David Rupert Edwards (3 September 1964 – 20 June 2021) was a Welsh musician, singer and writer, best known as the lead singer of the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...

post-punk/experimental band

Datblygu Datblygu ( meaning "develop" or "developing") were a Welsh experimental rock group formed in 1982. They are regarded as a catalyst of the new wave of Welsh rock in the early 1980s. History The band was formed by vocalist David R. Edwards an ...

. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' said that "his contribution to the Welsh language can't be overestimated and his work with Datblygu serves as a focal point for its vibrant counter-culture". Additionally,

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

said that Edwards' lyrics made him want to learn Welsh.

Early life

Edwards was born in

Cardigan, Ceredigion Cardigan (, ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in the Principal areas of Wales, county of Ceredigion, Wales. Positioned on the tidal reach of the River Teifi at the point where Ceredigion meets Pembrokeshire, Cardigan was the county to ...

, and the band was formed at Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi/Cardigan Secondary School in 1982.

Career

As well as Datblygu, Edwards worked with Tŷ Gwydr and pioneering electronic act

Llwybr Llaethog Llwybr Llaethog (Welsh for Milky Way, although the Milky Way has several names in Welsh folklore) are an experimental Welsh language band that effectively mix such varied musical genres as rap, dub, reggae, hip hop, and punk in their music. Ba ...

on ''L.L. v T.G. MC DRE'' (1992), around which time he took up work as a secondary school teacher. Health problems and alcoholism forced Datblygu into retirement after releasing the ''Putsch'' double A single in 1995. Edwards has since been largely ignored by mainstream Welsh media but interest was revived after

Ankstmusik Ankst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams. After a handful of low key cassette releases, the label relocated to Cardiff and became a m ...

re-released 1993's classic ''Libertino'' in a triple disc box set along with the first two studio albums ''Wyau'' and ''Pyst'' in 2004. Datblygu returned to the studio in 2008 to record a one-off

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

entitled "Cân y Mynach Modern". Edwards's autobiography, ''Atgofion Hen Wanc'', was published by

Y Lolfa Y Lolfa ( Welsh for ''The Lounge'', ) is a Welsh printing and publishing company based in Tal-y-bont, Ceredigion, in Mid-Wales. It publishes a wide variety of books in Welsh and English. It also provides a commercial print service. Y Lolfa was ...

in 2009. Datblygu performed occasionally during the 2010s. In 2014, the band released new material and were featured in a documentary, ''Prosiect Datblygu'', made in 2012 and broadcast on

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...

to mark the release of the new songs.

Health and death

Edwards's health problems and alcoholism was chronicled in an ''O Flaen dy Lygaid'' documentary, produced by

BBC Cymru BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is ba ...

for

. The programme also features his friend, actress Rhian Ree Davies. On 20 June 2021, Edwards died at his home in

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

at the age of 56, having had health issues for several years.David Edwards
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References

External links

BBC

ankst.net
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, David 1964 births 2021 deaths Welsh male singers Welsh-language singers Welsh-speaking musicians People from Cardigan, Ceredigion