Bill Leader (born 26 December 1929) is an English recording engineer and

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

. He is particularly associated with the British

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

revival of the 1960s and 1970s, producing records by Paddy Tunney,

Davey Graham David Michael Gordon "Davey" Graham (originally spelled Davy Graham) (26 November 1940 – 15 December 2008) was a British nationality, British guitarist and one of the most influential figures in the 1960s British folk revival. He inspired many ...

Bert Jansch Herbert Jansch (3 November 1943 – 5 October 2011) was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle (band), Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s as an acoustic guitarist and ...

John Renbourn John Renbourn (8 August 1944 – 26 March 2015) was an English guitarist and songwriter. He was best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group Pentangle, although he maintained a solo care ...

Frank Harte Frank Harte (14 May 1933 – 27 June 2005) was a traditional Irish singer, song collector, architect and lecturer. He was born in Chapelizod, County Dublin, and raised in Dublin. His father, Peter Harte, who had moved from a farming backgrou ...

and many others.

Biography

Leader was born in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

, of British parents. His parents returned to the UK while he was still young and he was brought up in

Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Fo ...

Mottingham Mottingham is a district of south-east London, England, which straddles the border of the London Borough of Bromley, the London Borough of Lewisham and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is located southwest of Eltham, . It was historically wi ...

and Shipley. Even as a child, he wanted to be a recording engineer and he moved back to London in 1955 to work in a film library at the Polish Embassy, with the intention of working in the film industry. He began working for

Topic Records Topic Records is a British folk music label, which played a major role in the second British folk revival. It began as an offshoot of the Workers' Music Association in 1939, making it the oldest independent record label in the world.M. Brocken ...

and particularly recorded some of the Irish folk musicians who were in London in the late 1950s, as well as releasing a Rambling Jack Elliott record for Topic. To supplement the meagre income from his recording work, he took a job in Collett's record shop (specialising in folk, blues and jazz records) in

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to t ...

, London. Through his work in the shop, he met Nathan Joseph who had set up

Transatlantic Records Transatlantic Records was a British independent record label. The company was established in 1961, primarily as an importer of American folk, blues and jazz records by many of the artists who influenced the burgeoning British folk and blues boom ...

and, from 1962, began working with him, part-time, as a producer. The early days of recording folk artists in England were characterised by low budgets and improvised technology. In the 1960s, Leader lived in Camden and, using a semi-professional Revox tape recorder, recorded a number of artists in his own flat, sound-proofing the room with blankets and egg boxes. John Renbourn described the early recordings of himself and Bert Jansch, in which Leader proceeded by "setting up the tape machine in the sink and having us play in the broom cupboard".Sleeve notes from ''The Definitive Transatlantic Collection''. In 1969, together with his second wife, Helen, he set up two record labels:

Leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

and Trailer Records. The Leader label was intended for recordings like those made by

Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music during the 20th century. He was a musician, folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activ ...

, with extensive academic liner notes. The Trailer label was focused on the revival scene. A recent compilation of Trailer tracks is ''Never The Same – Leave-Taking From the British Folk Revival 1970–1977'', in which some biographical details are given. Leader was in charge of the Audio Department at the

University of Salford The University of Salford is a Public university, public research university in Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford, Greater Manchester, England, west of Manchester city centre. The Royal Technical Institute, Salford, which opened in 1896, be ...

. In 2009, the accompanying book to the Topic Records 70 year anniversary boxed set ''

Three Score and Ten ''Three Score and Ten: A Voice to the People'' is a multi-CD box set album issued by Topic Records in 2009 to celebrate 70 years as an independent British record label. The album consists of a hardback book containing the seven CDs and a pa ...

'' provides Leader's biography. The book lists classic albums, including some engineered or produced by Leader such as ''Her Mantle So Green'' (with Ewan MacColl), '' The Iron Muse'' and ''Frost And Fire'' (both with A.L. Lloyd), and ''Paddy In The Smoke''. Leader was honoured with a "Good Tradition" award, for his contributions to continuing the tradition of folk music, at the 2012

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British rad ...

at The Lowry theatre in Salford on 8 February 2012.

