man, he got into the office of [[Charisma Records]]' [[A&R]] man [[Peter Jenner]].<ref name="Peel">{{cite web|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/artists/b/billybragg|work=Radio 1|title=Keeping It Peel|publisher=BBC|access-date=28 January 2010}}</ref> Jenner liked the tape, but the company was near bankruptcy and had no budget to sign new artists. Bragg got an offer to record more demos for music publisher [[Chappell & Co.]], so Jenner agreed to release them as a record. ''[[Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy]]'' (credited to Billy Bragg) was released in July 1983 by Charisma's new imprint, Utility. Hearing DJ [[John Peel]] mention on-air that he was hungry, Bragg rushed to the BBC with a mushroom [[biryani]], so Peel played "The Milkman of Human Kindness"  from ''Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy'' albeit at the wrong speed (since the 12" LP was, unconventionally, cut to play at 45rpm). Peel insisted he would have played the song even without the biryani and later played it at the correct speed.<ref name="Peel"/>

Within months Charisma had been taken over by [[Virgin Records]] and Jenner, who had been made redundant, became Bragg's [[Music management|manager]]. [[Stiff Records]]' press officer Andy Macdonald – who was setting up his own record label, [[Go! Discs]] – received a copy of ''Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy''. He made Virgin an offer and the album was re-released on Go! Discs in November 1983, at the fixed low price of £2.99.{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=114}} Around this time, [[Andy Kershaw]], an early supporter at [[Radio Aire]] in [[Leeds]], was employed by Jenner as Bragg's tour manager. (He later became a [[BBC]] DJ and TV presenter, and he and Bragg appeared in an episode of the BBC TV programme ''Great Journeys'' in 1989, in which they travelled the Silver Road from [[Potosí]], Bolivia, to the Pacific coast at [[Arica]], Chile.){{sfn|Collins|2018|pp=209–211}}

Though never released as a Bragg single, album track and live favourite "[[A New England]]", with an additional verse, became a Top 10 hit in the UK for [[Kirsty MacColl]] in January 1985. Since MacColl's early death, Bragg always sings the extra verse live in her honour.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kirsty MacColl memorial page|url=http://www.gonetoosoon.org/memorials/kirsty-maccoll|work=Gone Too Soon|access-date=18 November 2014|archive-date=29 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129050329/http://www.gonetoosoon.org/memorials/kirsty-maccoll|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1984, Bragg toured the UK supporting [[the Style Council]].<ref>Steve Malins ''Paul Weller. The Unauthorized Biography'' Virgin Books, 1997, p.129</ref> Later the same year he released ''[[Brewing Up with Billy Bragg]]'', a mixture of political songs (e.g. "It Says Here") and songs of unrequited love (e.g. "The Saturday Boy"). This was followed in 1985 by ''[[Between the Wars (EP)|Between the Wars]]'', an EP of political songs that included a cover version of [[Leon Rosselson]]'s "The World Turned Upside Down". The EP made the Top 20 of the [[UK Singles Chart]] and earned Bragg an appearance on ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', singing the title track. Bragg later collaborated with Rosselson on the song "Ballad of a Spycatcher".<ref>{{cite web|title=Ballad of a Spycatcher|url=http://mainlynorfolk.info/leon.rosselson/records/balladofaspycatcher.html|work=Mainly Norfolk|access-date=18 November 2014}}</ref>

In the same year, he embarked on his first tour of North America, with Wiggy as tour manager, supporting [[Echo & the Bunnymen]].{{sfn|Collins|2018|pp=138–142}} The tour began in Washington, D.C., and ended in Los Angeles. On the same trip, in New York, Bragg unveiled his "Portastack",{{sfn|Collins|2018|pp=139–140}} a self-contained, mobile PA system weighing 35&nbsp;lbs (designed for £500 by engineer Kenny Jones), the wearing of which became an archetypal image of the singer at that time. With it, he was able to busk outside the [[New Music Seminar]], a record industry conference.{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=139}}

===Late 1980s and early 1990s===
In 1986 Bragg released ''[[Talking with the Taxman About Poetry]]'', which became his first Top 10 album. Its title is taken from a poem by [[Vladimir Mayakovsky]] and a translated version of the poem was printed on the record's inner sleeve. ''[[Back to Basics (Billy Bragg album)|Back to Basics]]'' is a 1987 collection of his first three releases: ''Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy'', ''Brewing Up with Billy Bragg'', and ''Between the Wars''. He enjoyed his only Number 1 hit single in May 1988, a cover of [[the Beatles]]' "[[She's Leaving Home]]", a shared A-side with [[Wet Wet Wet]]'s "[[With a Little Help from My Friends]]". Both were taken from a multi-artist re-recording of ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' titled ''[[Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father]]'' coordinated by the ''[[NME]]'' in aid of the charity [[Childline]]. Wet Wet Wet's cover dominated radio airplay and its video was shown over four consecutive weeks on ''Top of the Pops''; on the single's first week at number one, Bragg also went on the programme to play his cover, with regular accompanist [[Cara Tivey]] on piano.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007tqq|title=Top of the Pops: 19/05/1988|website=BBC|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref>{{sfn|Collins|2018|pp=197–198}}

Bragg released his fourth album, ''[[Workers Playtime (Billy Bragg album)|Workers Playtime]]'', in September 1988. With this album, Bragg added a full backing band and accompaniment, including [[Cara Tivey|Tivey]] on piano, [[Danny Thompson]] on double bass and veteran [[Micky Waller]] on drums. Wiggy earned a co-production credit with [[Joe Boyd]].{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=195}}

In August 1989 Bragg took lead vocal on [[Norman Cook]]'s UK top 40 hit "Won't Talk About It", which sampled Bragg's song "[[Levi Stubbs' Tears]]" and was a double-A-side with "Blame It On the Bassline". The track was a bigger hit a year later with [[Lindy Layton]] replacing Bragg as lead vocal.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

In May 1990 Bragg released the political [[mini-LP]] ''[[The Internationale (album)|The Internationale]]'' on his and Jenner's own short-lived label Utility, which operated independently of Go! Discs, to which Bragg was still contracted. The songs were, in part, a return to his solo guitar style, but some featured more complicated arrangements and included a [[brass band]]. The album paid tribute to one of Bragg's influences with the song, "I Dreamed I Saw [[Phil Ochs]] Last Night", which is an adapted version of [[Earl Robinson]]'s song, "[[I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night]]", itself an adaptation of a poem by [[Alfred Hayes (writer)|Alfred Hayes]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Joe Hill|url=https://archive.org/details/raretunes_203_joe-hill|access-date=17 October 2013}}</ref> Though the album only reached Number 34 in the UK Albums Chart, Bragg described it as "a reassertion of my rights as an individual... and a childish two fingers [to Go! Discs boss Andy Macdonald, who'd recently signed a distribution deal with entertainment industry giant PolyGram]".{{sfn|Collins|2018|pp=207–209}}

