Musicians and Composers

Catatonia Catatonia Stereophonics Stereophonics
Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers Feeder Feeder
Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals Goldie Lookin' Chain Goldie Lookin’ Chain
Bryn Terfel Bryn Terfel lostprophets lostprophets
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci John Cale John Cale
Geraint Evans Geraint Evans Charlotte Church Charlotte Church
Tom Jones Tom Jones Shirley Bassey Shirley Bassey
Katherine Jenkins Katherine Jenkins Shakin' Stevens Shakin’ Stevens
Mary Hopkin Mary Hopkin Bonnie Tyler Bonnie Tyler
Mike Peters Mike Peters Phil Campbell Phil Campbell
Stuart Burrows Stuart Burrows Robert Tear Robert Tear
Margaret Price Margaret Price Grace Williams Grace Williams
Andy Fairweather-Low Andy Fairweather-Low Dave Edmunds Dave Edmunds
Steve Strange Steve Strange Pino Palladino Pino Palladino
Sasha Sasha Arwel Hughes
Owain Arwel Hughes Owain Arwel Hughes Alun Hoddinott Alun Hoddinott
Freur Freur Frank Hennessy Frank Hennessy
Mansel Thomas Mansel Thomas David Russell Hulme David Russell Hulme
Edward Elwyn Jones Edward Elwyn Jones Grant Llewellyn Grant Llewellyn
William Ifor Jones William Ifor Jones Man Man
Young Marble Giants Young Marble Giants The Oppressed The Oppressed
Gene Loves Jezebel Gene Loves Jezebel Tigertailz Tigertailz
Funeral for a Friend Funeral for a Friend Icons of Filth Icons of Filth
Badfinger Badfinger Budgie Budgie
Bullet for My Valentine Bullet for My Valentine Amen Corner Amen Corner
Scritti Politti Scritti Politti The Automatic The Automatic
Ar Log Ar Log People in Planes People in Planes
Sassafras Sassafras Tich Gwilym Tich Gwilym
Meic Stevens Meic Stevens Duffy Duffy
Sicknote Sicknote Mal Pope Mal Pope
Ian Shaw Ian Shaw Blue Weaver Blue Weaver
Fred Godfrey Fred Godfrey Geraint Griffiths Geraint Griffiths
Steve Balsamo Steve Balsamo Ronald Cass
Harry Parr-Davies Harry Parr-Davies Richey James Edwards Richey James Edwards
George George “Honey Boy” Evans Tom Bellamy Tom Bellamy
Alun Davies Alun Davies Meredydd Evans Meredydd Evans
Ieuan Gwyllt Ieuan Gwyllt Martyn Joseph Martyn Joseph
Aled Wyn Davies Aled Wyn Davies James Fox James Fox
Brian Hibbard Brian Hibbard Peter Karrie Peter Karrie
Christopher Rees Christopher Rees Martin Rycroft Martin Rycroft
Chico Chico Ricky Valance Ricky Valance
Malcolm Vaughan Malcolm Vaughan Ian Watkins Ian Watkins
Catrin Finch Catrin Finch Marie Novello Marie Novello
Spencer Davis Spencer Davis Eric Ronald Griffiths Eric Ronald Griffiths
Nigel Pulsford Nigel Pulsford Kim Simmonds Kim Simmonds
The Monte Dons The Monte Dons Brigyn Brigyn
Donald Peers Donald Peers David Edward Hughes David Edward Hughes
Christina Booth Christina Booth Shân Cothi Shân Cothi
Donna Lewis Donna Lewis Amy Evans Amy Evans
Anne Evans Anne Evans Maureen Evans Maureen Evans
Jessica Garlick Jessica Garlick Meinir Gwilym Meinir Gwilym
Holly Holyoake Holly Holyoake Buddug Verona James Buddug Verona James
Jem Jem Della Jones Della Jones
Katell Keineg Katell Keineg Sarah Lark Sarah Lark
Cate Le Bon Cate Le Bon Leila Megane Leila Megane
Ann Moray Elaine Morgan Elaine Morgan
Rebecca Onslow Rebecca Onslow Gwenno Saunders Gwenno Saunders
Lisa Scott-Lee Lisa Scott-Lee Dorothy Squires Dorothy Squires
Nicky Stevens Helen Watts
Iris Williams Iris Williams The Jug Band The Jug Band
Attack! Attack! Attack! Attack! The Blackout The Blackout
Boys With X Ray Eyes Boys With X Ray Eyes Doc Savage Doc Savage
Dopamine Dopamine Foreign Legion Foreign Legion
Kids in Glass Houses Kids in Glass Houses Los Campesinos! Los Campesinos!
Midasuno Midasuno Pooh Sticks Pooh Sticks
Shootin' Goon Shootin’ Goon The Crocketts The Crocketts
The Joy Formidable The Joy Formidable Viva Machine Viva Machine
Zabrinski Zabrinski Mike Harries' Mike Harries’
Root Doctors
Denis ApIvor Denis ApIvor Mervyn Burtch Mervyn Burtch
Edward Jones Edward Edwards Edward Edwards
Osian Ellis Osian Ellis David Evans
Harry Evans Larry Goves Larry Goves
John Greaves John Greaves John Hardy John Hardy
David Jenkins Karl Jenkins Karl Jenkins
Daniel Jones Daniel Jones Joseph David Jones
Jeffrey Lewis David John de Lloyd
Martha Llwyd William Mathias William Mathias
Paul Mealor Paul Mealor John Metcalf John Metcalf
David Owen Morfydd Llwyn Owen Morfydd Llwyn Owen
Joseph Parry Joseph Parry Rowland Prichard Rowland Prichard
Guto Puw Guto Puw Peter Reynolds Peter Reynolds
Henry Brinley Richards Henry Brinley Richards Rhian Samuel Rhian Samuel
Hilary Tann Hilary Tann Alec Templeton Alec Templeton
David Thomas John Thomas
Thomas Tomkins Thomas Tomkins WS Gwynn Williams WS Gwynn Williams
David Wynne    

