Mary Hopkin

Born 5 May 1950 in Pontardawe, Glamorgan in Wales, Mary Hopkin's career as a singer took off when she appeared on the UK television talent show [i]Opportunity Knocks[/i] in 1968. She signed with the Beatles' Apple Records shortly afterwards, her most famous recording being [i]Those Were the Days[/i] (APPLE 2), a Russian song composed by Boris Fomin with English lyrics written by [a722399], who then claimed the song as his own. In 1970 she came second in the Eurovision Song Contest with Britain's entry [i]Knock Knock Who's There[/i]. She was married to Tony Visconti from 1971 until they divorced in 1981. In the early 1970's she partially withdrew from the pop music world to focus on child-rearing. However, she continued to write songs, record, and contribute vocals to a wide and eclectic range of music acts including Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Osibisa, The Strawbs, Thin Lizzy, and others. She continued to make television appearances (including hosting her own shows), and since the 1980s has collaborated with various artists and issued many new recordings through her own music company.