[[File:Billy Bragg at Bestival 2008.jpg|thumb|upright|Performing with [[The Imagined Village]] at [[Camp Bestival]], 20 July 2008]]
His sixth studio album ''[[Don't Try This at Home (Billy Bragg album)|Don't Try This at Home]]'' was recorded in the shadow of the build-up to the [[Gulf War]] and subsequent ground war, inspiring the track "Rumours of War". Although there is social comment ("The Few", "North Sea Bubble"), it was intended as a more commercial pop album, released in September 1991. (Bragg called it "a very long-range attempt to convert the ball between the posts".{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=225}}). The first single was the upbeat "[[Sexuality (Billy Bragg song)|Sexuality]]", which, despite an accessible video and a dance remix on the B-side, only reached Number 27 on the UK Singles Chart. Following overtures by rival label [[Chrysalis Records|Chrysalis]], Bragg and Jenner had been persuaded by Go! Discs' Andy and Juliet Macdonald to sign a four-album deal for a million pound advance; in return he would promote the album with singles and videos.{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=221}} A more commercial sound and aggressive marketing had no appreciable effect on album sales, and after a grueling, 13-month world tour with a full band (the Red Stars, led by Wiggy), and a period of forced convalescence after [[appendicitis]], Bragg left Go! Discs in summer 1992, paying back the remainder of his advance in return for all rights to his back catalogue.{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=232}}

===Late 1990s and 2000s===
Bragg released the album ''[[William Bloke]]'' in 1996 after taking time off to help new partner Juliet Wills raise their son Jack. (There is a reference to him in the track "Brickbat": "Now you'll find me with the baby, in the bathroom".)<ref>{{cite web|title=Brickbat|url=http://www.billybragg.co.uk/music/album.php?albumID=14&songID=59|access-date=6 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129020854/http://www.billybragg.co.uk/music/album.php?albumID=14&songID=59|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> After the ambitious instrumentation of ''[[Don't Try This at Home (Billy Bragg album)|Don't Try This at Home]]'', it was a simpler record, musically, more personal and even spiritual, lyrically (its title a pun on the name of 18th-century English poet [[William Blake]], who is referenced in the song "Upfield").{{sfn|Collins|2018|pp=248–250}}

Around that time, [[Nora Guthrie]] (daughter of American folk artist [[Woody Guthrie]]) asked Bragg to set some of her father's unrecorded lyrics to music. The result was a collaboration with the band [[Wilco]] and [[Natalie Merchant]] (with whom Bragg had worked previously). They released the album ''[[Mermaid Avenue]]'' in 1998,<ref>{{cite web|title=Mermaid Avenue|url=http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/mermaid-avenue|work=Nonesuch catalogue|access-date=10 June 2014}}</ref> and ''[[Mermaid Avenue Vol. II]]'' in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mermaid Avenue Vol II|url=http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/mermaid-avenue-vol-ii|work=Nonesuch catalogue|access-date=10 June 2014}}</ref> The first album was nominated for a [[Grammy Award]] in the Best Contemporary Folk Album category. A third batch, ''Mermaid Avenue Vol III'', and ''The Complete Sessions'' followed in 2012 to mark Woody Guthrie's centennial.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions|url=http://www.billybragg.co.uk/store/index.php/music/mermaid-avenue-the-complete-sessions.html|work=Bragg's Emporium|access-date=10 June 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140621171719/http://www.billybragg.co.uk/store/index.php/music/mermaid-avenue-the-complete-sessions.html|archive-date=21 June 2014}}</ref> A rift with Wilco over mixing and sequencing the first album led to Bragg recruiting his own band, The Blokes, to promote the album live. The Blokes included keyboardist [[Ian McLagan]], who had been a member of Bragg's boyhood heroes [[the Faces]]. The documentary film ''[[Man in the Sand]]'' depicted the roles of Nora Guthrie, Bragg, and Wilco in the creation of the ''Mermaid Avenue'' albums.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/237191/Billy-Bragg-and-Wilco-Man-in-the-Sand/overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621161648/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/237191/Billy-Bragg-and-Wilco-Man-in-the-Sand/overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 June 2008 |title=Billy Bragg and Wilco: Man in the Sand (1999) |author=|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2008    <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |access-date=5 October 2013}}</ref>

A developing interest in [[English nationalism|English national identity]], driven by the rise of the [[British National Party|BNP]] and his own move from London to rural [[Dorset]] in 1999, informed his 2002 album ''[[England, Half-English]]'' (whose single, "Take Down The Union Jack" put him back on ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' in the Queen's Golden Jubilee year<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3171574.stm|title=Bragg's 20 years on campaign trail|date=7 October 2003 |publisher=BBC Entertainment |access-date=10 June 2014}}</ref>) and his 2006 book ''The Progressive Patriot''. The book expressed his view that English socialists can reclaim patriotism from the right wing. He draws on Victorian poet [[Rudyard Kipling]] for an inclusive sense of Englishness.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xppmt Rhyme and Reason], [[BBC Radio 4]], 25 January 2011.</ref> In 2007 Bragg moved closer to his English folk music roots by joining the [[World of Music, Arts and Dance|WOMAD]]-inspired collective [[The Imagined Village]], who recorded an album of updated versions of traditional English songs and dances and toured through that autumn.<ref name="The Imagined Village">{{cite web|url = http://www.imaginedvillage.com/|title = The Imagined Village Official Website|access-date = 18 November 2014|archive-date = 23 November 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141123081142/http://imaginedvillage.com/|url-status = dead}}</ref>

In December, Bragg previewed tracks from his forthcoming album ''[[Mr. Love & Justice]]'' at a one-off evening of music and conversation to mark his 50th birthday at London's [[South Bank]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wherediditallgorightblog.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/a-big-boy-now/|title=A big boy now |date=10 December 2007 |publisher= Never Knowingly Underwhelmed|access-date= 10 June 2014}}</ref> The album was released in March 2008, the second Bragg album to be named after a book by [[Colin MacInnes]] after ''England, Half-English''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/colin-macinnes/|title=Colin MacInnes|publisher=Fantastic Fiction|date=18 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.faber.co.uk/9780571252848-england-half-english.html|title=England Half English|publisher=Faber|date=18 November 2014}}</ref> The same year, during the [[NME Awards]] ceremony, Bragg sang a duet with British solo act [[Kate Nash]]. They mixed up two of their greatest hits, Nash playing "[[Foundations (song)|Foundations]]", and Bragg redoing "A New England".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2-5gv81cC0| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211113/a2-5gv81cC0| archive-date=2021-11-13 | url-status=live|title=Kate Nash And Billy Bragg – A New England/Foundations – NME| date=12 May 2008|publisher=YouTube |access-date=10 June 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Also in 2008, Bragg played a small role in Stuart Bamforth's film ''A13: Road Movie''.<ref name="A13 Road Movie">{{cite web |url= http://www.dekkoproductions.co.uk/dekkofilms.htm|title= Dekko Productions|access-date= 10 June 2014}}</ref>

