The Mercury Prize of Books’ – NME
The Penderyn Music Book Prize is the only UK-based book prize specifically for music titles including history, theory, biography, autobiography. The 2017 award ceremony took place at the Laugharne Weekend, on Sunday 9th April.
The winner was Daniel Rachel for ‘Walls Come Tumbling Down’ (Picador) He is pictured above (from left to right), Jon Tregenna (Penderyn Media Manager), Daniel Rachel (Prize Winner), Stephen Davies (Penderyn Chief Exec), Richard Thomas (Event & Laugharne Weekend Organiser). You can see a video of the prize ceremony here.
Afterwards Daniel said:
‘I am so thrilled to receive the Penderyn Music Book Prize. The last time I won a prize was the tombola at St Christopher’s Children Home when I was 8. It was the same day, I was inadvertently driven into a National Front march in the middle of Birmingham city centre. That moment was the genesis for Walls Come tumbling Down, via much skanking to 2 Tone Records and a healthy shot of anti-Thatcherite songs from the Red Wedgers to shake up my hard-core Tory upbringing. This award is a tribute to the 100 or more contributors to the book whose actions and songs changed our country’s cultural landscape and a reminder to tomorrow’s heroes that pop music can change the world.’
‘This is a triumphant oral history.’
John Harris, The Guardian
‘A colossal and brilliant book.’
Shaun Keaveny, BBC 6 Music
‘A big book of real gravitas.’
Richard Thomas, Prize Organiser
Previous Winners
2016
Jon Savage – ‘1966: The Year The Decade Exploded’ (Faber)
2015
Mark Lewisohn – ‘The Beatles – All These Years: Volume One: Tune In’ (Little, Brown)