Hobby Horse (band)
| Mary Hopkin | |
|---|---|
At the Eurovision Song Contest 1970
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| Background information | |
| Born | 3 May 1950 |
| Origin | Pontardawe, Wales |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | |
| Website | Maryhopkin.com |
Mary Hopkin (born 3 May 1950), credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti, is a Welsh folk singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were The Days". She was one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label.
Hopkin was born in Pontardawe, Wales, into a Welsh-speaking family; her father worked as a housing officer. She took weekly singing lessons as a child and began her musical career as a folk singer with a local group called the Selby Set and Mary. She released an EP of Welsh-language songs for a local record label called Cambrian, based in her home town, before signing to The Beatles' Apple Records. The model Twiggy saw her winning the British ITV television talent show, Opportunity Knocks and recommended her to Paul McCartney. She became one of the first artists to record on The Beatles' Apple record label.
Her debut single, "Those Were the Days", produced by McCartney, was released in the UK on 30 August 1968 (catalogue number APPLE 2). Despite competition from a well-established star, Sandie Shaw, who released her version of the song as a single that year, Hopkin's version became a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart, reached number two in the US Billboard Hot 100, where for three weeks it was held out of the top spot by The Beatles' Hey Jude, and two weeks at number 1 in the Canadian RPM Magazine charts (Apple 1801). It sold over 1,500,000 copies in the United States alone, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. Global sales topped 8,000,000.
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