Welsh Music Trivia

1. Led by Dave Edmunds, the band Love Sculpture had a 1968 hit with their version of which piece of classical music?

From Quiz Wales, the Land of Song

Answer: Sabre Dance

From Cardiff, Edmunds has recorded numerous albums in his own name and as part of various groups, including Rockpile. He is also a renowned guitarist and record producer, working with bands such as Stray Cats, the Everly Brothers and Status Quo. 'Sabre Dance' was his first hit, being an up tempo instrumental version of a piece written by composer Aram Khachaturian. The other options listed are all classical pieces which have been recorded by non classical musicians.

From Quiz Dai the Dap sings a daffy Welsh rap

Answer: Mae hen wlad fy nhadau

"Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" was written in 1856 by Evan James from Pontypridd. The tune, known as "Glan Rhondda" (the banks of the Rhondda - the valley in which Pontypridd is located) was written by his son, James James. The song is always sung in Welsh, and no formal translation into English is used. However, a literal translation into English would read something like this; "The old land of my fathers is very dear to me, The land of poets and singers, renowned and respected people; Our manly warriors, gallant patriots that they are, Shed their blood for Freedom. Country, Country, I am a strong advocate for my country. Whilst the sea remains as a wall to my pure, beloved land, Long may the old language endure." There are two (and in some accounts three) more verses, but they are rarely sung. Phonetically, the first line would be pronounced "My hen oo-lard vurr n-hard eye" - which is where the slightly scurrilous "My hen laid a haddock" version comes from!

From Quiz Groups and Singers from Wales

Answer: Goldfinger

"Goldfinger" was the opening theme song from the film "Goldfinger." The song made the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. "Goldfinger" was the third James Bond film, staring Sean Connery. The first Bond movie was "Dr. No" (1962) and was followed by "From Russia with Love" (1963). Shirley Bassey was born in 1937, at Tiger Bay, Cardiff, Wales. Shirley Bassey had several charts hits in the 60s and 70s. Successful songs for Bassey was "As Long as He Needs Me", "What Now My Love", "For All We Know", "Never Never Never" and Reach for the Stars"/"Climb Ev'ry Mountain."

From Quiz Wales, the Land of Song

Answer: Velvet Underground

From Carmarthenshire in south west Wales, Cale studied music in London before travelling to the USA in the early 1960s where he worked with the similarly named John Cage. He met up with Lou Reed and formed the Velvet Underground with limited success until the involvement of Andy Warhol. Cale left the band in 1968 but has continued to work in the music business and is a well respected musician in both the pop and classical music genres.

From Quiz Groups and Singers from Wales

Answer: Mary Hopkin

"Those Were the Days" made the top spot in the UK and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Other chart success for Mary Hopkin were "Goodbye", "Temma Harbour" and "Knock Knock, Who's There?"

From Quiz Groups and Singers from Wales

Answer: Bonnie Tyler

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" reached number four on the UK singles chart and peaked at number three on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. The first debut album from Bonnie Tyler was called "The World Starts Tonight" released in 1977. The album also featured one of her earliest hit singles "Lost In France."

From Quiz Wales, the Land of Song

Answer: Hip hop

Goldie Lookin Chain (GLC) formed in Newport, South Wales, in 2000 and have, or had, members named Eggsy, Maggot, Grayham the Bear and Mystikal among many others. Their recordings include 'Fresh Prince of Cwmbran', 'Newport State of Mind' and 'Half Man Half Machine' as well as others whose titles can't be mentioned on a family site. The main aim of GLC is to poke fun at the 'gangsta rap' culture and the difference between lives of those who live it and those who sing about it.

From Quiz Groups and Singers from Wales

Answer: Stereophonics

"Mama Told Me Not to Come" was originally written by Randy Newman in the mid 60s. Tom Jones and the Stereophonics' version reached number four on the UK singles chart in 2000. Another well known version of the song was performed by Three Dog Night in 1970, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

From Quiz Wales, the Land of Song

Answer: Tell Laura I Love Her

In America, the song was recorded by Ray Peterson while Ricky Valance, real name David Spencer, did a UK cover. Some of you may remember that there were quite a few 'teenage tragedy' songs around at the time, some of which were banned by the BBC. It was, by far, the biggest hit for Ricky. The other songs also date from 1960: 'Apache' was an instrumental hit for The Shadows, 'Poor Me' was sung by Adam Faith while 'Please Don't Tease' was one of Cliff Richard's many hits.

From Quiz Dai the Dap sings a daffy Welsh rap

Answer: Catatonia

Catatonia had their roots in the Welsh language rock scene before turning to the English language for greater commercial success in the mid 1990's. The band officially split in 2001, and since then, Cerys Matthews has released a couple of solo language songs - though her biggest "claim to fame" since the turn of the century will have been her appearance on "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!".

From Quiz Groups and Singers from Wales

Answer: Word Gets Around

"Word Gets Around" was released August 25, 1997. The album peaked at number six on the UK album chart. The bands next five albums all made the number one spot on the UK album chart. Members of the band are Kelly Jones, Richard Jones, Stuart Cable and Adam Zindani. Stuart Cable was replaced by Javier Weyler in 2004. The first single released by the Stereophonics was titled "Local Boy in the Photograph", originally released in 1997.

