Leon Rosselson
Leon Rosselson (b 1934) is a satirical song-writer and children's writer.
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The folk years
Leon's early years are poorly documented. As he speaks good German and Hebrew, he may have been born in Germany, or at least had German parents. Eric Winter and John Hasted went to Berlin in the early 1950's with a choir they had formed, the London Youth Choir. This is sometimes considered to be Britain's first folk group. Leon Rosselson joined them. A few years later two Scotsmen, Robin Hall (1936 - 1998) and Jimmie MacGregor (b 1930) came to London and performed in folk clubs. They made several EPs in 1959 before teaming up with Shirley Bland (Jimmie's wife) and Leon Rosselson to become a quartet called The Galliards. Leon did all of the group arrangements. Almost all of the songs were Scottish traditional songs. The group seems to have broken up in 1962, though Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor continued to record until the 1970s. In 1965, Leon joined Martin Carthy and Roy Bailey in a group called the "3City4" (also written as Three City Four). At various times he also recorded sea-shanties with Stan Kelly.
That Was The Week That Was
Britain's boom in satire began on 24th November 1962 when a late-night Saturday television series started, "That Was The Week That Was", hosted by David Frost. The huge cast of writers included Leon Rosselson, who wrote topical songs attacking corruption in government. The Profumo scandal had just broken and politicians were fair game. The program ran until 1963. It is not clear what Leon was doing thereafter but when he resurfaced in the 70s, he was a very skilled satirist.
With Roy Bailey
"Hugga Mugga" was on the Leader Label in 1971. Roy Bailey and Leon recorded "That's Not The Way It's Got To Be" in 1975, including one of Leon's best-known songs "The World Turned Upside Down". "For The Good of the Nation" was in 1981, and Leon began recording with Martin Carthy and Roy Bailey once more, appearing on radio with them in 1982 and with Frankie Armstrong in 1987. "No Cause for Alarm" was an anti-nuclear album in the early 80s. Billy Bragg took "The World Turned Upside Down" into the charts in 1985.
Big Red Songs
The original "Big Red Songbook" came out in 1977, compiled by Mal Collins, David Harker and Geoff White. Leon Rosselson produced a new collection "The New Big Red Songbook" in 2003. Taking his defiance to the limit, Leon set out to be illegal. Three Law Lords declared that Peter Wright's book "Spycatcher" could not be published in Britain. Leon spent two days reading it, then quoted sentences from it in a specially written song "Ballad of a Spycatcher". In 1987 Simon Bates announced that he was going to play the single on Radio 1. He appeared to expect a police raid or court order, but he played the record and nothing happened. In Leon's words, "So much for subversive intentions...". It even reached number 7 in the NME indie singles charts. From 1995, frequent collaborators on his albums included Martin Carthy, Robb Johnson, Liz Mansfield and Fiz Shapur. The box set "Carthy Chronicles" included 4 songs by Rosselson, including "Palaces of Gold" which also appeared on Carthy's "Crown of Horn" (1976). Leon has toured North America, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Australia. He has written songs for a stage production at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield of "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?".
A children's writer
Leon has published 17 children's books. His first book, "Rosa's Singing Grandfather", published by Puffin was shortlisted in 1991 for the Carnegie Medal. A cassette version of the book was also published. Leon writes with feeling about the experience of being a refugee, and about being bullied. His story "The Greatest Drummer In The World" has been made into a stage show, at the Drill Hall. London in 2002. His first full-length novel was "Home is a place called Nowhere" (2004).
discography
Dominic Behan, Peggy Seeger, Leon Rosselson and Ralph Rinzler.
- - Down by the Liffeyside - Irish Street Ballads (1958)
The Galliards
- - The Galliards (EP) (1960)
- - Scottish Choice (1961)
- - A Rovin' (1961)
solo recordings
- - Hugga Mugga (1971)
- - For The Good of the Nation (1981)
- - I Didn't Mean It (1988)
- - Rosselsongs (Compilation) (1990)
- - Where are the Elephants (1991)
- - Guess What They're Selling at the Happiness Counter (1992)
- - Intruders (1995)
- - Perspectives (1997)
- - Harry's Gone Fishing (1999)
- - The Last Chance (2002)
- - Turning silence Into Song (2005)
bibliography
Children's books
- - Rosa's Singing Grandfather and Rosa's Grandfather Sings Again (1993)
- - I Though I Heard A Goldfish Sing (1994)
- - Where's My Mum? (1996)
- -Pumpkin's Downfall (2000)
- - Home is a Place Called Nowhere (2004)
Songbooks
- - For The Good of the Nation (1981)
- - New Big Red Songbook (2003)