Wales is often known by the phrase “the Land of Song” (Welsh: Gwlad y Gân) and its people have a renowned affinity for poetry and music.

Perhaps the most well-known musical image of Wales is that of the choir, in particular the male voice choir (Welsh: côr meibion). While this is certainly a part (though of greatly diminished importance) of the current musical life of the nation, it is by no means the only or the oldest part, and the choral tradition does not really stretch back significantly beyond its heyday in the 19th century.

Much older is the tradition of instrumental folk music. The harp has been closely associated with Wales for a very long time, and one kind of harp, the triple harp is uniquely Welsh. Other specifically Welsh instruments included the crwth and the pibgorn, though both fell out of general use by the end of the 18th century. Due to Nonconformist Christian disapproval, the instrumental folk tradition fell into decline through the 19th and early 20th centuries, but has since seen a revival and is now arguably as strong as ever. The principal instruments are the harp and the fiddle, but many other instruments are used, and both the crwth and pibgorn are again being played by a small but growing number of people.

Wales also has a long tradition of folk song which, like the instrumental tradition, and for the same reasons, was long in decline but is now flourishing again. One notable kind of Welsh song is cerdd dant which, loosely, is an improvised performance following quite strict rules in which poetry is sung to one tune against the accompaniment of (usually) a harp to a different tune.

In the mid-late 1990s new Welsh music became unexpectedly fashionable, with the chart successes of bands including Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia and the Stereophonics. These groups helped the media at the time invent the epithet “Cool Cymru”, an answer to Britpop’s “Cool Britannia”. Prior to that, Welsh acts including The Alarm, Shakin’ Stevens and Bonnie Tyler had all had high profiles, but there had never been much of a movement.

Around this time, groups such as Super Furry Animals and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci rose to popularity, and artists such as Tom Jones, John Cale, and Shirley Bassey had something of a renaissance.

The late 2000s has seen the rise of many smaller independent bands such as The Monte Dons, The Jug Band and Sicknote.

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