Mal Pope

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Mal (Maldwyn) Pope (born 18th May, 1960) was a child-star singer/songwriter, originally based in the Brynhyfryd area of Swansea Wales, United Kingdom. He now lives in the Mumbles area of Swansea. He was born to devoutly religious parents, both were teachers. Both parents were members of the Open (Plymouth) Brethren, and attended Manselton Gospel Hall (Founded 1904). The Hall has since closed.

In the early 1970s Mal Pope's brother sent a tape of Mal's songs to BBC Radio 1's highly influential DJ John Peel. John Peel invited Mal to perform at the BBC. This session received the attention of Elton John, whose Rocket Records recording company signed Mal. Mal went on to be produced by Gus Dudgeon and Elton John himself.

Whilst still signed to Rocket Records he studied at Christs College Cambridge garduating in 1981. Rock promoter Harvey Goldsmith signed Mal to his new management company AMP and on leaving Cambridge Mal moved to London.

In 1982 Mal was offered a job working for BBC Radio Wales in Cardiff and moved back to Wales. For the past two decades he has manged to mix a career as a singer songwriter and broadcaster. In that time he has been managed by legendary manager Larry Page (Kinks, Troggs), written songs for Cliff Richard and The Hollies, duetted with Bonnie Tyler and Aled Jones, and toured with Art Garfunkel and Belinda Carlisle.

As a broadcaster Mal presented the land mark Radio 4 series on Black Gosple Music called 'Gospel Train'. His HTV series 'Heaven's Sound' on the same subject won an award at the New York Film and Television Awards in 2001.

In the 19990's a late night music chat show for HTV 'The Mal Pope Show' won a number of Welsh BAFTA Awards.The show featured interviews with artists as diverse as John Cale, The Bee Gees, George Melly, David Gray, Lloyd Cole, Evelynne Glenny and Neil Kinnock!

Mal Pope now has his own record label MPH Records and regularly releases albums. ^[1]

In 2005 Mal wrote a musical based on the 1904 Welsh Revival. The show 'Amazing Grace' was directed by Olivier Award winning director Michael Bogdanov. It had an initial sell out run at the Swansea Grand Theatre before appearing as the only new musical at the Cardiff International Festival of Musical Theatre. Following a sell out week at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff it moved onto Theatr Clwyd in Mold. ^[2]

The show returned to the stage in the autumn of 2006 including a week of sell out performances at the Wales Millennium Centre, with every show ending in a standing ovation. The first Welsh musical on the the National Stage of Wales. Judith Isherwood, the Centre's Chief Executive celebrated the show's success in a recent article in the Times. ^[3] Isherwood notes. “A new musical, Amazing Grace, was presented by the Wales Theatre Company — Welsh writers, and a very Welsh story about a revivalist preacher. It had a huge response. I’ve had letters from people saying how emotional they felt about seeing Welsh history re-created on their national stage.”. The show was described by the critic Michael Kelligan as being the 'First Great Welsh Musical.' ^[4]

He is currently writing a new musical based on the life of British Heavyweight Boxing Champion Tommy Farr called 'Contender'. ^[5] The show opens in the Spring of 2007.

Although having recorded with Elton John and Bonnie Tyler, touring with Art Garfunkel and Belinda Carlisle and writing songs for Cliff Richard and The Hollies perhaps his most successful recording performance was singing the theme to the Welsh children's television show Fireman Sam (1987).