#dameshirley

There are also several Welsh solo artists, here we look at three Welsh solo icons.

Sir Tom Jones 

One of Wales’ finest exports, and a worldwide icon. Born Thomas Woodward, Jones took on his mother’s surname, and became one of the biggest stars to emerge from the 60′s. Hit songs include: ‘Sex Bomb’ and ‘It’s Not Unusual’. As well as still releasing music, he also stars as a coach on BBC music series ‘The Voice’.

Dame Shirley Bassey

Dame Shirley Bassey is best known for her work with the James Bond franchise, putting in three superb turns as the vocalist on the soundtrack of three films. They are  Goldfinger (1964),  Diamonds are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979). 

She has also enjoyed a successful career besides, including her top 5 hit ‘Something’ taken from the 1970 album of the same name. 

Gruff Rhys 

Rhys is best known as the lead singer of Super Furry Animals, however he has also enjoyed a successful solo career. He has played Glastonbury as a solo artist, and last year, released ‘American Interior’, with the album forming a small part of a wider project also involving a film, book and app. The film was released on May 9 2014. 

A girl with a strong passion for mathematics, she had to transfer to the boys’ school to get a proper education, where she first became aware of her gender’s second-class status — but she, a voracious reader, took refuge in the school library and devoured countless books spanning every imaginable field. As a young woman drawn to the computing industry, she saw that signing her name opened no doors, so she adopted the nickname Steve and began signing as “Steve Shirley.” Suddenly, doors swung open.