Oral History of Popular Music in Merthyr Tydfil
Date joined: 26/02/19
About
Welsh popular music artists have long been internationally
prevalent, through the likes of Tom Jones and Shirley
Bassey during the 1960s, rock bands such as Budgie,
Badfinger and Man during the 1970s, The Alarm and The
Manic Street Preachers emerging during the mid to late
1980s, and Super Furry Animals and Catatonia during the
Brit Pop influenced Cool Cymru period of the 1990s.
Indeed as recent as 2017, Merthyr Tydfil based quartet
Pretty Vicious can be seen to be continuing this tradition.
The online collection comprises of three parts: Photographic footage of an exhibition celebrating the history of popular music in Merthyr Tydfil, various footage related to a week of activities that were part of the 2018 Being Human Festival and finally, a public collection, where the the general public can upload their own memories of the music scene in the town.
The exhibition celebrated the history of popular music activity in Merthyr Tydfil, between 1955 to 1975, through the lens of photography and memory. It showcased not only the importance of some of Merthyr’s key buildings in the development of popular music, but also the rich variety of artists, famous or not, who have contributed to the history of popular music in the town.
The Exhibition took place at the Redhouse in Merthyr Tydfil between January 25th 2018 and February 24th 2018. It was curated by Professor Paul Carr with assistance from Gareth Hughes. The Being Human Festival activities took place between November 17th - 24th in Dowlais Library, local schools and Theatre Soar.