In 2009, Bragg was invited by London's [[South Bank]] to write new lyrics for "[[Ode to Joy]]", the final movement of [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)|Ninth Symphony]] (original libretto by [[Friedrich Schiller]]), since adopted as an international anthem of unity. The London Philharmonic Orchestra performed it at the Royal Festival Hall in front of [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]], whom Bragg met afterwards to earn "brownie points" with his mother, who was also in attendance.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/billy-braggs-new-odes-to-_b_1321000.html|first=Greg|last=Mitchell|date=3 May 2012|title=Billy Bragg's New Odes to Woody Guthrie—and Beethoven|work=The Huffington Post|access-date= 9 September 2014}}</ref>

===2010s–present===
Bragg was involved in the play ''Pressure Drop'' at the [[Wellcome Collection]] in London in April and May 2010. The production, written by Mick Gorden, and billed as "part play, part gig, part installation", featured new songs by Bragg. He performed during the play with his band, and acted as [[Master of ceremonies|compere]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/the-identity-project/play-pressure-drop.aspx|work=Wellcome collection|title=Pressure Drop|date=April–May 2010|access-date=11 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307072444/http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/the-identity-project/play-pressure-drop.aspx|archive-date=7 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Bragg was invited by [[Michael Eavis]] to curate the Leftfield stage at [[Glastonbury Festival]] in 2010,<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.billybragg.co.uk/press/story.php?ID=37|title=Glastonbury Festival announces return of Leftfield with Billy Bragg|access-date=23 July 2011|place=UK|type=press release|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928101128/http://www.billybragg.co.uk/press/story.php?ID=37|archive-date=28 September 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> which he has continued to do in subsequent years.<ref>{{Cite web|website=Glastonburyfestivals.co.uk|url=http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/areas/left-field/|title=Leftfield 2013|access-date=10 June 2014}}</ref> He also took part in the [[Bush Theatre]]'s 2011 project ''[[Sixty-Six Books]]'', where he wrote a piece based upon a book of the [[King James Bible]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/06-2011/bush-inaugurates-library-home-with-66-books_8645.html|title=Bush Inaugurates Library Home with 66 Books|first=Terri|last=Paddock|date=9 June 2011|work=WhatsOnStage.com|access-date=15 July 2015}}</ref> Bragg performed a set of the Guthrie songs that he had set to music for ''Mermaid Avenue'' during the [[Hay Literary Festival]] in June 2012,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://billybragg.co.uk/gigs/details.php?gigID=228|title=Gigs: Hay Literary Festival|access-date=18 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129031935/http://billybragg.co.uk/gigs/details.php?gigID=228|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> he also performed the same set on the Friday night of the 2012 Cambridge Folk Festival.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk/about/past-artists/cambridge-folk-festival-2012/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513125234/http://www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk/about/past-artists/cambridge-folk-festival-2012|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 May 2013|title=Cambridge Folk Festival 2012|access-date=18 November 2014}}</ref>

On 18 March 2013, five years after ''Mr. Love & Justice'', Bragg released the studio album ''[[Tooth & Nail (Billy Bragg album)|Tooth & Nail]]''. Recorded in five days at the home studio of musician/producer [[Joe Henry]] in [[South Pasadena, California|South Pasadena]] it featured 11 original songs, including one written for the Bush Theatre and a Woody Guthrie cover. Stylistically, it continued to explore genres of [[Americana (music)|Americana]] and [[alternative country]], a natural progression since ''Mermaid Avenue''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/tooth-nail-mw0002484063|title=Tooth & Nail|website=AllMusic|date=5 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2013/06/billy-bragg-the-sherpa-of-heartbreak.html|title=Billy Bragg, The Sherpa of Heartbreak|publisher=PBS|date=5 June 2013|access-date=24 August 2017|archive-date=19 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119071136/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2013/06/billy-bragg-the-sherpa-of-heartbreak.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The album was a commercial success, becoming his best charting record since 1991's ''Don't Try This at Home''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/billy%20bragg/|title= Billy Bragg: Official UK Chart Positions|publisher=Official UK Chart Company|date=18 November 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Billy Bragg and Joe Henry.jpg|thumb|300px|Bragg with [[Joe Henry]] at the [[Union Chapel, Islington]].]]
In February 2014, Bragg started a series of "radio shows" on [[Spotify]], in which he talked listeners through self-curated playlists of "his favourite tracks and artists, and uncovering some little-known musical gems".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/bill-bragg-and-spotify-launch-radio-shows/057578|title=Billy Bragg and Spotify launch 'radio shows'|first=Tom|last=Ingham|publisher=MusicWeek.com|date=10 February 2014}}</ref> On 14 April 2014, Bragg put out ''Live at the Union Chapel'', a souvenir album and DVD of a show he played on 5 June 2013 at the [[Union Chapel, Islington|Union Chapel]] in London, featuring songs from ''Tooth & Nail'' as well as favourites from his back catalogue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.music-news.com/ShowNews.asp?nItemID=77995|title=Billy Bragg to release Live at the Union Chapel|publisher=Music News|date=3 April 2014}}</ref>

In February 2016, Bragg was given the Trailblazer Award at the inaugural Americana Music Association UK Awards in London.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://americanamusic.org/news/uk-americana-awards-billy-bragg-be-honored-feb-3-london|date=17 December 2015 |title=Billy Bragg to be Honoured Feb 3 in London | work=Americana Music Association}}</ref> Following that, in September he was given the Spirit of Americana Free Speech Award at the Americana Music Association US Awards in Nashville.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://americanamusic.org/news/americana-music-association-announces-lifetime-achievement-honorees|date=30 August 2016 |title=Americana Music Association Announces Lifetime Achievement Honorees | work=Americana Music Association}}</ref>

In August 2016, Bragg released his eleventh album, a collaboration with Joe Henry, ''[[Shine a Light (Billy Bragg and Joe Henry album)|Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad]]'', recorded at various points on a journey between [[Chicago]] and [[Los Angeles]] by train in March. It reached number 28 in the UK Albums Chart<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/shine%20a%20light%20-%20field%20recordings%20from/|date=6 October 2016 |title=Shine a Light: Field Recordings official UK Chart position | work=Official UK Charts}}</ref> and number one in the UK Americana album chart.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/americana-albums-chart/20160930/americana/|date=30 September 2016 |title=Shine a Light: Field Recordings official UK Americana Album Chart debut | work=Official UK Charts}}</ref> The pair started a dual ''Shine a Light'' tour at the [[Americana Music Festival and Conference|Americana Music Festival]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] in September 2016, and taking them across the States and Canada, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. In April 2017, they played in Australia.

