Wales, the Land of Song Trivia Quiz

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.

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.

Answer: Stereophonics

The song was taken from 'Reload', an album of duets recorded by Tom Jones in 1999. It was written by Randy Newman and was first recorded by Eric Burdon in 1966. Three Dog Night's version hit the charts in 1970 while Tom Jones and Stereophonics reached number four on the UK Singles Chart.

Cerys Matthews, from Catatonia, also featured on 'Reload'. All the bands listed originated in Wales as, of course, did Sir Tom Jones himself.

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.

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.

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.

Answer: Shakin' Stevens

Shaky, as he was known, was incredibly successful during the 1980s, with his hits including 'This Ole House' and 'Green Door' in 1981, 'Oh Julie' in 1982, 'It's Late' in 1983 and the 1985 Christmas number one 'Merry Christmas Everyone'. Michael Barrett was born in Cardiff in 1948 and began his singing career in 1968, so wasn't exactly an overnight success.

Alvin Stardust also performed as Shane Fenton, and was originally named Bernard Jewry when born in London. Jim Diamond was Scottish and performed under his real name, while Chris de Burgh was originally Christopher Davison. He was born in Argentina and is primarily associated with Ireland.

Answer: Super Furry Animals

Super Furry Animals formed in Cardiff in 1993, with actor Rhys Ifans being their singer for a very short time, before they began recording. Although the band has never hit the top of the singles charts, they have been consistently successful, with albums from 2001 ('Rings Around the World') and 2003 ('Phantom Power') reaching three and four respectively on the UK Albums Chart.

All the options are real bands, but Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers came from Rotherham while the Arctic Monkeys formed in Sheffield. Stray Cats come from even further away, originating from the state of New York.

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.

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.