Return to Rock-and-Roll Page.Mary Hopkin had a fling with the pop charts in the late 60's and early 70's, and her career was helped along by some well known pop icons of the 60's.
She was born in Pontardawe, Wales in 1950. As a teenager Mary became a singer and met with some success. When she appeared on British television, 60's super-model Twiggy saw her and recommended her to a friend, Beatle Paul McCartney. McCartney liked what he saw and signed Mary to a contract with Apple Records.
Her first record turned out to be her biggest. Using a melody that came from a traditional Russian folk song and a recording that was produced by McCartney, Those Were The Days was a huge hit. It reached number one on the British charts and number two in the USA in the Fall of 1968, and established eighteen-year-old Mary Hopkin as a force in the pop music world.
She followed it with a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney called Goodbye, which was another huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching the top ten in the UK and number thirteen in the US. Other songs followed, including Temma Harbour and Knock, Knock, Who's There.
Mary Hopkin was an attractive young woman with a sensational voice. She issued an album in 1969 titled Postcard. Another album, Earth Song in 1971, was more successful and contained some folk songs and an appearance by Dave Cousins of the folk-rock band the Strawbs, and Ralph McTell. The album was produced by Tony Visconti, who had worked with David Bowie. Visconti married Mary Hopkin later that same year.
Although some said that she did not do well in her stage appearances, Mary appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, and continued to tour. She retired to raise children for a while and returned in 1976 with another top forty song on the UK chart, If You Love Me. She sang back-up on David Bowie's Low the following year. Another album [on which Mary sang in Welsh], The Welsh World Of Mary Hopkin, was issued in 1979. Her marriage ended in 1981.
Mary Hopkin was a refreshing member of the pop scene beginning in the late 60's.
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