Discography

* '' Woody Guthrie's Blues'' (1955) – Rambling Jack Elliott * ''Her Mantle So Green - Irish Street Songs And Fiddle Tunes'' (1965) – Margaret Barry & Michael Gorman. ote: Recorded By – Bill Leader in 1955-1957 (tracks: A1, A3, A6, B1, B3 to B6), Ewan MacColl in 1965 (tracks: A2, A4, A5, B2)*''John Gibbon's Disc'' (1957) – John Gibbon *''Peggy Seeger'' (1957) –

Peggy Seeger Margaret "Peggy" Seeger (born June 17, 1935) is an American Folk music, folk singer and songwriter. She has lived in Britain for more than 60 years and was married to the singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl until his death in 1989. She is a member ...

* ''Nancy Whiskey Sings'' (1957) – Nancy Whiskey *''3/4 A.D.'' (1962) –

Alexis Korner Alexis Andrew Nicholas Koerner (19 April 1928 – 1 January 1984), known professionally as Alexis Korner, was a British blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a founding father of British blues". A major i ...

*'' The Iron Muse (A Panorama of Industrial Folk Songs)'' (1963) – compiled by

A. L. Lloyd Albert Lancaster Lloyd (29 February 1908 – 29 September 1982),Eder, Bruce. (29 September 1982A. L. Lloyd – Music Biography, Credits and Discography AllMusic. Retrieved on 2013-02-24. usually known as A. L. Lloyd or Bert Lloyd, was an English ...

with

Anne Briggs Anne Patricia Briggs (born 29 September 1944) is an English folk singer. Although she travelled widely in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing at folk clubs and venues in Britain and Ireland, she never aspired to commercial success or to achie ...

, Bob Davenport, Ray Fisher,

Louis Killen Louisa "Lou" Jo Killen (born Louis Killen; 10 January 1934 – 9 August 2013) was an English folk singer from Gateshead, Tyneside, who also played the English concertina. Killen formed one of Britain's first folk clubs in 1958 in Newcastle upo ...

, Matt McGinn and The Celebrated Working Man's Band *''Bert Jansch'' (1965) –

*''A Wild Bees Nest'' (1965) – Paddy Tunney *''Jack Orion'' (1966) – Bert Jansch *''The Irish Edge'' (1965) – Paddy Tunney *''The Watersons'' (1966) –

The Watersons The Watersons were an English folk group from Hull, Yorkshire. They performed mainly traditional songs with little or no accompaniment. Their distinctive sound came from their closely woven harmonies. They have been called the "most famous f ...

*''The Young Tradition'' (1966) – The Young Tradition *''Ireland Her Own'' (1965) – Paddy Tunney and Arthur Kearney, with Joe Tunney and Frank Kelly *''So Cheerfully Round'' (1967) – The Young Tradition *''Morning Stands On Tiptoe'' (1967) Dave and Toni Arthur *''Mason's Apron'' (1967) –

The Dubliners The Dubliners () were an Folk music of Ireland, Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in pers ...

*''Mainly Norfolk'' (1968) –

Peter Bellamy Peter Franklyn Bellamy (8 September 1944 – 24 September 1991) was an English folk singer. He was a founding member of The Young Tradition and also had a long solo career, recording numerous albums and touring folk clubs and concert halls. H ...

*''Matt McGinn'' (1968) – Matt McGinn *''Humble Beginnings: The Complete Transatlantic Recordings, 1969–74'' –

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, musician, television presenter, artist and retired stand-up comedian. He is sometimes known by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his idiosyncratic and of ...

*''The Humblebums'' (1969) – The Humblebums *''Fair England’s Shore'' (1969) – Peter Bellamy *''The Lark In the Morning'' (1969) Dave and Toni Arthur with Barry Dransfield *''Young Hunting'' (1970) – Tony Rose *''Cruel Sister'' (1970) – Pentangle *'' Hearken to the Witches Rune'' (1970) Dave and Toni Arthur *''New Humblebums'' (1970) – The Humblebums *''Mr. Fox'' (1970) – Mr. Fox *''Reflection'' (1971) – Pentangle *''He Came From the Mountains'' – Bob & Carole Pegg *''Rosemary Lane'' (1971) – Bert Jansch *''Tir Na Nóg'' (1971) –

Tír na nÓg In Irish mythology, Tír na nÓg ( , ; ) or Tír na hÓige ('Land of Youth') is one of the names for the Celtic Otherworld, or perhaps for a part of it. Tír na nÓg is best known from the tale of Oisín ("''uh''-''sheen''") and Niamh ("''neev ...

