Karl Dallas
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{{Infobox person
| name = Karl Dallas
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Karl Frederick Dallas
| alias = Fred Dallas
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1931|1|29}}
| birth_place = Acton, London, England{{cite news|first1=Robin|last1=Denselow|title=Karl Dallas obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/27/karl-dallas-obituary|newspaper=The Guardian|date=27 June 2016}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|6|21|1931|1|29|df=y}}
| nationality = British
| occupation = Journalist, musician, author, playwright, peace campaigner, record producer, broadcaster
| networth =
| spouse =
| children =
| death_place = Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
| alma_mater =
| website = {{URL|www.karldallas.com}}
| signature =
| parents =
}}
Karl Frederick Dallas (29 January 1931 – 21 June 2016)[http://karldallasday.wordpress.com/ Karl Dallas blog]. Retrieved 2 July 2013 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".{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1N87hqo7XlcC&q=%22karl+frederick+dallas%22&pg=RA1-PA1950-IA2|title=Dazzling Stranger: Bert Jansch and the British Folk and Blues Revival|first=Colin|last=Harper|date=2 April 2012|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=9781408831021|via=Google Books}}
Biography
=Early life=
Dallas was brought up in a communist household, and was named after Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.[https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2013/apr/27/weekender-karl-dallas-writer Becky Barnicoat, Weekender: Karl Dallas, writer, 82, The Guardian, 27 April 2013]. Retrieved 2 July 2013 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,[http://houstonmedia.tv/rockopedia/rockowiki.html#_Toc303666861 Karl Dallas: Autobiography at Rockopedia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826120612/http://houstonmedia.tv/rockopedia/rockowiki.html#_Toc303666861 |date=26 August 2014 }}. Retrieved 2 July 2013 and later attended Bec School in Tooting, London.{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Fourth-Step-ebook/dp/B003YMMIB0|title=The Fourth Step|first=Karl|last=Dallas|date=6 August 2010|publisher=HoustonMedia|via=Amazon}} 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. His songs have been recorded by The Spinners (The Family of Man, written in 1955, after Dallas saw the exhibition of the same name{{cite web|url=https://karldallas.bandcamp.com/track/the-family-of-man|title=The Family of Man|last=Dallas|first=Karl|work=Bandcamp|accessdate=26 September 2016}}), Ewan MacColl, June Tabor and others. He also contributed music reviews to the St Marylebone Record and Musical Opinion magazine.{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lie-That-Tells-Truth-ebook/dp/B008M50LG8/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372842274&sr=1-15|title=The Lie That Tells the Truth|first=Karl|last=Dallas|via=Amazon}}
=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. Many of his articles were published in the Melody Maker; he also wrote for The Times, The Independent, and many magazines. He published his own magazines, including Folk Music, Folk News, and Jazz Music News,{{Cite web|url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Writer/karl-dallas|title=Articles, interviews and reviews from Karl Dallas: Rock's Backpages.|website=Rocksbackpages.com}} and in 1967 wrote his first book, Swinging London: a guide to where the action is.{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/957623|title=Swinging London: a guide to where the action is|first=Karl F|last=Dallas|date=20 May 1967|publisher=Stanmore P.|oclc=957623|via=Open WorldCat}} 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. From the late 1970s he also wrote on information technology, and contributed articles to most British computer magazines.
=Later life=
He was a lifelong atheist until converting to Anglican Christianity in 1983.[https://web.archive.org/web/20230307105720/https://www.amazon.com/Good-News-Last-Times-Dallas-ebook/dp/B003Z9K3T6#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1515902880181]
{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/27/karl-dallas-obituary|title=Karl Dallas obituary|date=27 June 2016|newspaper=The Guardian}} He moved with his wife to live in Bradford in 1989, and retired from full-time journalism in 1999. He became chairman of Bradford Community Health Council, and, in 2003, travelled to Iraq in a double-decker bus as part of the group of campaigners intending to act as human shields in the event of invasion.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2689691.stm BBC News, Pensioner's 'human shield' offer, 24 January 2003]. Retrieved 2 July 2013[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2770767.stm BBC News, Pensioner to become Iraq human shield, 17 February 2003]. Retrieved 2 July 2013 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.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/bradford/stage/2005/07/dallas_war_zone.shtml BBC Bradford and West Yorkshire, Karl Dallas: "We must love one another", August 2005]. Retrieved 2 July 2013
He wrote several other plays, including a seven-hour play on the life of Stalin, as well as several books, including The Fourth Step, described as "a thriller of the international drugs trade", and Good News for the Last Times (2010), a "prophetic vision for the 21st century" based on his religious experiences.{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-News-Last-Times-ebook/dp/B003Z9K3T6/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372841112&sr=1-5|title=Good News for the Last Times|editor-first=Karl|editor-last=Dallas|date=10 August 2010|publisher=October Press|via=Amazon}} A book of his critical writings, The Lie That Tells The Truth, was published in 2012.[http://realitynow2012.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/the-lie-that-tells-the-truth-contents/ The Lie That Tells The Truth at Reality Now!]. Retrieved 2 July 2013 In later life he continued to broadcast regularly for Bradford Community Broadcasting, and reviewed books, music and films for the Morning Star daily newspaper.[http://www.journalistdirectory.com/journalist/QXm/Karl-Dallas Karl Dallas at Journalist Directory Freelance Database]. Retrieved 2 July 2013
Death and legacy
He died at the age of 85 on 21 June 2016, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer four months earlier.[http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/14573719.Bradford_justice_campaigner_Karl_Dallas_dies_aged_85_fighting_a_final_battle_against_cancer/?ref=rss Kathie Griffiths, "Bradford justice and peace campaigner Karl Dallas dies after fighting a final battle with cancer", Telegraph & Argus, 22 June 2016]. Retrieved 22 June 2016 His funeral was held in the parish church of St Paul in Manningham, Bradford on 30 June.{{cite news|url=https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-863b-Friends-and-family-remember-activist-musician-and-poet-Karl-Dallas|title=Friends and family remember activist musician and poet Karl Dallas|date=1 July 2016|work=Morning Star|accessdate=26 September 2016|archive-date=30 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630235521/https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-863b-Friends-and-family-remember-activist-musician-and-poet-Karl-Dallas|url-status=dead}} He was then buried at a woodland site in the city.
Obituaries were published by The Guardian and the Morning Star,{{cite web|url=https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-152b-Karl-Dallas|title=Karl Dallas|date=30 June 2016|work=Morning Star|accessdate=26 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630192044/http://morningstaronline.co.uk/a-152b-Karl-Dallas|archive-date=30 June 2016|url-status=dead}} the latter including a fond reminiscence from Arlo Guthrie.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.karldallas.com/ Karl Dallas homepage]
- [http://karldallasday.wordpress.com/ Karl Dallas blog page]
- [https://archive.today/20130702225710/http://karldallas.com/rockopedia/ Karl Dallas Rockopedia]
- [https://karldallas.bandcamp.com/ Karl Dallas] at Bandcamp
- [http://kdarchive.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/1995-the-dave-gilmour-interview/ The Karl Dallas Archive of Contemporary and Popular Music]
- [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Writer/karl-dallas Karl Dallas at Rock's Back Pages]
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Category:English anti-war activists
Category:English male journalists
Category:English writers about music
Category:English folk musicians
Category:English male singer-songwriters
Category:English singer-songwriters
Category:English anti–Iraq War activists
Category:Converts to Anglicanism from atheism or agnosticism