[[Faber and Faber|Faber]] published Bragg's second nonfiction book (after 2006's ''The Progressive Patriot''), ''Roots, Radicals and Rockers'' in June 2016, a history of the British [[skiffle]] movement, tracing the form from its 1950s boom back to [[ragtime]], [[blues]], [[jazz]] and American [[folk music]]. On [[BBC]] Music Day 2017, he helped unveil a blue plaque marking the studio (Trident) where the late [[David Bowie]] recorded two classic albums and the single "[[Space Oddity]]", in [[Soho]]; he joined album sleeve designer George Underwood and [[BBC Radio London]]'s [[Robert Elms]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.musicweek.com/media/read/bbc-music-day-blue-plaque-unveiled-in-honour-of-david-bowie/068821|date=15 June 2017 |title=BBC Music Day Blue Plaque unveiled in honour of David Bowie| work=Music Week}}</ref> In November, he released all six tracks from the [[mini-album]] ''[[Bridges Not Walls]]'' as downloads through the Billy Bragg website,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.withguitars.com/billy-bragg-new-album-bridges-not-walls-released-november-3rd/|date=9 October 2017 |title=Billy Bragg – New album Bridges Not Walls released November 3rd| website=With Guitars}}</ref> followed by the single,  "Full English Brexit" through Cooking Vinyl.

In April 2018, Bragg was invited to deliver a [[Bank of England]] Flagship Seminar; his presentation was titled ''Accountability: the Antidote to Authoritarianism''. The speech was made available on the Bank of England's website.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/events/2018/april/one-bank-flagship-seminar-billy-bragg|date=24 April 2018 |title=One Bank Flagship Seminar - Billy Bragg| website=Bank of England}}</ref> At the [[Ivor Novello Awards]] (''the Ivors'') in May, he accepted the [[PRS for Music|PRS]] Outstanding Contribution to British Music award.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://theivors.com/the-ivors-2018/|date=31 May 2018|title=The 63rd Ivor Novello Awards were presented on Thursday 31st May at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London|website=The Ivors|access-date=11 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717154009/http://theivors.com/the-ivors-2018/|archive-date=17 July 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Also in May, his official biography ''Still Suitable for Miners'' was published in a new, 20th anniversary updated edition.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1116107/billy-bragg/9780753552711/|date=24 May 2018 |title=Billy Bragg by Andrew Collins| website=Penguin/Virgin Books}}</ref>

Bragg ended 2018 touring New Zealand and Australia. During his shows in [[Auckland]], Bragg road-tested a new live format for 2019 that he had first tried out in [[Toronto]], which became the ''One Step Forward, Two Steps Back'' tour. On the tour, Bragg would play three consecutive shows over three nights at each venue: the first night a current, mixed Bragg set; the second from his first three albums; the third from his second three albums. "It's a way of keeping things interesting", he said of the format.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.musicglue.com/billy-bragg/|date=2019 |title=Billy Bragg gigs| website=Musicglue}}</ref> The tour covered the United States and the UK and Ireland throughout 2019. It was intended to continue onto Australia and New Zealand in 2020, but was rescheduled and delayed multiple times due to the ongoing [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. The shows ultimately took place in February and March 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rankin |first1=Mia |title=Billy Bragg has plenty of music (and fight) left in him |url=https://centralnews.com.au/2023/03/23/billy-bragg-has-plenty-of-music-and-fight-left-in-him/ |website=Central News |date=23 March 2023 |access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref>

In May 2019, [[Faber and Faber]] published ''The Three Dimensions of Freedom'', a short polemic by Bragg intended, according to the publisher's blurb, to "protect ourselves from encroaching tyranny". The author urges readers to "look beyond [the] one-dimensional notion of what it means to be free" and "by reconnecting liberty to equality and accountability, restore... the three dimensions of freedom".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.billybragg.co.uk/product/the-three-dimensions-of-freedom/|date= 2 May 2019 |title=The Three Dimensions of Freedom| website=Billybragg.com}}</ref>

While unable to tour over the pandemic years, Bragg began working on new material. This resulted in his thirteenth studio album, ''[[The Million Things That Never Happened]]'', which was released in October 2021. Four singles were released from the album: "I Will Be Your Shield", "Ten Mysterious Photos That Can't Be Explained", "Pass It On" and "Mid-Century Modern".<ref name="Grammy">{{cite web |title=Billy Bragg On His New Album 'The Million Things That Never Happened,' Maturing As An Activist & Why Liberty Is Impossible Without Accountability |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/billy-bragg-interview-new-album-the-million-things-that-never-happened-activism-liberty-accountability |website=[[The Recording Academy]] |access-date=5 November 2022}}</ref>

In February 2023, Bragg announced a compilation series entitled ''[[The Roaring Forty (1983–2023)]]'' to commemorate 40 years of performing music.<ref name="AMG"/> These included a single LP compilation of 13 tracks, a triple-LP/double-CD of 40 tracks and a 14-disc CD box set of some 300 songs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Skinner |first1=Tom |title=Billy Bragg to celebrate 40 years of music with massive new box set |url=https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/billy-bragg-to-celebrate-40-years-of-music-and-massive-new-box-set-3406057 |website=NME |date=28 February 2023 |publisher=BandLab Technologies |access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref> He later announced the ''Roaring Forty'' tour, which took place across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe from September to December 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Skinner |first1=Tom |title=Billy Bragg announces 40th anniversary UK and Ireland tour |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/billy-bragg-announces-40th-anniversary-uk-and-ireland-tour-dates-buy-tickets-3417643 |website=NME |date=21 March 2023 |publisher=BandLab Technologies |access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref>

In August 2023, Bragg shared a new single entitled "Rich Men Earning North of a Million". The solo track was quickly written and recorded as an [[answer song]] to American country musician [[Oliver Anthony]]'s song "[[Rich Men North of Richmond]]".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Snapes |first1=Laura |title=Billy Bragg releases pro-unionisation response song to viral country hit Rich Men North of Richmond |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/21/billy-bragg-releases-response-song-to-oliver-anthony-rich-men-north-of-richmond |website=The Guardian |date=21 August 2023 |access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref>

==Politics and activism==
[[File:Billy Bragg on Morrissey, Cynicism, and Misogyny.webm|thumb|Bragg talking to the crowd at a rally in [[Ferguson, Missouri]], shortly after the [[shooting of Michael Brown]]]]
For all of Bragg's 30-year-plus recording career, he has been involved with grassroots, broadly leftist, political movements, and this is often reflected in his lyrics. He has also recorded and performed cover versions of socialist anthems such as "[[The Internationale]]" and "[[The Red Flag]]". Bragg said in an interview: "I don't mind being labelled a political songwriter. The thing that troubles me is being dismissed as a political songwriter".<ref>{{cite web|last=Gazette|first=The|url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=a855dd81-39ba-4646-b1ae-ee720ad8a704|title=Interview: Billy Bragg|publisher=Canada.com|date=16 June 2008|access-date=10 June 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321062743/http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=a855dd81-39ba-4646-b1ae-ee720ad8a704|archive-date=21 March 2014}}</ref> Bragg has cited [[the Clash]] as a strong influence on his politically themed material and activism:<blockquote>It wasn't so much their lyrics as what they stood for and the actions they took. That became really important to me. [[Phil Collins]] might write [[Another Day in Paradise|a song about the homeless]], but if he doesn't have the action to go with it he's just exploiting that for a subject. I got that from the Clash, and I try to remain true to that tradition as best I can.<ref>{{cite magazine | url= https://ew.com/article/2000/06/30/billy-bragg-clash/ | title= Bragg-ing Rites |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |first=Rob |last=Brunner |date=30 June 2000 |access-date=9 February 2014}}</ref></blockquote>

