Man was a Welsh jam-rock band that released twelve albums between 1969 and 1977. On Pye, they made the 1969 psych-rock albums Revelation and 2 Ozs of Plastic With a Hole in the Middle. A revised lineup signed to United Artists for the 1971 albums Man and Do You Like It Here Now, Are You […]
Racing Cars were a Welsh roots rock band that released three albums on Chrysalis between 1976 and 1978: Downtown Tonight, Weekend Rendezvous, and Bring On the Night. They scored a 1977 UK Top 20 hit with the rustic ballad “They Shoot Horses Don’t They?” The band was led by ex-Ancient Grease frontman Gareth “Morty” Mortimer. […]
Eyes of Blue were a Welsh psych-rock-soul band that released two singles as “The Eyes of Blue” on Deram, followed by the 1968/69 Mercury albums Crossroads of Time and In Fields of Ardath. A name-change to Big Sleep produced the 1971 Pegasus release Bluebell Wood. Keyboardist Phil Ryan became an on/off member of Man and its […]
Budgie was a Welsh hard-rock band that released 10 albums between 1971 and 1982 on MCA, A&M, and RCA Victor. The one constant member throughout that time was bassist/vocalist Burke Shelley, who resurrected the nameplate in the 21st century. Members: Burke Shelley (lead vocals, bass), Tony Bourge (guitar, 1967-78), Ray Phillips (drums, 1967-73), Pete Boot […]
John Cale (born March 9, 1942) is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who emerged on the London/New York avant-garde scene during the early 1960s, playing alongside Michael Garrett, John Cage, Tony Conrad, and La Monte Young. He entered rock as the bassist/violist in The Velvet Underground, with whom he recorded two albums: The Velvet Underground […]
Love Sculpture was a Welsh blues-rock powertrio, best known for the songs “In the Land of the Few” and the 1968 instrumental “Sabre Dance.” They released two albums on Parlophone: Blues Helping and Forms and Feelings. Guitarist David Edmunds launched a solo career and later teamed with Nick Lowe in Rockpile. Members: Dave Edmunds (guitar, […]
Julian Cope (Oct. 21, 1957) is a Welsh singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter who first emerged as the frontman of Liverpool neo-psychsters The Teardrop Explodes. Cope launched his solo career with the 1983 Mercury EP Sunshine Playroom. Four albums followed through his 1988 release My Nation Underground. The title of his first album, World Shut Your […]
Bonnie Tyler (June 8, 1951 – July 8, 2026) was a Welsh soul-pop singer who emerged with the 1977 album The World Starts Tonight, which spawned the UK hit “Lost in France.” She scored a transatlantic hit with “It’s a Heartache” from her 1978 second album, Natural Force. In 1983, Tyler teamed with Meat Loaf […]
Deke Leonard was a Welsh guitarist and keyboardist who served as an on/off member of Man throughout its existence. Between stints with the group, he released two albums on United Artists in 1973/74 with his backing band Iceberg. After a second stint with Man, he went through a series of bands (Tyla Gang, The Force) […]
The Alarm are a Welsh big music band formed in 1981 and first active for ten years. They debuted with an eponymous 1983 EP on I.R.S., followed by five albums, including their 1985 stateside breakthrough Strength. Guitarist–singer Mike Peters reactivated the nameplate in the 21st century. Members: Mike Peters (lead vocals, guitar), Dave Sharp (guitar, […]
Freur was a Welsh synthpop band that released the 1983–85 CBS albums Doot-Doot and Get Us Out of Here. Drummer Bryn B. Burrows played earlier in the Fabulous Poodles. Freur’s nucleus morphed into Underworld. Members: Rick Smith (keyboards, guitar), Karl Hyde (vocals, guitar), Bryn B. Burrows (drums), John Warwicker (synthesizer), Alfie Thomas (bass) Background Freur […]
Blonde on Blonde was a Welsh folk-rock/psych band that released the album Contrasts on Pye in 1969, followed by the 1970/71 albums Rebirth and Reflections on a Life on Ember Records. Singer/guitarist Ralph Denyer left after the first album to explore brassier territory with the RCA Victor one-off Aquila. Members: Gareth Johnson (guitar, sitar), Les […]
The Neutrons were a Welsh rock band formed in 1973 by keyboardist Phil Ryan and bassist Will Youatt after both left Man. On United Artists, they made the 1974/75 albums Black Hole Star and Tales From the Blue Cocoons. Members: Phil Ryan (keyboards, vocals), Will Youatt (bass, guitar, vocals), John “Pugwash” Weathers (drums), Martin Wallace […]
Brân was a Welsh-language rock group active from 1974 through 1979. The group issued a four-song EP on Gwawr, then recorded three albums for Sain with guitarist and singer John Gwyn as the sole constant member. Members: John Gwyn (guitar, vocals), Nest Howells (vocals, keyboards), Gwyndaf Roberts (guitar), Dafydd Meirion (drums, flute), Louis Thomas (bass, […]
Andy Fairweather Low (born Aug. 2, 1946) is a Welsh vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter who first emerged as the frontman of late-1960s soul-rockers Amen Corner. After three albums, the band morphed into Fair Weather for two further albums. Between 1974 and 1976, Fairweather Low released three albums to local fanfare on A&M. After a fourth […]
Gene Loves Jezebel were a Welsh goth-rock band that released five albums between 1983 and 1990 on Beggars Banquet, three of which appeared stateside on Geffen. The band featured twin brothers Jay and Michael Aston, who later combusted and litigated over the nameplate, resulting in a split franchise by the 21st century. Members: Jay Aston […]
