A Miner''s Song will be launched on the 16th March before the Wales v England game at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Produced by Daniel and Laura Curtis from Caerphilly; all proceeds from the sale of the single will go toward the National Coal Mining Memorial which will be unveiled on the 100th anniversary of the Senghenydd disaster where 440 people died in the UK’s worst ever coal mining tragedy. Read our interview with Dan Curtis below:-

A Miner's Song   Press Release ..... Buy on Amazon

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AmeriCymru: Hi Dan and many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed by Americymru. Can you tell us a little about the cause you are supporting:- The Welsh National Coal Mining Memorial.

Dan: The Welsh National Coal Mining Memorial is going to be unveiled in October 2013 on the 100th anniversary of the Senghenydd disaster which killed 440 people in the UK’s worst disaster. The memorial will have a statue centrepiece, garden and walk of remembrance. It will remember the over 8,000 people who have died in Welsh coal mines and the countless more who have died as a result of coal mining related diseases. It will also pay tribute to the legacy of mining for example the hospitals and workmen''s hall which are now our theatres that were paid for by the miners themselves. It is very important for Wales to have a National monument and give people a place to come together and remember what’s gone before.

AmeriCymru: It must have been quite a logistical feat to gather all these contributions from around the world. How did you achieve it?

Dan: This has been the biggest challenge of the project. We made a decision early on that we needed to find a way to get people who were not in the UK to be able to take part on the song. We had people record on iPad’s and iPhones and send their recordings from USA and Canada. Our recording engineer Al Steele is an amazing man and made the recordings sound fantastic and you cannot tell the difference. We also did a number of location recordings in London and also around South Wales to record the choirs and brass band. There are over 300 people on the completed recording. The snow in January really delayed us but we did manage to get to everybody before the deadline. We are so grateful to everybody who took the time to do this and pay their own personal respects.

AmeriCymru: The project has received support and encouragement from some prominent showbiz and political figures. Care to tell us more?

Dan: The support for the single has been amazing. The Prime Minister David Cameron has sent us a personal letter wishing the single the best of luck and stating how important coal mining had been to the country. We have also received support from Carwyn Jones the First Minister of Wales who attended our memorial concert in September. The actors and singers involved with the song have also been amazing including Michael Sheen who has really got behind the single and offered his support and urged people to buy the single.

AmeriCymru: You have a personal connection with the mining industry. Care to elaborate?

Dan: My two great grandfathers were coal miners and sadly both died as a direct result of mining. The one died in Senghenydd and the other from the coal dust on the lungs and died when my grandfather was only one. We really wanted to create this single to pay our respects to all those who have lost their lives.

AmeriCymru: This is not your first musical venture in aid of Miners charities. Can you tell us a little more about your memorable 2012 concert?

Dan: At the start of 2012 I came up with an idea of holding a mining memorial concert underground but with the twist of taking a piano underground. I contacted Big Pit in Blaenafon and expected them to tell me I was crazy but they came back quickly and said it wasn’t the most crazy idea ever that had ever been pitched to them and that they were open to the idea. The piano was donated by Pianos Cymru who were the same company who took a piano up Snowdon for Bryn Terfel. It was an incredibly emotional experience to perform down the mine and to take a piano down for the first time. You can hear the sounds come back at you a good while later and the atmosphere was so poignant and emotional. It was the most moving and by far the most memorable of any concert we have ever performed. Something that we will never forget. We were fortunate enough to have a number of television programmes record. Here is a link to the footage: Dan and Laura Curtis at Big Pit

AmeriCymru: So...when will we first get to hear the song and where can we buy it online?

Dan: The song will be launched on the 16th March before the Wales v England game at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The first play of the song will be on the Roy Noble show on the 10th March on BBC Radio Wales. The single will available in Tesco in Wales, iTunes, Amazon and can be pre-ordered Worldwide from the official website: www.nationalminingmemorial.co.uk

Hollywood and music legends unite for charity single in aid of the Welsh National Coal Mining Memorial. Rugby fans will be given an exclusive first look as the music video is launched ahead of the Wales v England game at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The single, which so far has been kept strictly under wraps, will feature the singing talents of: Aled Jones, Caroline Sheen, Daniel and Laura Curtis, Dennis O''Neill, Darren Parry , Ioan Gruffudd, Iris Williams, Jamie Pugh , John Owen Jones, Jonathan Pryce, JP Jones , Mark Llewelyn Evans , Matthew Rhys, Paul Child , Paul Potts, Rebecca Evans, Rhys Meirion , Samantha Link , Sian Phillips, Tom Lukas, Wynne Evans . With special spoken contributions by Michael Sheen, Boyd Clack, Joe Calzaghe and the late Richard Burton with the kind permission of the Dick Cavett Show. The song also features over three hundred local musicians, choirs and bands from around South Wales including BTM Brass Band, The Gentlemen Songsters Choir, The Richard Williams Singers, The Aber Valley Male Choir and one hundred and twenty school children. The bass guitar on the song is played by World renowned musician Pino Palladino.

