Billy Bragg
Doctor of Music (HonDMus)
Year conferred: 2005
After two years in a punk band and a brief period with the Army's Tank regiment, Billy Bragg began a solo musical career. Armed with a guitar, amplifier and voice, he toured halls and clubs with songs full of passion, anger and wit.
His first album's opening track, The Milkman of Human Kindness, was an indicator of Bragg's genuine insight, and after seeing how the Thatcher government was changing society, Bragg's songs became more political. He attended rallies and benefits, particularly during the 1984 Miners Strike. His credentials as a songwriter were confirmed when the late Kirsty MacColl released her classic version of Bragg's A New England, a hit in 1985.
Bragg entered the nineties with an album containing themes from personal tragedies to condemnation of racists and football hooligans and after time out with his family, undertook an extraordinary project when he was asked to compose the music to some unfinished lyrics left by the late, great American folk musician Woody Guthrie. The resulting albums were nominated for Grammy Awards.
In 2003, Billy Bragg celebrated his distinguished career with a retrospective called Must I Paint You A Picture? The album features 40 of the tracks that have defined his music through the years.
