‘A vital cog in 20th century music’: Celebrating Brian Auger, the nexus of Swinging London

After 60 years in the business, Brian Auger, keyboardist, composer, ferocious Hammond organ player and commander of the Oblivion Express, seems to finally be getting his flowers. This is in part due to the gradual reissuing of his vast back catalogue by his friend, manager and Soul Bank label boss Greg Boraman over the past few years.

“His amazing body of work has never had a higher profile, and all manner of superfans have voiced their love for his music,” Boraman tells me. “From Elton John and Andy Summers of The Police to younger artists like hip-hop giant 9th Wonder, Emma-Jean Thackray and Rebecca Vasmant.” 

It’s not that music fans or fellow artists were unaware of Auger’s music, more that he has been so prolific as to be somewhat taken for granted, his name credited on countless releases as a contributor and bandleader. The more I know about Brian Auger the more he appears as a nexus that the 60s and 70s swirled around. Despite knowing him well, Boraman continues to be amazed by the far-out anecdotes Auger will occasionally casually reveal. 

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

“While I’ve known Brian for over 30 years, he’s still letting slip some incredible stories I’d never heard before,” Boraman says. “A good example is a recent revelation about how Judy Garland asked him and his jazz trio to play at her private party. She even tried to convince the head of EMI to sign him. He just casually slipped that into a conversation, and it stopped me in my tracks.”

Brian Auger’s career has been punctuated liberally with remarkable moments like these. “He’s got many more examples of similar tales,” Boraman continues, “involving Billie Holiday, US president Jimmy Carter, Jimi Hendrix, Tom Jones, The Beatles, Dizzy Gillespie, Spike Milligan, Albert Finney, from Sarah Vaughan to The Monkees, and that’s what makes his life an utterly original story that needs telling.” 

I Speak Music, a feature-length documentary celebrating Auger’s life and legacy, is now in the works. Alfred George Bailey, jazz drummer and acclaimed filmmaker, also a longtime Auger fan, is on board to direct it. “Brian’s work has always fascinated me, not just in terms of his sound but in the way he approaches music as a conceptual art form,” Bailey tells me. 

“His fearlessness in experimentation whether through his recording techniques, production choices or collaborations has definitely shaped my own creative approach as a filmmaker. He’s a master of atmosphere, deep emotional feeling, and artistic sincerity. That’s something I strive for in my script writing and film directing as well.”

• Fashion icon Penelope Tree: ‘Men really had the upper hand in the 1960s’
• How the UK’s jazz explosion led to a rebirth of cool

Making any film in this economy is likely to be a formidable undertaking. “There are always challenges of funding, logistics, and ensuring we capture the right balance between artistic integrity and commercial viability,” Bailey says. “But beyond that, there’s also the challenge of doing justice to someone with such a vast and influential career.” Boraman agrees.

“Given the long timeframe he’s been musically active, condensing it all into a narrative is tricky. We really have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to content and archival material. The challenge is how to join all the dots, cover the most fascinating aspects without omitting vital elements of his amazing career.” 

A crowdfunder has been launched to bolster the financial aspect, promising everything from autographed memorabilia to meet-and-greets, and to sidestep cautious commissioners. “The film industry seems deeply risk-averse at the moment, focusing mainly on very mainstream projects,” Boraman says. “Anything considered a little left-field and obscure is going to have a much harder time getting off the ground.

Although Brian Auger is not in the best of health, he has expressed his appreciation to those involved in the project: “Firstly, Greg and Alfred are both clearly quite insane!” Auger responds with typical humility when I ask for his thoughts.

“To be serious for just one moment – they have both shown an absolute dedication to the cause of getting I Speak Music made. Alfred’s other films are beautiful works made with a rare love and passion, and Greg seems to know my music better than I do – so I consider myself immensely lucky to have these two gentlemen (and I use the term loosely!) willing to work so hard on this documentary project.”

Not only will I Speak Music give viewers a chance to spend time in Auger’s charming company, revelling in more of his casually delivered, astonishing anecdotes, it’s a chance to secure his legacy, in Boraman’s words, as a “pioneering, free-thinking musical trailblazer, and a humble, funny and under-appreciated vital cog in 20th century music”.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play