This is an embryonic editor's version of Royston Wood - A Life in Music (1935 - 1990), a digital biography about an influential English musician, which will gradually unfold here over the next months, step by step - piece by piece - part by part.

Why a digital biography? First, publishing real books has become very complicated and expensive; the shipping of an EU book outside of the EU is likely to cause extra problems. Second, it is very hard to correct mistakes or imprecisions in a printed publication; a web-based format basically allows for a kind of inofficial grassroots-type peer-review, which is nice. Third, as Royston's œuvre may also rather be described as a mosaic of ideas than as a monolithic entity, I thought this format would be sympathetic with his work. Not least, it was important for me to launch the project in 2025, as Royston would have celebrated his 90th birthday this year. In early 1977 Royston said in an interview with Owen Jones: "I think I'll be happy to work in folk clubs until I'm 90, if I can still sing." Since his tragic death in 1990 sadly put an early end to his singing career, I thought it would be nice if Royston - 90 years after his birth - could at least sing (and lecture) virtually from this website.  

This also shows another merit of the digital format, which is that it is very easy to implement audiovisual media. Some of Royston's friends and colleagues have kindly sent in tapes and other audio files, some of which shall appear here. However, I have consciously refrained from littering the text itself with rabbitholes of hyperlinks to audio files, other external media or websites. It is so easy to lose focus these days. I wish to find a good compromise by making the media readily accessible via the footnote section.

Despite my fascination for the digital process, I also intend to print a small edition of the text as a book in 2027, once the whole text is finished. 

Meanwhile, please enjoy the website - and, yes: there will be at least one proper foreword ... given time.