===From 1983 to 1997===
Bragg's politics were focused by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]'s 144-seat majority landslide at the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]]. He told his biographer, "By 1983, the scales had fallen from my eyes".{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=144}} His record label boss Andy Macdonald observed that "his presence onstage took on more of the avenging angel".{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=145}} Bragg was at the forefront of music's influence on the [[UK miners' strike (1984–85)|1984 miners' strike]], and played many benefit gigs in towns close to coalfields such as Newport and Sunderland.{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=146}} He also released an EP during this year titled "Between the Wars", which connected struggles of class solidarity to the present issue. This single was his most successful up until this point, reaching number 15 on the UK Singles Chart.{{sfn|Tranmer|2012|pp=79–84}} The following year, after playing a short [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]-sponsored Jobs For Youth tour, he joined other like-minded activists in the public eye to form the musicians' alliance [[Red Wedge]], which promoted Labour's cause – and in turn lobbied the party on youth issues – in the run-up to the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]],{{sfn|Tranmer|2001}} with a national tour in 1986 alongside [[the Style Council]], [[Jerry Dammers]] and [[the Communards]].

Bragg travelled twice to the Soviet Union in 1986, the year [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] started to promote the policies of [[perestroika]] and [[glasnost]]. He played a gig in [[Leningrad]], and the Festival of Song in the Struggle for Peace in [[Kyiv]].{{sfn|Collins|2018|pp=181–183}}

On 12 June 1987, the night after Labour lost that year's general election, Bragg appeared on a [[After Dark (TV series)#Teresa Gorman and "Is Britain Working?"|notable edition]] of the [[Channel 4]] discussion programme ''[[After Dark (TV programme)|After Dark]]'', alongside [[David Selbourne]], [[Teresa Gorman]] and [[Hilary Hook]] among others. ''[[The Independent]]'' wrote "A show called ''Is Britain Working?'' brought together victorious Tory MP Teresa Gorman; ... Helen from the Stonehenge [[Peace Convoy|Convoy]]; old colonialist Colonel Hilary Hook... and Adrian, one of the jobless. It was a perfect example of the chemistry you can get. There were unlikely alliances (Bragg and Hook)".<ref name="Independent19880219">''The Independent'', 19 February 1988</ref> Later Gorman "stormed off the set, claiming she had been misled about the nature of the programme"<ref name="Brown">Maggie Brown, ''A Licence To Be Different'', BFI, 2007.</ref> "She told... Bragg: 'You and your kind are finished. We are the future now.'"<ref>Alwyn W. Turner, ''Rejoice! Rejoice! Britain in the 1980s'', Aurum 2010.</ref> Bragg said "I sing in smokey rooms every night and I can keep talking for far longer than you can Teresa".<ref>''An Introduction to the Nature and Functions of Language'', Jackson and Stockwell, Continuum, 2010.</ref> Bragg explained later: "She was so smug. And because she was Essex I took it personally. Then she accused me of being a fine example of Thatcherism".<ref>Daniel Rachel, ''Walls Come Tumbling Down'', Picador, 2016.</ref>

===Labour in government===
In 1999, he was invited to appear before a commission that debated possible [[reform of the House of Lords]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/400230.stm |title=Ensuring the will of the people|work=BBC News|date=22 July 1999|access-date=28 January 2010}}</ref> at which he put forward what became known as "the Bragg Method": the arrangement of the Upper House to proportionally reflect the results of a general election. "Trying to make it sexy is impossible," he said.{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=272}}

At the time of the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]], Bragg promoted [[tactical voting]] in an attempt to unseat Conservative Party candidates in his adopted home county [[Dorset]], particularly in [[South Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)|South Dorset]] and [[West Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)|West Dorset]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/apr/19/politics.election2001 |title=Billy Bragg drives in voting wedge |last1=Ward |first1=Lucy|date=19 April 2001 |website=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=6 October 2013}}</ref> The Conservatives did narrowly lose South Dorset to the Labour Party.

[[File:BillyBraggAtDemo23Jan2010.jpg|upright=0.85|right|thumb|Supporting a demonstration against police misuse of anti-terrorism legislation; [[Trafalgar Square]], London, 23 January 2010]]
Bragg has been an opponent of fascism, racism,<ref name="Bragg" /> [[bigotry]], [[sexism]] and [[homophobia]], and is a supporter of a multi-racial Britain. As a result, he has conflicted with far-right groups such as the [[British National Party]] (BNP). In a 2004 ''[[The Guardian]]'' article, Bragg was quoted as saying:<blockquote>The British National Party would probably make it into a parliament elected by [[proportional representation]], too. It would shine a torch into the dirty little corner where the BNP defecate on our democracy, and that would be much more powerful than duffing them up in the street – which I'm also in favour of.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2004/feb/18/constitution.lords|title=Jonathan Freedland: End of the peer show|work=The Guardian|date=18 February 2004|access-date=28 January 2010|location=London}}</ref></blockquote>

During the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 general election]] campaign in the [[Bethnal Green and Bow (UK Parliament constituency)|Bethnal Green and Bow constituency]], Bragg endorsed [[Oona King]], the Labour Party's pro-[[Iraq War]] candidate, over [[George Galloway]], the left-wing socialist anti-war candidate from the [[Respect Party]]; due to a belief that splitting the left-wing vote would allow the Conservatives to win the seat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redpepper.org.uk/article601.html|title=Rockin' the vote: Billy Bragg for Blair? – Red Pepper|publisher=Red Pepper|date=March 2005|access-date=28 January 2010}}</ref> Galloway overturned King's 10,000-strong majority to become the Respect Party's only MP.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4519575.stm|title=Galloway's East End street fight|work=BBC News|date=6 May 2005|access-date=28 January 2010}}</ref>

At the [[NME Awards]] in 2007, on the fifth anniversary of [[Joe Strummer]]'s death, Bragg founded Jail Guitar Doors (taking its name from a [[Jail Guitar Doors|song by the Clash]]), an organisation aimed at supplying instruments to prisons and encouraging prisoners to address problems in a non-confrontational way.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jailguitardoors.org.uk |title=Jail Guitar Doors |access-date=23 January 2011}}</ref> An American chapter of the organisation was launched in 2009 by [[MC5]]'s [[Wayne Kramer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jailguitardoors.org/about.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100322233616/http://www.jailguitardoors.org/about.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 March 2010|title=Jail Guitar Doors: Our History|access-date=18 November 2014}}</ref>

