Billy Bragg

Stephen William Billy Bragg is an English singersongwriter and leftwing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music is heavily centered on bringing about change and getting the younger generation involved in activist causes.

Bragg was born in 1957 in Barking, Essex, one of the sons of Dennis Frederick Austin Bragg, an assistant sales manager to a Barking cap and hat maker, and his wife Marie Victoria DUrso, who was of Italian descent. Braggs father died of lung cancer in 1976, and his mother in 2011. Bragg was educated at Northbury Junior School and Park Secondary Modern in Barking, where he failed his elevenplus exam, effectively precluding him from going to university. However he developed an interest in poetry at the age of 12, when his English teacher chose him to read a poem he had written for a homework assignment on a local radio station. He put his energies into learning and practising the guitar with his nextdoor neighbour, Philip Wigg some of their influences were the Faces, Small Faces and the Rolling Stones. He was also exposed to folk and folkrock music during his teenage years, citing Simon and Garfunkel and Bob Dylan as early influences on his songwriting. Bragg was particularly influenced

Source: Wikipedia