Mary Hopkin Famous Welsh singer Date of Birth: 03.05.1950 Country: Great Britain

1. Biography of Mary Hopkin
2. Early Life and Career
3. Breakthrough with "Those Were The Days"
4. Postcard and Continued Success
5. Later Career

Biography of Mary Hopkin

Mary Hopkin, a well-known Welsh singer, gained fame for her soulful ballads. Her most famous song is "Those Were The Days".

Early Life and Career

Mary Hopkin was born in Pontardawe, Wales, into a creative Welsh family. She started singing at a young age, performing in church choirs and taking vocal lessons. She actively participated in various singing contests and competitions, and her talent caught the attention of Apple Records, the renowned record label associated with The Beatles.

Breakthrough with "Those Were The Days"

Her first single, "Those Were The Days," was released in 1968. The song was produced by Paul McCartney, who personally reached out to Hopkin and invited her to London. The single quickly topped the British charts, surpassing even The Beatles themselves. Its success exceeded all expectations, becoming an instant number one hit and making Mary Hopkin a household name.

Postcard and Continued Success

In 1969, Hopkin released her first official album, "Postcard," also produced by Paul McCartney. The album reached number three on the UK charts and gained recognition in the United States as well. Although she couldn't replicate the success of her first single, Hopkin remained at the forefront of the British music scene.

In 1970, she represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Knock, Knock Who's There?," earning second place. The song reached the second spot on the UK charts. In 1971, Hopkin released the album "Earth Song, Ocean Song," produced by her husband Tony Visconti. They married the same year but later divorced in 1981.

Later Career

In 1972, after a hiatus, Mary Hopkin embarked on an extensive concert tour, and that same year she released her album "Those Were The Days." She also released a Christmas single, "Mary Had a Baby," during that time. Throughout her marriage, she was credited as Mary Visconti in her husband's projects.

After her divorce, she returned to using her maiden name and continued to release albums and singles, albeit less regularly. In 1989, she released the album "1989: Spirit," followed by "Y Caneuon Cynnar" in 1996, which featured her early recordings. In 2005, she recorded the retrospective album "Live At The Royal Festival Hall" on her own label, Mary Hopkin Music.

In 2007, on her 57th birthday, Mary Hopkin released the album "Valentine," which included 12 previously unreleased songs from different years, three of which she wrote herself. In subsequent years, she released the albums "Recollections" in 2008, "Blodeugerdd: Song of the Flowers - An Anthology of Welsh Music and Song" in 2009, and "You look familiar" in 2010, which she recorded with her son Morgan Visconti. Her daughter, Jessica Lee Morgan, also pursued a career in music.

Today, Mary Hopkin is still best known for her song "Those Were The Days" and continues to be recognized as one of the early artists on the Apple label.