In January 2010, Bragg stated his intention to withhold his income tax as a protest against the [[Royal Bank of Scotland]]'s plan to pay bonuses of approximately £1,500,000,000 to staff in its investment banking business. Bragg set up a Facebook group, made appearances on radio and television news programmes, and made a speech at [[Speakers' Corner]] in London's [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]] saying, "Millions are already facing stark choices: are they willing to work longer hours for less money, or would they rather be unemployed? I don't see why the bankers at RBS shouldn't be asked the same".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article7010492.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=2015164 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611165054/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article7010492.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=2015164 |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 June 2011 |title=BraggRBS |work=The Times |location=UK |access-date=1 February 2010 |first=Anushka |last=Asthana}}</ref>

===From 2010 to 2014===
In the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]], Bragg supported the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] because "they've got the best manifesto".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7616323/General-Election-2010-Billy-Bragg-pledges-to-support-Liberal-Democrats.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7616323/General-Election-2010-Billy-Bragg-pledges-to-support-Liberal-Democrats.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |title=General Election 2010: Billy Bragg pledges to support Liberal Democrats |date=22 April 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Bragg was also very active in his hometown of [[Barking, London|Barking]] as part of [[Searchlight (magazine)|''Searchlight'']] magazine's [[Hope not Hate]] campaign, where the BNP's leader [[Nick Griffin]] was standing for election. At one point during the campaign Bragg squared up to BNP [[London Assembly|London Assembly Member]] [[Richard Barnbrook]], calling him a "Fascist racist" and saying "when you're gone from this borough, we will rebuild this community". The BNP came third on election day.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMA3-vVEXL4| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211113/SMA3-vVEXL4| archive-date=2021-11-13 | url-status=live|title=Bragg Vs Barnbrook in Barking & Dagenham |publisher=Searchlight|date=19 April 2010 |access-date=23 February 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In January 2011, news sources reported that 20 to 30 residents of Bragg's Dorset village, [[Burton Bradstock]], had received anonymous letters viciously attacking him and his politics, and urging residents to oppose him in the village. He claimed that a BNP supporter was behind the letters, which argued that Bragg is a hypocrite for advocating socialism while living a wealthy lifestyle, and referred to him as anti-British and pro-immigration.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jan/06/billy-bragg-neighbours-hate-mail |title=Billy Bragg's neighbours urged to drive him out of village |work=The Guardian |location=UK |date=6 January 2011 |access-date=6 January 2011 |first=Steven |last=Morris}}</ref>

In July 2011 Bragg joined the growing protests over the [[News of the World phone hacking affair]] with the release of his "Never Buy the Sun" single, which references many of the scandal's key points including the Milly Dowler case, police bribes and associated political fallout. It also draws on the 22-year Liverpool boycott of ''The Sun'' for their [[Hillsborough disaster and The Sun|coverage of the Hillsborough disaster]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.billybragg.co.uk/sun.php |title=Never buy The Sun |access-date=13 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714113634/http://www.billybragg.co.uk/sun.php |archive-date=14 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In October 2011, Bragg joined the [[Occupy Movement]] protests in the [[City of London]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thequietus.com/articles/07237-billy-bragg-interview |title=Protest And Occupation: Billy Bragg Interviewed On The Future Of The Left |last1=Perry |first1=Kevin E.G.|date=25 October 2011 |website=[[The Quietus]] |access-date=6 October 2013}}</ref> In 2013, despite his scathing criticism of [[Margaret Thatcher]], he urged people not to celebrate the death of the former Conservative Prime Minister:<blockquote>The death of [[Margaret Thatcher]] is nothing more than a salient reminder of how Britain got into the mess that we are in today. Of why ordinary working people are no longer able to earn enough from one job to support a family; of why there is a shortage of decent affordable housing... of why cynicism and greed became the hallmarks of our society. Raising a glass to the death of an infirm old lady changes none of this. The only real antidote to cynicism is activism. Don't celebrate – organise!<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.facebook.com/billybraggofficial/posts/10151324426542471  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/44905697470/10151324426542471 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=From Billy Bragg, Calgary, AB, Canada, on the death of Margaret Thatcher |last=Bragg |first=Billy |date=8 April 2013 |publisher=Facebook}}{{cbignore}}, cited in {{cite book |editor=Annemette Kirkegaard |editor2=Helmi Järviluoma |editor3=Jan Sverre Knudsen |editor4=Jonas Otterbeck |title=Researching Music Censorship |date=23 June 2017 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6VwpDwAAQBAJ&q=%22The+only+real+antidote+to+cynicism+is+activism.+Don%27t+celebrate+%E2%80%93+organise%22&pg=PA23 |page=23|publisher=Cambridge Scholars |isbn=9781443878678 }}</ref></blockquote>

In 2014, Bragg joined the [[March in March]] anti-government protests<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/march-in-march-tony-abbott-gina-rinehart-cop-blasts-in-sydney-protest-20140316-34v63.html |title=March in March: Tony Abbott, Gina Rinehart cop blasts in Sydney protest |first=Jacqueline|last=Maley|date=16 March 2014|work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> in Sydney, Australia.

In June 2014, Bragg joined other musicians (including [[Radiohead]]'s [[Ed O'Brien]]) in backing a call for the EU to intervene in a dispute between YouTube and independent labels. According to a BBC News report, the video-streaming site was offering "non-negotiable contracts" to its planned, [[Spotify]]-like music-subscription service to labels such as [[XL Recordings]], [[4AD]], [[Cooking Vinyl]] and [[Domino Recording Company|Domino]] "accompanied by the threat that music videos they have posted to their YouTube channels will be blocked from site altogether if they do not agree to the terms".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27694353|date=4 June 2014 |title=Billy Bragg and other indie musicians blast YouTube rates | work=BBC News}}</ref>

Bragg supports both [[Scottish independence|Scottish]] and [[Welsh independence]].<ref>{{cite web |date=10 February 2014|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/billy-bragg-backs-scottish-independence-1-3300355|title=Billy Bragg backs Scottish independence|work=The Scotsman|access-date=10 June 2014}}</ref> In 2014, after [[David Bowie]] spoke in favour of Scotland remaining part of the UK, Bragg said, "Bowie's intervention encourages people in England to discuss the issues of the independence referendum, and I think English people should be discussing it, so I welcome his intervention".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-26267726|title=Oldest Brit winner David Bowie enters independence debate|work=BBC News|date=20 February 2014|access-date=21 February 2014}}</ref> Bragg was a vocal supporter of Scottish independence during the campaign prior to [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|the referendum]] on 18 September 2014. Bragg wrote an article for the ''Guardian'' publication on 16 September, in which he addressed the objections he had previously received from people who conflated Scottish nationalism with the far-right ethos of the BNP. He described the independence campaign as "civic nationalism" and his opinion piece concluded:

