Leon Rosselson

Among England's most esteemed songwriters stands Leon Rosselson. His reputation rests largely on the politically charged composition "The World Turned Upside Down," later interpreted by Billy Bragg and Dick Gaughan, yet he keeps chronicling contemporary British conditions in fresh material. The Guardian characterized his output as "fierce, funny, cynical, outraged, blasphemous, challenging and anarchic," while Folk Roots hailed him as "a sharp observer, a wonderful wordsmith, a composer of originality and depth, but most of all, a superb integrator of words and music." He entered the profession in the early '60s through membership in the folk-revival ensemble the Galliards, then gained worldwide notice after several pieces appeared on the satirical program That Was the Week That Was. Bragg's recording of "The World Turned Upside Down" climbed into the British Top Ten in 1985, supplying a decisive career boost. Two years afterward Rosselson scored a modest chart success with the independently issued single "Ballad of a Spycatcher," backed by Bragg and the Oyster Band. He has sustained activity across numerous formats, publishing his debut children's title, Rosa's Singing Grandfather, in 1991 and earning a Carnegie Medal nomination for it. Songs and scripts flowed from his pen for Interaction's Doggs Troupe and Fun Art Bus as well as the Crucible Theater production of They Shoot Horses, Don't They in Sheffield. In tandem with socialist magician Ian Seville he mounted two theatrical presentations: the family-oriented A Dinosaur in My Shoe and the adult-focused Look at It This Way.