From Quiz Wales, the Land of Song

Answer: Amen Corner

The band formed in Cardiff, with all the members coming from the South Wales area. They had several hits in the UK, with 'Bend Me, Shape Me' (1968) and '(If Paradise is) Half as Nice' (1969) being the most successful of them. The band broke up in 1969, with Fairweather Low going on to a long lasting solo career, working with Roger Waters, Bill Wyman and Eric Clapton, among others. His biggest solo hit was 'Wide Eyed and Legless' from 1975.

From Quiz Groups and Singers from Wales

Answer: James Dean Bradfield

The first single by the band was called "Suicide Alley" released in 1989. The "Manics" debut album was released in 1992, and was called "Generation Terrorists." The bands drummer Richey James Edwards went missing in 1995, and has never been seen since.

From Quiz Groups and Singers from Wales

Answer: Super Furry Animals

The album "Phantom Power" was released in 2003. Commercially, it is probably their best album, reaching number four on the UK album charts and stalling at number 14 on the U.S. Indie Albums chart. Super Furry Animals was formed in 1993 and released their first single "Hometown Unicorn" in 1996. The first album by the band was called "Fuzzy Logic", which was also released in 1996. "Radiator" is the band's second album, released in 1997. The album peaked at number five on the UK album charts.

From Quiz Groups and Singers from Wales

Answer: Badfinger

"Come And Get It" was written by Paul McCartney (Ex Beatle) in 1969. The song was on the soundtrack for the film "The Magic Christian" released in 1969. Memorable songs from Badfinger were "No Matter What", "Without You" and "Day After Day."

From Quiz Wales, the Land of Song

Answer: Voice of an Angel

Charlotte, from Cardiff, first came to prominence when 'Voice of an Angel' was released when she was aged only twelve. It was primarily an album of classical religious pieces, including 'Panis Angelicus', 'Ave Maria' and 'Amazing Grace' mixed with some traditional songs like 'Danny Boy'. By 2005, Charlotte had decided to re-invent herself as a pop star releasing 'Tissues and Issues'. This album gave her a number two hit on the UK Singles Chart with 'Crazy Chick'. Since then, success has been more elusive, with Charlotte taking time out to raise her children, but she continues to record and experiment with different types of music in the 2010s.

From Quiz Dai the Dap sings a daffy Welsh rap

Answer: Manic Street Preachers

The Manic Street Preachers are James Dean Bradfield (vocals, guitars), Nicky Wire (bass guitar) and Sean Moore (drums). The original singer was Richey Edwards, who went missing in 1995, and was declared "presumed deceased" in November of 1998. Their first number one UK single hit was, "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next", though they have had well over a dozen top ten hits. "A Design for Life" was their first major hit without Edwards in the group, and is regarded by many cognoscenti as a "working class anthem".

From Quiz Groups and Singers from Wales

Answer: Dave Edmunds

Dave Edmunds was born in Cardiff, Wales. Edmunds had been in several bands before going solo. The last band Edmunds was involved in was called Love Sculpture, which disbanded in 1970. "I Hear You Knocking" hit the number one position in the UK charts in 1970, and peaked at number four on the Billboard charts in 1971. "Girls Talk" reached number four in the UK and scraped in at number 65 in the U.S. "Queen Of Hearts" stalled at number 11 on the UK chart.

From Quiz Wales, the Land of Song

Answer: Come and Get It

The band was originally named The Iveys, having got together in Swansea in the early 1960s. They renamed themselves, with some changes of personnel, in 1969. 'Come and Get It' was their first, and biggest, UK hit, reaching number four on the UK Singles Chart. They followed it with 'No Matter What' in 1970 and 'Day after Day' in 1971, both of which reached the top ten in the UK. Sadly, the chaos caused by the demise of the Apple label, which meant that the band was unable to access the money earned from their success, led to the breakup of the band and may also have caused the deaths, by suicide, of two of the members.

From Quiz Groups and Singers from Wales

Answer: Shakin' Stevens

The 80s was very successful for Shakin' Stevens. With over 30 singles reaching the top 40, including three number one hits. 1981 saw Stevens score his first chart topper with the song "This Ole House", followed by "Green Door" (1981) and "Oh Julie" (1982.) Born Michael Barrett in 1948, 'Shaky' was born in Ely, Cardiff, Wales. Shakin' Stevens played the role of Elvis Presley in the musical, "Elvis!" His acting role was at the point of Elvis Presley's peak, and was later played by the 60s icon, P. J. Proby.

This is category 19230

= Top 5% Rated Quiz, Top 10% Rated Quiz, Top 20% Rated Quiz, A Well Rated Quiz
= added recently, = Editor's Pick = FunTrivia Editor = Gold Member
Teachers / educators: FunTrivia welcomes the use of our website and quizzes in the classroom as a teaching aid or for preparing and testing students. See our education section. Our quizzes are printable and may be used as question sheets by k-12 teachers, parents, and home schoolers.

 ·  All questions, answers, and quiz content on this website is copyright FunTrivia, Inc and may not be reproduced without permission. Any images from TV shows and movies are copyright their studios, and are being used under "fair use" for commentary and education.