<blockquote>
Support for Scottish self-determination might not fit neatly into any leftwing pigeonhole, but it does chime with an older progressive tradition that runs deep in English history – a dogged determination to hold the over-mighty to account. If, during the constitutional settlement that will follow the referendum, we in England can rediscover our Roundhead tradition, we might yet counter our historic weakness for ethnic nationalism with an outpouring of civic engagement that creates a fairer society for all.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Billy Bragg|title=Exclusive: Scottish nationalism and British nationalism aren't the same|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/16/scottish-nationalism-british-westminster-class|access-date=18 September 2014|work=The Guardian|date=16 September 2014}}</ref></blockquote>

===2015 to present===
Bragg was one of several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of the [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]]'s [[Caroline Lucas]] at the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]].<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/24/celebrities-sign-statement-support-caroline-lucas-not-green-party | title= Celebrities sign statement of support for Caroline Lucas – but not the Greens | work=The Guardian | location=London | first=Jessica | last=Elgot | date=24 April 2015 | access-date=23 July 2015}}</ref> In August 2015, Bragg endorsed [[2015 Jeremy Corbyn Labour Party leadership campaign|Jeremy Corbyn's campaign]] in the [[2015 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|Labour Party leadership election]]. He said: "His [Corbyn's] success so far shows you how bland our politics have become, in the aim of winning those swing voters in [[middle England]] the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] has lost touch with its roots. We live in a time of austerity and what you want from that is not more austerity, you want compassion".<ref name="huffingtonpost">{{cite news |last=Hartley|first=Eve|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/07/27/billy-backs-the-beardjeremy-corbyn-billy-bragg-supports-labour-leadership-condemns-tony-blair_n_7879344.html|title=Jeremy Corbyn: Billy Bragg Supports The Labour Leadership Contender And Condemns Tony Blair|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|date=27 July 2015|access-date=15 July 2017}}</ref> On an edition of ''[[Question Time (TV programme)|Question Time]]'' in October 2015, he said that Corbyn represents a political "urge for change" and that [[Ed Miliband]] had failed to win the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]] because Miliband and the party followed "the old way of doing things".<ref>{{cite news|last=Bennett|first=Owen|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/10/29/question-time-billy-bragg-corbyn_n_8427308.html|title=BBC Question Time: Billy Bragg Hopes Labour MPs Critical of Jeremy Corbyn Are 'Squirming In Their Seats'|work=The Huffington Post|date=30 October 2015|access-date=16 August 2016}}</ref> In 2016, Bragg, along with numerous other celebrities, toured the UK to support Corbyn's bid to become [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]].<ref name="jc4pmtour">{{cite web|url=http://www.jc4pmtour.com/|title=#JC4PM|publisher=jc4pmtour|date=28 July 2015|access-date=15 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701133711/http://jc4pmtour.com/|archive-date=1 July 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="telegraph">{{cite news |last=Wilkinson|first=Michael|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/Jeremy_Corbyn/12134051/Celebrities-to-tour-Britain-in-Jeremy-Corbyn-For-Prime-Minister-musical-show.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/Jeremy_Corbyn/12134051/Celebrities-to-tour-Britain-in-Jeremy-Corbyn-For-Prime-Minister-musical-show.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Celebrities to tour Britain in 'Jeremy Corbyn For Prime Minister' musical show|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=1 February 2016|access-date=15 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He also voiced his support for Remain in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 EU referendum]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/eu-referendum-brexit-remain-who-do-celebrities-support-david-beckham-jk-rowling-a7094751.html|title=The celebrities that support Brexit (and the ones backing Remain)|work=The Independent|access-date=27 November 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref>

In August 2016, ''The Times'' reported that at the [[Edinburgh International Book Festival|Edinburgh Book Festival]], Bragg had said: "I worry about Jeremy that he's a kind of twentieth century Labour man", and that "we need to be reaching out to people". Described as a "previously loyal supporter", who has "lent his support to Mr Corbyn on numerous occasions since he became Labour leader", ''The Times'' quoted Bragg: "I don't have a simple answer. My hope is that the party does not split and that we resolve this stalemate". Corbyn at the time was campaigning in an enforced [[2016 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|second leadership election]] in the summer of 2016.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sanderson|first=David|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/corbyn-is-stuck-in-the-last-century-says-bragg-trhv6tqvj|title=Corbyn is stuck in the last century says Bragg|work=The Times|location=London|date=16 August 2016|access-date=16 August 2016}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

After ''The Times'' article appeared, the singer tweeted that he had "joined the long list of people stitched up by the [[Rupert Murdoch|Murdoch]] papers"<ref name="Jackson">{{cite news|last=Jackson|first=Jasper|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/aug/16/billy-bragg-times-jeremy-corbyn-labour-murdoch|title=Billy Bragg: the Times twisted my words by claiming I don't back Jeremy Corbyn|work=The Guardian|date=16 August 2016|access-date=16 August 2016}}</ref> and accused the ''Times'' of "twisting my words to attack Corbyn", urging "don't let Murdoch sow discord".<ref>{{cite news|last=Oppenheim|first=Maya|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/jeremy-corbyn-billy-bragg-the-times-labour-leader-support-comments-words-twisted-a7194036.html|title=Billy Bragg accuses ''The Times'' of 'twisting his words' and insists he is still backing Jeremy Corbyn|work=The Independent|date=16 August 2016|access-date=16 August 2016}}</ref> ''The Guardian'' reproduced a quote from a recording of the event absent from ''The Times'' article: "It's a challenge. Labour has fires to fight on different fronts. This would be happening even without Corbyn if any of the other candidates had won last year, these problems would still be there".<ref name="Jackson"/> In August 2016, Bragg also endorsed [[Jeremy Corbyn]]'s campaign in the [[2016 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|Labour Party leadership election]].<ref name="Jackson" />

During the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|general election]] campaign in May 2017, Bragg added his signature to a letter published in ''[[The Guardian]]'' calling for Labour to withdraw its candidates in two constituencies; [[Brighton Pavilion (UK Parliament constituency)|Brighton Pavilion]] and the [[Isle of Wight (UK Parliament constituency)|Isle of Wight]] and potentially allowing the [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]] to defeat the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Tories]] in both, where Labour were running second. The letter was also signed by Labour MP [[Clive Lewis (politician)|Clive Lewis]], former policy chief [[Jon Cruddas]], former shadow children's minister [[Tulip Siddiq]] and journalists [[Paul Mason (journalist)|Paul Mason]] and [[Owen Jones]]. The initiative was shut down by Jeremy Corbyn.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/jeremy-corbyn-shuts-down-labour-10334407 |title= Jeremy Corbyn shuts down Labour MPs' call to pull out of election seats to help the Green Party |last=Bloom |first=Dan |work=Daily Mirror |location= London |date=1 May 2017 |access-date=25 May 2017}}</ref>

