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
Know Your Enemy (Manic Street Preachers album) debut as a lead vocalist, on the track "Wattsville Blues", and James Dean Bradfield's debut as a lyricist, on "Ocean Spray". Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine plays guitar on the album's final track. The left-wing political convictions of the Manic Street Preachers are apparent in many of the album's songs, such as "Baby Elián" as they comment on the strained relations between the United States and Cuba as seen in the Elián González affair, a hot topic around the album's release. The band also pays tribute to singer and Civil Rights activist Paul Robeson in the song "Let Robeson