*''Tear and a Smile'' (1972) – Tír na nÓg *''Prosperous'' (1972) –

Christy Moore Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was one of the founding members of the bands Planxty and Moving Hearts and has had significant success as a solo artist. His first albu ...

*''A Lancashire Lad'' (1972) –

Mike Harding Mike Harding (born 23 October 1944) is an English singer, songwriter, comedian, writer, broadcaster and musician. Early life and education Harding's father, Louis Arthur "Curly" Harding, a navigator in the RAF, was killed in the Second Worl ...

*''Bright Phoebus'' (1972) – Mike and Lal Waterson *''No More Forever'' (1972) –

Dick Gaughan Richard Peter Gaughan (born 17 May 1948) is a Scottish musician, singer and songwriter, particularly of folk and social protest songs. He is regarded as one of Scotland's leading singer-songwriters. Early years Gaughan was born in Glasgow's Ro ...

*''The Boys of the Lough'' (1973) – The Boys of the Lough *''Swan Arcade'' (1973) –

Swan Arcade Swan Arcade were a British folk music vocal music, vocal group formed in 1970. "A leading light of the British folk revival" they sang a wide variety of songs, including blues, pop and rock and roll, as well as traditional folk music, mostly pe ...

*''Tell It Like It Was'' (1975) – Peter Bellamy *''The Barrack Room Ballads of Rudyard Kipling'' (1976) – Peter Bellamy *''Kist O'Gold'' (1977) – Dick Gaughan *''The Noah's Ark Trap'' (1977) –

Nic Jones Nic Jones (born Nicolas Paul Jones; 9 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Regarded as a prominent figure of the British folk revival, he has recorded five solo albums and collaborated with various musicians. Biography ...

*''Gerry Rafferty'' (1978) –

Gerry Rafferty Gerald Rafferty (16 April 1947– 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He was a founding member of Stealers Wheel, whose biggest hit was "Stuck in the Middle with You" in 1973. His solo hits in the ...

*''From The Devil To A Stranger '' (1978) Nic Jones *''Oddfellows''; The Oddfellows (2011) *''Shreds''; Ian Reynolds (2012) *''That Was Then This Is Now'' (2013) – Hunter Muskett

Credited as engineer

*''Jack Takes the Floor'' (1958) –

Ramblin' Jack Elliott Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliott Charles Adnopoz; August 1, 1931) is an American folk singer, songwriter and story teller. Life and career Elliott was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Florence (Rieger) and Abraham Adno ...

*''Chorus from the Gallows'' (1959) –

Ewan MacColl James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a British folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as o ...

*''Red Hot from Alex'' (1964) –

*''Bert and John'' (1966) – Bert Jansch &

*''Another Monday'' (1967) – John Renbourn *''Sweet Primeroses'' (1967) –

Shirley Collins Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE (born 5 July 1935) is an English folk singer who was a significant contributor to the British Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s. She often performed and recorded with her sister Dolly, whose accompaniment on ...

*''Rags, Reels & Airs'' (1967) –

Dave Swarbrick David Cyril Eric Swarbrick (5 April 1941 – 3 June 2016) was an English traditional folk musician and songwriter and one of the greatest fiddlers in the world. He was one of the most highly regarded musicians produced by the second Bri ...

*''True Hearted Girl'' (1977) – The Watersons *''Her Mantle So Green'' – Margaret Barry & Michael Gorman

Other credits

*''Across the Hills'' (1964) – Ian Campbell (credited as Supervisor) *''Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lost Topic Tapes: Cowes Harbour 1957'' – Ramblin' Jack Elliott (credited as Assistant Engineer) *''Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lost Topic Tapes: Isle of Wight 1957'' – Ramblin' Jack Elliott (credited as Assistant Engineer)

Leader/Trailer labels listing

A full listing of titles on the Leader and Trailer labels
is in preparation o
Folkopedia

References

Bibliography

Butler, Mike (2021) ''Sounding the Century: Bill Leader & Co.: Volume 1 – Glimpses of Far Off Things: 1855-1956'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Leader, Bill English record producers Academics of the University of Salford 1929 births Living people