Billy Bragg benefit single

Q: What would you call someone inspired by Joe Strummer who does gigs in prisons? A: Johnny Clash. That's the name that Billy Bragg has adopted for a benefit single aimed at raising funds for his Jail Guitar Doors initiative.

Bragg returns to the raw solo style which first made his name, releasing Old Clash Fight Song backed with The Big Lie on a 7" vinyl single on 20th August, available through www.billybragg.co.uk for £1.99 plus p&p

In his book 'The Progressive Patriot', Billy Bragg recounted how The Clash inspired him by nailing their colours to the Rock Against Racism flag back in 1978. Thirty years later, those teenage Clash fans are now in the front line of the battle against the BNP.

'Time and time again' says Bragg of the members of his generation who are actively opposing the racist right 'you find that its old Clash fans who are leading the charge. Although we may have hung up our leather jackets, those of us who were touched by the fire of punk have held onto our anti-fascist ideals. The death of Joe Strummer in 2002 brought a lot of us together again to celebrate Joe's life and we were amazed to find that many of us were involved in activism in one way or another – union organisers, environmental campaigners, documentary film makers.'

'Old Clash Fan Fight Song' is a rallying call to this generation – and those that have followed - to take up the fight once again.

£1 from each copy sold will go to benefit Jail Guitar Doors, an initiative set up by Bragg to provide guitars for rehabilitation work in British prisons. The first donation made to the fund came from Clash guitarist Mick Jones, who recently accompanied Bragg to Wormwood Scrubs Prison in west London to deliver half a dozen guitars to the inmates there.

For info on Jail Guitar Doors go to www.jailguitardoors.org.ukdocument.write(unescape("