The recording of the song has taken place at locations all over the World. Co-producer and composer Laura Curtis said “We wanted to reach out to Welsh artists across the world and invite them to take part. Many of these artists have hectic schedules due to them being in the middle of filming TV series or films. Going into a recording studio wasn’t an option for them, so we came up with the idea of using iPads and iPhones for them to record their lines. The quality once mixed into the song is really high and the results have been brilliant”.

The song has been written and produced by Daniel and Laura Curtis from Caerphilly. This is not their first mining related project, in September 2012 they organised an underground concert in a mine to honour those who lost their lives in mining disasters. The concert involved lowering a piano 300 ft underground for the first time.

After being made redundant in 2011, Daniel Curtis made the decision to follow his life-time passion and become a self-employed professional musician and project manager, specialising in music events. Due to close family ties with coal mining he decided to put his efforts into a project that would raise money for a cause that was very important to him.

Daniel Curtis said ‘My two great grandfathers died in mines and after the emotional experience of performing the concert underground last year I wanted to create a song that paid tribute to the legacy of coal mining. The response that we have received has been amazing and we have tried to involve everybody who has wanted to take part. Each artist has added their own personal style to the recording and made the song something very special. We are delighted with the way that it has turned out.’

Dan and Laura Curtis with Michael Sheen

Michael Sheen OBE said ‘I want to lend my support to this incredibly worthy cause that is part of our history and our heritage. I hope that everyone will get behind this and give it the boost it deserves."

The Prime Minister, David Cameron has also expressed his support saying; ‘We owe a great debt to those who were, and continue to be, involved in the industry. We cannot forget those who lost their lives in mining related disasters over the years, including Senghenydd. I wish the single every success.’

The National Coal Mining Memorial will be unveiled on the 100th anniversary of the Senghenydd disaster where 440 people died in the UK’s worst ever coal mining disaster. The National Memorial will be a national monument to remember the over 8,000 people who have died in Welsh coal mines. The memorial is costing over £220,000 and will contain a walk of remembrance, monument and garden.

The song will be available to buy from the 16 ^th March in Tesco on iTunes, Amazon and many other outlets nationally. The song can be pre-ordered from www.nationalminingmemorial.co.uk

The production of the single has been sponsored by a number of local businesses. The two primary sponsors are Giovanni’s Restaurant in Cardiff and Foy Wealth.

PRESS RELEASE

On the 13 ^th September 2012, Big Pit in Blaenafon will host a memorial concert in remembrance of those who have lost their lives in coal mining accidents. The concert comes two days before the first anniversary of the Gleision Colliery tragedy.

This concert will be held at ‘Pit Bottom’, 300 ft underground. An upright piano will be placed into the ’cage’ to make the descent into the mine. Several dignitaries and special guests including the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones will be attending the concert.

Performing will be Daniel and Laura Curtis who are considered as one of the foremost ambassadors for the preservation of the music of Ivor Novello and The Great American Songbook. Welsh writer and actor Boyd Clack will also be writing a new poem to mark the event as well as joining Daniel and Laura in song. The BBC One Show will be covering the concert for inclusion as a VT in a future programme.

Daniel Curtis said ‘I have wanted to do a concert at Big Pit for a long time. I contacted the museum with my fingers crossed that they wouldn’t think I was crazy! Luckily it wasn’t the craziest request they had ever received. It’s great that we are making this happen. My great grandfather died in Senghenydd Colliery and I really wanted to hold a concert to pay tribute to pay my respects and raise awareness for those who have died in mines. Singing was an important part of mining history with many miners being members of their local Male Voice Choir. The number of people who lost their lives through the years is one the biggest tragedies running through the history of Wales and Britain.’

Peter Walker, Keeper and Mine Manager added: ‘We are only too happy to work with Daniel and Laura Curtis on this concert, as we feel passionately that any effort to keep the memories of this most important industry alive is vitally important. We have had many weird and wonderful events underground, and we look forward to sharing the excitement of this unusual concert.’

Stage and screen legend Jonathan Pryce has supported the concert by saying: ‘Coal mining is ingrained in our history and has to been one of the toughest and most dangerous jobs that anybody could do. My father worked in two mines in the Holywell area including the Bettisfield Colliery, but my mother rescued him from the mines when they married and both became shopkeepers. It is very important that we remember those who have lost their lives working in mines, but also those who have died from diseases like pneumoconiosis caused by the inhalation of dust. Due to my theatre commitments with King Lear, I am unable to attend the memorial concert at Big Pit, Blaenafon but I would like to add my support to the concert and wish Dan and Laura Curtis all the very best. Taking a piano underground is certainly unique idea and will, without doubt, create a very special and poignant atmosphere.’ Jonathan Pryce CBE.

The piano has kindly been donated by Pianos Cymru who are an award winning piano dealership in the NorthWest Wales area and have recently opened another branch in Chester called ‘Jones Pianos’. They have been established since 1970 and offer an extensive range of pianos. They have twice won the prestigious ‘Kawai Dealer of The Year Award’ which is a National Recognition Award to the Piano Dealer that has ‘served the piano world best’ thorough the UK that year. They have supplied and maintained pianos for major Music Festivals across the UK, and worked for International stars that have included Jose Carreras, Jamie Cullum, Bryn Terfel, Michael Ball and Dame Shirley Bassey. www.pianoscymru.com