Mary Elizabeth Blodwen Hopkin (born 3 May 1950), credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti from her marriage to Tony Visconti, is a Welsh singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were the Days". She was one of the first artists to be signed to the Beatles' Apple label.

Life and career

Early life and singing career

Mary Elizabeth Blodwen Hopkin was born into a Welsh-speaking family in Pontardawe, Glamorgan, Wales. She took weekly singing lessons as a child and began her musical career as a folk singer with a local group called the Selby Set and Mary. She released an EP of Welsh-language songs for a local record label called Cambrian, based in her hometown, before signing with Apple Records, owned by the Beatles, one of the first artists to do so.

Hopkin's debut single, "Those Were the Days", produced by McCartney, was released in the UK on 30 August 1968. Despite competition from well-established star Sandie Shaw, whose own single version of the song was also released that year, Hopkin's version became a number one hit on the UK singles chart. It reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, where for three weeks it was held out of the top spot by the Beatles' "Hey Jude", and spent two weeks at number one on Canada's RPM singles chart. It sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States alone, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. Global sales topped 8 million. Hopkin's recording of "Those Were The Days" was nominated for the "Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Performance, Female" at the 11th Annual Grammy Awards in March 1969.

On 2 October 1968, Hopkin appeared at St Paul's Cathedral in London for the Pop Experience, where she sang "Morning of My Life", "Turn Turn Turn", and "Plaisir d'amour". That particular project did not materialise, but Hopkin did sing the title songs of two of Baker's films, Where's Jack? and Kidnapped.

On 21 February 1969, Hopkin's debut album, Post Card, again produced by McCartney, was released. It included covers of three songs from Donovan, who also played on the album, and one song each from George Martin and Harry Nilsson. It reached number three on the UK Albums Chart, although it proved to be her solitary success in that chart. It reached number two on the UK singles chart, Hopkin said she interpreted "Goodbye" as McCartney pledging to stop micromanaging her career, since she was uncomfortable with his positioning of her as a pop chanteuse. She also expressed dissatisfaction with her manager at this time, Terry Doran.

Hopkin's third single, "Temma Harbour", was a re-arrangement of a Philamore Lincoln song. Her first single not to be produced by McCartney, it was released on 16 January 1970 and peaked at number six in the UK and number 42 in Canada. In the US, "Temma Harbour" reached number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the magazine's Easy Listening chart. Along with Donovan and Billy Preston, Hopkin was one of the chorus singers on the Radha Krishna Temple's 1970 hit single "Govinda", produced by George Harrison for Apple Records.

Eurovision

In March 1970, Hopkin represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970, achieving second place with "Knock, Knock Who's There?" Produced by Mickie Most, "Knock, Knock Who's There?" was released as a single on 23 March 1970 and peaked at number two in the UK. The album's single, "Water, Paper, and Clay", missed the Billboard Hot 100. It was Hopkin's last single for Apple Records, which she left in March 1972.

After Hopkin's departure from Apple, a compilation album titled Those Were the Days was released in the latter part of 1972. The album featured all of Hopkin's hits but failed to chart. "Knock Knock, Who's There?" was released as a single in the United States and Canada, both countries having been excluded from the first release of that record in 1970. The single reached number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 11 on the Easy Listening chart in December 1972, giving Hopkin her last US hit.

Television series

Following her appearance in the Eurovision contest, Hopkin had her own peak time TV series, Mary Hopkin in the Land of ..., on BBC1. Created by Eric Merriman, each episode featured Hopkin looking at a different aspect of storytelling through music and dance. The six 30-minute programmes were broadcast in 1970 and were repeated in 1971.

After the hit singles

After marrying Visconti in 1971, in addition to giving concerts in several major cities. In March, Hopkin announced her departure from Apple Records; her manager, Jo Lustig, said they were considering offers from "three major [record] companies". In June, the single "Summertime Summertime" / "Sweet and Low" was released on Bell Records under the name of Hobby Horse. The A-side was a cover of a 1958 song by the Jamies. With Visconti's assistance, she released the 1972 Christmas single "Mary Had a Baby" / "Cherry Tree Carol" on Regal Zonophone Records.

Hopkin starred in her own one-off TV special for BBC1 on 29 July 1972. Titled Sing Hi, Sing Lo, it was billed simply as "light entertainment starring Mary Hopkin".

Although no other singles or albums were released under her name until 1976, she sang on numerous recordings that her husband produced, such as those featuring Tom Paxton, Ralph McTell, David Bowie (Low), Bert Jansch, the Radiators from Space, Thin Lizzy, Carmen, the Sarstedt Brothers, Osibisa, Sparks, Hazel O'Connor, and Elaine Paige. On all of these recordings (and also on her husband's own Inventory album) she is credited as Mary Visconti. During this time, she also appeared on various TV shows, such as Cilla Black's, as well as various radio programmes.

Return to recording

In 1976, she returned to recording under her birth name and released the single "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)" (originally recorded by Édith Piaf as "Hymne à l'amour"), which reached number 32 in the UK chart.

Two members of Steeleye Span (Bob Johnson and Pete Knight) chose Hopkin to play "Princess Lirazel" on their concept album The King of Elfland's Daughter. She also appeared at the Cambridge Folk Festival with Bert Jansch. In 1976, her second child was born. Before the 1970s ended, Decca released a compilation album of Hopkin's Cambrian recordings, The Welsh World of Mary Hopkin.

1980s

thumb|Hopkin in 1982

Hopkin's first project in the 1980s was a well-reviewed stint playing the Virgin Mary in Rock Nativity at the Hexagon Theatre in Reading, Berkshire. After this, Mike Hurst (record producer and formerly of the Springfields) asked her to sing lead in a new group named Sundance that he had formed with Mike de Albuquerque of ELO. which removed the overdubbed drums found on the Decca recordings.

In 1999, she again joined the Chieftains on their UK tour and, later that year, performed concerts in Scotland with Benny Gallagher and Jim Diamond.

In 2013, Painting by Numbers was released on Mary Hopkin Music. The album includes 10 tracks written by Hopkin, two of which are co-written with friends; "Love Belongs Right Here" with Brian Willoughby and "Love, Long Distance" with Benny Gallagher.

For Christmas 2014, Hopkin recorded a single with her son and daughter. The traditional carol, "Iesu Faban" (meaning "Baby Jesus" in Welsh), was described on her website as a "close, intimate choral performance of a traditional Welsh Christmas carol".

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of "Those Were the Days", on 30 August 2018 Hopkin released a new acoustic version, on an EP also featuring the live version from her 1972 "farewell" concert at the Royal Festival Hall. Also included are the versions of "Those Were the Days" and "Goodbye" released in 1977, produced by her then husband, Tony Visconti.

2020s

Hopkin released an album called Two Hearts with her daughter Jessica Lee Morgan. Featuring newly written material and covers from the Bangles to Dire Straits, it was released on 3 May 2023, Hopkin's 73rd birthday.

Discography

  • Post Card (1969)
  • Earth Song/Ocean Song (1971)
  • Spirit (1989)
  • Valentine (2007)
  • Recollections (2008)
  • Now and Then (2009)
  • You Look Familiar (2010), with Morgan Visconti
  • Painting by Numbers (2013)
  • Another Road (2020)
  • A Christmas Chorale (2020)
  • Pieces (2022)
  • Two Hearts (2023) with her daughter Jessica Lee Morgan

See also

  • Apple Records discography
  • Chime Rinpoche

References

  • Mary Hopkin on Facebook
  • Biography on BBC Wales
  • Interview on BBC Wales