In June 2019, Bragg publicly criticised fellow singer-songwriter [[Morrissey]] for his recent political comments and endorsement of a [[far-right politics|far-right]] political party, and accused him of dragging the legacy of [[Johnny Marr]] and [[the Smiths]] "through the dirt".<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/morrissey-race-comments-billy-bragg-the-smiths-johnny-marr-nigel-farage-a8978706.html | title= Billy Bragg says he's 'heartbroken' for fans of The Smiths after latest Morrissey outburst | work=The Independent | first=Roisin | last=O'Connor | date= 28 June 2019 | access-date=18 July 2019}}</ref><ref name=guardian3>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/30/bigmouth-strikes-again-morrissey-songs-loneliness-shyness-misfits-far-right-party-tonight-show-jimmy-fallon|website=[[The Guardian]]|first=Tim|last=Jonze|year=2019|title= 
Bigmouth strikes again and again: why Morrissey fans feel so betrayed|quote=“But now he’s betraying those fans, betraying his legacy and empowering the very people Smiths fans were brought into being to oppose. He’s become the Oswald Mosley of pop”}}</ref>

In November 2019, Bragg endorsed the Labour Party in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]].<ref name="dazeddigital">{{cite news |last=Dawson|first=Brit|url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/politics/article/46937/1/jeremy-corbyn-lily-allen-mia-labour-arts-for-all-policy-uk-general-election|title=Jeremy Corbyn, Lily Allen, and M.I.A. launch Labour's Arts for All policy|work=Dazed|date=25 November 2019|access-date=27 November 2019}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Bragg has an adult son, Jack, with his partner Juliet.<ref>{{Cite web |last=rocca |first=Interview jane |date=2014-03-08 |title=What I know about women |url=https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/what-i-know-about-women-20140304-3438x.html |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref> Bragg supports [[West Ham United F.C.]]<ref name="Wollaston">{{Cite web | first=Sam | last=Wollaston |date=2019-04-08 |title=Billy Bragg: 'I love my country and I don't want it to make an absolute fool of itself' |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/08/billy-bragg-brexit-corbyn-skiffle-documentary-interview |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

His son Jack is a singer under the name Jack Valero who released an EP in 2025 called ''Not in Kansas Anymore''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/billy-bragg-interview-son-jack-tnmlgxh5t|
title=Billy Bragg: 'I worried I was turning my son into an outcast'|author=Scott, Danny|website=The Times|date=26 February 2025|access-date=26 February 2025}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book
|last1=Bragg
|first1=Billy
|year=2006
|title=The Progressive Patriot: A Search for Belonging
|location=London
|publisher=Bantam Press
|isbn=978-0-593-05343-0
}}
* {{cite news
|last1=Bragg
|first1=Billy
|author-mask=1
|date=5 March 2009
|title=How we all lost when Thatcher won
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/mar/05/miners-strike-thatcherism-billy-bragg
|newspaper=The Guardian
|location=London
|access-date=6 February 2016
}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bragg |first=Billy |title=A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics |publisher=Faber & Faber |year=2015 |isbn=978-0571328598 |language=English |author-mask=1}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Bragg
|first1=Billy
|author-mask=1
|year=2017
|title=Roots, Radicals and Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World
|location=London
|publisher=Faber & Faber
|isbn=978-0-571-32774-4
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Bragg
|first1=Billy
|author-mask=1
|year=2019
|title=The Three Dimensions of Freedom
|location=London
|publisher=Faber & Faber
|isbn=978-0-571-35321-7
}}

==Discography==
{{Main|Billy Bragg discography}}

*''[[Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy]]'' (1983)
*''[[Brewing Up with Billy Bragg]]'' (1984)
*''[[Talking with the Taxman About Poetry]]'' (1986)
*''[[Workers Playtime (album)|Workers Playtime]]'' (1988)
*''[[The Internationale (album)|The Internationale]]'' (1990)
*''[[Don't Try This at Home (Billy Bragg album)|Don't Try This at Home]]'' (1991)
*''[[William Bloke]]'' (1996)
*''[[England, Half-English]]'' (2002) (with the Blokes)
*''[[Mr Love & Justice]]'' (2008)
*''[[Tooth & Nail (Billy Bragg album)|Tooth & Nail]]'' (2013)
*''[[Bridges Not Walls]]'' (2017)
*''[[The Million Things That Never Happened]]'' (2021)

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Notes===
{{noteslist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book
|last=Collins
|first=Andrew
|author-link=Andrew Collins (broadcaster)
|year=2018
|title=Still Suitable for Miners: Billy Bragg
|edition=5th
|location=London
|publisher=Virgin Books
|isbn=978-0-7535-5271-1
|url-access=registration
|url=https://archive.org/details/stillsuitablefor0000coll
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Jackiewicz
|first1=Edward
|last2=Craine
|first2=James
|year=2012
|chapter=Scales of Resistance: Billy Bragg and the Creation of Activist Spaces
|editor1-last=Johansson
|editor1-first=Ola
|editor2-last=Bell
|editor2-first=Thomas L.
|title=Sound, Society and the Geography of Popular Music
|location=Farnham, England
|publisher=Ashgate
|isbn=978-0-7546-7577-8
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Kenny
|first1=Michael
|year=2014
|title=The Politics of English Nationhood
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|isbn=978-0-19-960861-4
}}
* {{cite journal
|last1=Tranmer
|first1=Jeremy
|year=2001
|title='Wearing Badges Isn't Enough in Days Like These': Billy Bragg and His Opposition to the Thatcher Governments
|url=http://www.cercles.com/n3/tranmer.pdf
|journal=Cercles: Revue Pluridisciplinaire du Monde Anglophone
|location=Rouen, France
|publisher=University of Rouen
|volume=3
|pages=125–142
|issn=1292-8968
|access-date=6 February 2016
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Tranmer
|first1=Jeremy
|author-mask1=1
|year=2012
|chapter=Charity, Politics and Publicity: Musicians and the ''Strike''
|editor1-last=Popple
|editor1-first=Simon
|editor2-last=Macdonald
|editor2-first=Ian W.
|title=Digging the Seam: Popular Cultures of the 1984/5 Miners' Strike 
|location=Newcastle upon Tyne, England
|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing
|pages=76–86
|isbn=978-1-4438-4081-1
}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
|last1=McLeod
|first1=Douglas M.
|year=2013
|chapter=Billy Bragg: Mixing Pop and Politics
|editor1-last=Pedelty
|editor1-first=Mark
|editor2-last=Weglarz
|editor2-first=Kristine
|title=Political Rock
|series=Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series
|location=Burlington, Vermont
|publisher=Ashgate Publishing
|isbn=978-1-4094-4622-4
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0103891|name=Billy Bragg}}
* [https://archive.org/details/BillyBragg Billy Bragg collection] at the [[Internet Archive]]'s live music archive

{{Billy Bragg|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bragg, Billy}}
[[Category:Billy Bragg| ]]
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