Karl Dallas

Karl Frederick Dallas (29 January 1931 – 21 June 2016) was a British journalist, musician, author, playwright, peace campaigner, record producer, and broadcaster. He was described as "the most vigorous, influential, and informed folk music journalist in Britain".

Biography

Early life Dallas was brought up in a communist household, and was named after Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. His father Jack Dallas was an ex Scots Guardsman and a founder member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). Karl lived as a child in Whitley Bay, Northumberland, and later attended Bec School in Tooting, London. He had a half sister Kathleen and like her joined the CPGB. He started writing poetry, and writing and performing songs in London in his teens, using the name Fred Dallas. ), Ewan MacColl, June Tabor and others.

Journalism and public relations In 1957 Dallas began working as a full-time reporter, later becoming a freelance writer on music – including pop, jazz, classical and folk music – and fashion. and in 1967 wrote his first book, Swinging London: a guide to where the action is. His other books included Singers of an Empty Day: last sacraments for the superstars (1972), The Cruel Wars: 100 soldiers' songs from Agincourt to Ulster (1972), One Hundred Songs of Toil: 450 Years of Workers' Songs (1974) and The Electric Muse: The Story of Folk into Rock (with Dave Laing, Robin Denselow and Robert Shelton, 1975). For a time he ran his own public relations agency, with clients including Pan Books, Topic Records, and Billy Smart's Circus. He worked as a record producer for the Transatlantic, Island and Sonet labels, and as a concert promoter. He moved with his wife to live in Bradford in 1989, Following his return, he wrote Into the War Zone, which he described as a "musical tragicomedy" satirising his experiences as a human shield in Iraq. The play was performed by the Writers Company in Bradford in 2005.

He wrote several other plays, including a seven-hour play on the life of Stalin, A book of his critical writings, The Lie That Tells The Truth, was published in 2012. In later life he continued to broadcast regularly for Bradford Community Broadcasting, and reviewed books, music and films for the Morning Star daily newspaper.

Death and legacy

He died at the age of 85 on 21 June 2016, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer four months earlier. His funeral was held in the parish church of St Paul in Manningham, Bradford on 30 June. He was then buried at a woodland site in the city. the latter including a fond reminiscence from Arlo Guthrie.