Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Leader of the Pack
By Russ Slater
New book series celebrates the life and career of recording engineer Bill Leader
Bill Leader at WMA, Bishops Bridge Road, in the late 1950s
A ten-volume series of books, Sounding the Century, will document the life and career of recording engineer Bill Leader. If ten volumes seems rather excessive, then be reassured by the fact these books are also intended as a social and cultural history of Britain, and cover a period of time from 1855, when the now 92-year-old Leader’s great-grandparents emigrated from Ireland, to the present day.
The first volume, subtitled Glimpses of Far Off Things: 1855-1956, is out now and includes Leader’s family story and his work with the Workers’ Music Association (WMA) and their affiliated label, Topic Records. The second volume, Horizons for Some 1956-62, will be released on April 28, and move the story on to the skiffle boom, Ban the Bomb marches and Leader’s encounters with Ewan MacColl, AL Lloyd and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Further editions will cover Leader’s work recording Bert Jansch, The Watersons, Anne Briggs, Nic Jones, Davey Graham, John Renbourn and Billy Connolly, as well as a bit of Paul Simon and Son House thrown in for good measure.
The series is written by Mike Butler, of which Leader says, “[he] has used my story as a ball of yarn to help to guide readers through some of the lesser known corners of music making over the last century — music making and much more.” Sounding the Century is published by Troubador Press.
For more information visit www.soundingthecentury.com
This feature originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of Songlines magazine. Never miss an issue – subscribe today
