Who is the most bootlegged artist in history?
The bootleg record is perhaps where the idea of “sticking it to the Man” started. An off-the-books dealing that kept music away from corporate suits and instead kept it in the hands of the people.
In fact, the humble bootleg concept is largely responsible for my knowledge of the great Sixto Rodriguez. While I’m sure there are many of you out there who have seen Searching for Sugar Man, allow me to indulge you in bootleg music’s finest moment.
While chipping away at the 1960s folk scene, like some tragic figure from Inside Llewyn Davis, Sixto Rodriguez’ truly stunning albums Cold Fact and Coming From Reality fell on relatively deaf ears. Despite the brilliance of ‘I Wonder’ and ‘I Think of You’, Rodriguez never made it as a fully fledged musician and pursued the more humble career of a construction worker in Detroit.
Unbeknownst to him, his anti-establishment songs tapped into the psyche of apartheid South Africa. Without a label to distribute his music to the country’s hungry audience, bootleg tapes rapidly circulated and made him one of the country’s most listened to and beloved artists.
After rumours of his death were squashed, and two die-hard fans discovered the reality of his humble lifestyle, the truth about his South African fame came to light. Decades after the release of his music, he finally got his moment in the sun, playing sell-out shows across the entire country.
In this story lies the magical essence of bootleg music. Devoid of marketing, corruption or commercial agendas, it becomes a currency through which authentic music fans can express themselves. While artists like Rodriguez may have had to wait for their money-making tour, it ultimately keeps their music pure, allowing them to cultivate a genuine and emotional relationship with the fans who listen.
Rodriguez is of course a success story for otherwise unsupported musicians to receive their acclaim through the power of the people. But that doesn’t mean major chart-topping acts haven’t either. Bootleg tapes also offer fans a way to just outrightly push back at commercialism and circulate the records of otherwise major label acts, without succumbing to their marketing design.
So, who is the most bootlegged artist in history?
It’s that very anti-establishment sentiment that makes Led Zeppelin the most bootlegged artist in British music history. A study compiled by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) used their archive of some 10,000 recordings seized over the past 25 years to identify 384 bootleg titles featuring Led Zeppelin performances. The Beatles came in second with 320 entries, while other acts listed included The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd.
While the BPI offers a somewhat definitive answer in the UK, the result is less clear in the US. A similar study hasn’t been conducted, and so the very nature of bootleg tapes could only hint towards Zeppelin topping a similar chart in the US.
However, it is well known that Bob Dylan is considered the most bootlegged artist in rock history, with over 17 bootleg volumes to his name and 500 tracks across them all. The sheer scale of his bootleg back catalogue can only hint towards the iconic songwriter being in with a shout of the USA’s most bootlegged artist.