Lone Star was the Welsh hard-rock band behind the 1976/77 CBS/Columbia albums Lone Star and Firing on All Six. Members: Pete Hurley (bass), Tony Smith (guitar, 1975-78), Dixie Lee (drums, 1975-78), Rik Worsnop (keyboards, 1975-78), Paul Chapman (guitar, 1975-78), Kenny Driscoll (vocals, 1975-77, 1979), John Sloman (vocals, 1977-78) Inception Lone Star coalesced in May 1975 […]
Roger Glover (born Nov. 30, 1945) is a Welsh bassist, composer, and producer with a six-decade musical career. He first emerged as part of the English sunshine-pop band Episode Six with singer Ian Gillan. The two joined Deep Purple in 1970, completing what became the band’s classic mark II lineup, which released four studio albums […]
Ancient Grease was a Welsh hard-rock/psych band that was active between 1967 and 1970. The band’s singular album, Women and Children First, appeared on Mercury during their final year together. Frontman Gareth “Morty” Mortimer later headed Rhondda funk-rockers Racing Cars for three albums during the late ’70s. Members: Gareth “Morty” Mortimer (vocals), Jack Bass (bass), […]
Badfinger was a Welsh pop-rock band first called The Iveys, which released the 1969 album Maybe Tomorrow on Apple Records. As Badfinger, they released the 1970–71 albums Magic Christian Music, No Dice, and Straight Up and scored hits with “Come and Get It,” “No Matter What,” “Day After Day,” and “Baby Blue.” After their 1973 […]
Apple was a Welsh pop-psych band that released the 1969 album An Apple a Day on Page One. Members: Denis Regan (vocals), Robbo Ingram (guitar), Jeff Harrod (bass), David Brassington (drums), Charlie Barber (piano) Inception Apple formed in 1968 in Cardiff, where songwriters Robbo Ingram (guitar) and David Brassington (drums) teamed with three fellow newcomers: […]
Fay Ray was a Welsh post-punk band that released the album Contact You on WEA in 1982. Members: Sheila McCartney [Sheila Brook] (vocals, guitar), John Lovering (guitar), Owen Hughes (drums), Tony Travis (bass, backing vocals), Jeff Taylor (saxophone, accordion, flute, backing vocals) Hot Water, early singles Fay Ray’s roots trace to the Bangor post-punk combo […]
Quicksand was a Welsh symphonic/hard-rock band that issued a 1970 standalone single and the 1973 Dawn release Home Is Where I Belong. Guitarist/vocalist Jimmy Davies reappeared in the Rockfield one-off Alkatraz. Members: Jimmy Davies (guitar, vocals), Anthony Stone (drums, vocals), Will Youatt (bass, 1969-?), Phil Davies (bass, vocals), Robert Collins (keyboards, vocals) Background Quicksand formed […]
Weekend was a London-based art-pop trio that made the 1982 album La Varieté on Rough Trade. Bassist–singer Alison Statton fronted the earlier Welsh combo Young Marble Giants. Guitarist Simon Booth subsequently formed Working Week. Members: Alison Statton (bass, vocals), Simon Booth (guitar), Spike (guitar, viola) Background Weekend came together through two projects that Statton started […]
Alkatraz were a Welsh funk-rock band of the mid-1970s fronted by ex-Quicksand guitarist Jimmy Davies alongside erstwhile Neutrons members. The band’s singular album, Doing a Moonlight, was released in 1976 on Rockfield Records. Members: Jimmy Davies (vocals, guitar), Stuart Halliday (drums), Jeff Singer (bass), Will Youatt (guitar, vocals) Discography: Doing a Moonlight (1976)
Aquila was a Welsh sax-rock band that made a 1970 self-titled album on RCA Victor. The band included players with lengthy beat-era resumes, including singer-guitarist Ralph Denyer, who fronted Blonde on Blonde on their 1969 album Contrasts. Members: Ralph Denyer (vocals, guitar), Phil Childs (bass, piano), George Lee (flute, saxophone), Martin Woodward (Hammond), Jimmy Smith (drums) […]
Amen Corner was a Welsh soul-pop band that released six singles and the 1968 album Round Amen Corner on Deram, followed by another four singles and the 1969 album Farewell to the Real Magnificent Seven on Immediate. Their hits include “High In the Sky” and covers of The American Breed (“Bend Me, Shape Me”), The […]
Mary Hopkin (born May 3, 1950) is a Welsh folk-pop singer from Pontardawe, Glamorgan, who released two albums and more than 20 singles between 1968 and 1971 on Apple Records. After years of limited activity, she re-emerged in soft-rockers Oasis for a 1984 album on WEA. Her third proper solo album, the operatic Spirit, appeared […]
Young Marble Giants were a Welsh bare-pop trio from Caerdydd that released two EPs and the album Colossal Youth on Rough Trade in 1980/81. Singer Alison Statton subsequently formed the sophisti-pop threesome Weekend with later Working Week mainstay Simon Booth. The remainder of YMG morphed into The Gist. Members: Alison Statton (vocals), Stuart Moxham (guitar, […]
Sassafras was a Welsh hard-rock/boogie band from Caerdydd that made the 1973 Polydor album Expecting Company, followed by the 1975/76 Chrysalis titles Wheelin’ n’ Dealin’ and Riding High. The band formed in 1970 and gigged for more than three decades after their brief cluster of recorded activity. They later pressed an archival CDr of their […]
The Ghoulies was an avant-jazz/rock project assembled by Welsh musician Charlie Summers with an assortment of U.K. musicians, including Hatfield and the North/National Health alumni Dave Stewart and Pip Pyle. The project yielded the album Dogged by Dogma, released on Summers’ Lounging Records label in 1982. Members: Charlie Summers (guitar, vocals, flageolet, organ), Dave Stewart […]
