Richey Edwards them as executors of his estate and further stating that he died "on or since" 1 February 1995. The ninth album by Manic Street Preachers, "Journal for Plague Lovers", released on 18 May 2009, is composed entirely of songs with lyrics left behind by Edwards. Up until 2005, the remaining members of Manic Street Preachers still paid 25% royalties into an account in his name. Richey Edwards (often referred to during his years with Manic Street Preachers as Richey James) was born and raised in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales. He has one younger sister, Rachel, who was born in 1969. Edwards
Manic Street Preachers made available on iTunes from 5 March 2008. Despite being chart-eligible (it reached number 47 in the UK), the release was not intended as an official single. Two further versions (the Acoustic and Grand Slam mixes) were later made available on iTunes and now comprise a three-track "Umbrella EP". James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire contributed an original song, "The Girl from Tiger Bay", to Shirley Bassey's 2009 studio album, "The Performance"." Manic Street Preachers' music has been variously described as alternative rock, hard rock punk rock, glam rock, and pop rock. According to their AllMusic biography, the band were