UK Women Singers Mystery Sort Trivia Quiz

Answer: Scottish

Born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie in Lennoxtown, Stirlingshire in 1948 (11 days before I was born), Lulu has been a star for many years since her debut record, "Shout", reached number seven in the UK Charts in 1964 when she was just 15 years old. Her track record is colossal, from winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969, to a couple of dozen hit records, including number one hits in both the UK and US, to recording David Bowie songs and to welcoming Jimi Hendrix onto her TV programme. With her lovely bubbly personality she's a true Scottish superstar!

Answer: Northern Irish

Born in Warrenpoint, County Down in 1947, Clodagh Rogers started singing in her early teens and soon became popular. Chart placings avoided her, however, until an annus mirabilis in 1969 when she secured top five placings with two singles, "Come Back and Shake Me" and "Goodnight Midnight".

This success made her the best-selling female singles artist that year. She secured a fourth place for the UK in the 1971 Eurovision Sing Contest with "Jack in the Box", but this was to a background of IRA death threats. Sadly her career after that faded badly - a pity because she was a lively performer with an attractive personality and a fabulous pair of legs, as demonstrated by the hot pants she wore for her Eurovision performance!

Answer: Welsh

Born in Bangor, North Wales in 1984, Aimée Anne Duffy released an impressive debut album, "Rockferry", in 2008. The single from the album, "Mercy", got to number one in the UK Singles Chart and number 16 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. However suddenly in 2011 she announced that she was taking an indefinite break from music; she later announced that this was due to a sexual assault.

It's clear that the incident had a profound effect upon her, as she has been quoted as saying "I very much doubt I will ever be the person people once knew".

Answer: English

The very wonderful Kate Bush was born in Bexleyheath in London in 1958. She started writing songs at the age of 11, and her first single release, "Wuthering Heights" was a huge hit - she was the first female artist to achieve a UK number one with a self-written song. Since then she's had a wonderful career, securing 25 UK Top 40 hits and eight UK Top Five albums - she was the first British solo female artist to top the UK album charts.

She is a unique, major talent.

Answer: Northern Irish

Born in Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland in 1985, Nadine Coyle was into music from a very early age. Aged just 16 she took part in the Irish talent show "Popstars", winning a place in the final band, but she was disqualified when it emerged that she'd lied about her age.

A judge on the show encouraged her to take place in the British version of the show, in which in 2002 she won a place in the band Girls Aloud. Since then she's had a successful career with many Top Ten hits (including three number ones) with and outside the group.

Answer: Scottish

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1962, Claire Grogan had the great fortune to be spotted by the film director Bill Forsyth while working as a waitress; he cast her as Susan in "Gregory's Girl". At the same time she was singing with Altered Images and having several hits in the early 1980s, including "I Could Be Happy".

She still produces music, as well as acting on TV and writing children's books.

Answer: Welsh

Cerys Matthews was born in Cardiff, Wales, in 1969. She founded the group Catatonia in 1992. The band released four albums and scored a number of top ten hits before splitting in 2001. Since then she has had a flourishing solo career, and more recently she has become a high-profile presenter on BBC Radio.

Answer: Scottish

Elizabeth Fraser was born in Grangemouth, Scotland, in 1963. She had an awful childhood, but at the age of 17 she met her partner Robin Guthrie and soon became involved in the music scene with the band The Cocteau Twins. They became very popular in the Indie scene, and had five top 40 hits in 12 years.

She has a wonderful soprano voice that shows well in the ethereal music she produces.

Answer: English

Pauline Black was born in Romford, Essex (as was I!) in 1953. Her music career started in 1979 when she joined the 2-Tone ska band, The Selecter, and she's still performing.

Answer: Scottish

Sharleen Spiteri was born in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire in Scotland in 1967. She co-founded the band Texas in 1989; subsequently she's had a long and successful career with the band, with various pauses to follow up solo projects.

Answer: Welsh

Mary Hopkin was born in 1950 in Pontadore, Wales. She was musical right from early childhood, but when she won "Opportunity Knocks" she was signed to the Beatles' Apple Records in 1968. Her first single, "Those Were the Days", reached number one in the UK and number two in the US, selling over eight million copies.

In 1970 she took the runners-up spot at Eurovision with "Knock Knock Who's There". Despite her career fading a bit she still sings and records. It has to be said that she had an exquisite voice as well as being very beautiful.

Answer: Northern Irish

Briana Corrigan was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1965. While an undergraduate at Newcastle she was spotted by an agent who offered her a singing role with The Beautiful South. She sang on the band's number one hit, "A Little Time", but after three albums left the group to pursue a solo career. This wasn't successful, and she was last heard of teaching singing in Abu Dhabi.

Answer: English

Amy Winehouse was born in London in 1983 and was involved in music from an early age in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. She signed with EMI who released her debut album, "Frank", in 2003. The 2006 follow-up album, "Back to Black", was a runaway international success and one of the best-selling albums in British history. Sadly she struggled with drug abuse and mental illness, and died of alcohol poisoning in 2011.

Answer: English

Born in London in 1957, Siouxsie Sioux (aka Susan Ballion) was one of the group of teenagers called the Bromley Contingent that was formative in the development of Punk Rock in 1975. Siouxsie and her friend Steve Severin formed a band, Siouxsie and the Banshees, that made an impact on the early Punk scene.

This was even more the case when when she appeared with the Sex Pistols on the legendary Bill Grundy interview in December 1976. Since then she has enjoyed massive success as a member of the band from 1976 to 2003 and then subsequently in her solo career.

She has been a major influence on many other bands, not only in music but in visual style as well.

Answer: Welsh

Bonnie Tyler (aka Gaynor Sullivan) was born in Neath, Wales, in 1951. She came to attention in 1977 with the album "The World Starts Tonight" which produced two hit singles,"Lost in France" and "More Than a Lover". Her next single, "It's a Heartache", reached number four in the UK and number three in the US.

She then took up with the legendary Jim Steinman of "Bat Out of Hell" fame, who wrote and produced "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Holding Out for a Hero" for her.

Answer: Northern Irish

Linda Martin was born in Belfast in 1952, and took up music with local band Chips from 1969 to 1983. She represented the Republic of Ireland twice on Eurovision; in 1984 her song "Terminal 3" came second but in 1992 she went one better, winning the contest with "Why Me".