Alfreda Benge
Alfreda Benge (known as Alfie, born 1940)[1] is an Austrian-born British lyricist and illustrator. She is the wife of musician Robert Wyatt, and the two have collaborated for more than fifty years. Benge has illustrated album covers for Wyatt and other musicians, including Annette Peacock, Fred Frith, and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. She has contributed lyrics for Bertrand Burgalat, and for Brazilian singer Monica Vasconcelos, and has illustrated two children's books.
Biography
[edit]Benge was born in Austria to a Polish mother, and came to the UK in 1947.[2] Her stepfather, Ronald Benge, was a prominent librarian who established library schools in developing countries.[3]
Benge studied painting at Camberwell Art School, graphics at the London School of Printing and film at the RCA.[2] She then worked in film, making a film celebrating the Royal Academy's Centenary, and served as an assistant to the editor Graeme Clifford for Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now (1973).[2]
She has been married to musician Robert Wyatt since 1974, and has been called his most important collaborator by Wyatt's biographer, Marcus O'Dair.[4] She acts as muse and manager, as well as lyricist and artist.[5] Benge originally wrote poems which Wyatt set to music, and then began writing lyrics directly.[4] She has contributed lyrics to many of his compositions, and her voice is featured on the 1974 album Rock Bottom.[6] She has also written lyrics for French musician/producer Bertrand Burgalat, and for Brazilian singer Monica Vasconcelos.[7][4] She has provided cover artwork for all of Wyatt's solo albums since Rock Bottom in 1974, as well as for albums by other musicians including Annette Peacock, the album Gravity by Fred Frith, Alice by Klimperei and Spanish Dance Troupe by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci.[4]
Benge has also illustrated two children's books written by Scottish poet and musician Ivor Cutler.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Morris, Steven (9 September 2004). "Guardian story inspires lyrics for war lullaby". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Alfreda Benge". Hypergallery. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ Matthews, David (21 May 2009). "Ronald Benge". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Why Robert Wyatt's wife Alfie is his most important collaborator". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ Andy Gregory International Who's Who in Popular Music, Routledge, 2002, ISBN 1-85743-161-8
- ^ George McKay (2013). Shakin' All Over: Popular Music and Disability. University of Michigan Press. p. 102. ISBN 9780472052097.
- ^ Jazz, All About (3 October 2017). "Mônica Vasconcelos: Brazil Songs of Resistance article @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
External links
[edit]- Alfreda Benge at AllMusic.
- Alfreda Benge at IMDb.
- Alfreda Benge at Discogs.
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