Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
Caernarfonshire
, HQ= County Hall, Caernarfon
, Map=
, Image= Flag
, Motto= Cadernid Gwynedd (The strength of Gwynedd)
, year_start=
, Arms= ''Coat of arms of Caerna ...
, Wales. He was brought up in
Pwllheli
Pwllheli () is a market town and community of the Llŷn Peninsula ( cy, Penrhyn Llŷn) in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It had a population of 4,076 in 2011 of whom a large proportion, 81%, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid ...
and played violin in the
National Youth Orchestra of Wales
The National Youth Orchestra of Wales (NYOW, cy, Cerddorfa Genedlaethol Ieuenctid Cymru) is the national youth orchestra of Wales, based in Cardiff. Founded in 1945, it is the longest-standing national youth orchestra in the world.
Organisat ...
alongside
Karl Jenkins
Sir Karl William Pamp Jenkins (born 17 February 1944) is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and composer. His best known works include the song "Adiemus" and the ''Adiemus'' album series; ''Palladio''; ''The Armed Man''; and his ''Requiem''.
Jen ...
and
John Cale
John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various sty ...
.
Career
Emlyn trained initially as a teacher but shortly decided to pursue a career in the media instead. Upon the founding of
Harlech Television
ITV Wales and West, previously known as Harlech Television (HTV), was an ITV franchise area in the United Kingdom until 31 December 2013, licensed to a broadcaster by the regulator Ofcom.
There is no channel, past or present, named "ITV Wales ...
in May 1968, he became one of the franchise's first four announcers as host of the quiz show ''Up to Date''. He also worked as a script-writer, but had a simultaneous career as a musician.
Music
Emlyn has been producing music since the early 1960s. He is signed to
Tony Hatch
Anthony Peter Hatch (born 30 June 1939) is an English composer for musical theatre and television. He is also a songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer.
Early life and early career
Hatch was born in Pinner, Middlesex. Encouraged by his mu ...
's publishing company, M&M Music.
In 1971, he released his first single "Paper Chains / Madryn" on the
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 19 ...
label. Recorded at
EMI Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music co ...
, the A-side was named Record of the Week upon release by
Tony Blackburn
Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and TV presenter. He first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s, before joining the BBC, on the BBC ...
on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
. Two further singles for Parlophone followed - "Goodbye "Cherry Lill" / All Of My Life" (1972) and "Starshine / Where Were You?" (1973).
His first album, ''Hiraeth'' (1972), which combined interpretations of old folk tunes and original lyrical songs, was released in 1973. It was his only release on Carmarthenshire-based Welsh-language label Recordiau'r Dryw. Emlyn's second album, his first for
Sain
Sain may refer to:
People
* Bhagat Sain (14th and 15th centuries), king of Rewa, disciple of Bhagat Ramanand
* Édouard Alexandre Sain (1830–1910), a French painter
* Isidoro Sain (1869–1932), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church
* Johnny ...
, was ''Salem'' (1974). Described as the first Welsh-language
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. So ...
, it contains songs inspired by Salem, the 1908 painting by the English painter
Sydney Curnow Vosper
Sydney Curnow Vosper RWS, RWA (29 October 1866 – 10 July 1942) was an English painter and etcher of landscapes and figure subjects. His later work has a close association with Wales and Brittany. His most famous work is '' Salem'' (1908), w ...
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christianity, Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe ...
Chapel in
Pentre Gwynfryn
Pentre Gwynfryn is a village in the Ardudwy area of Gwynedd, Wales about east of Llanbedr and the community of the same name. The village is at the confluence of the River Artro and the River Cwmnantcol.
The inside of Capel Salem at Pentre Gwy ...
,
Gwynedd
Gwynedd (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County B ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. The album was recorded in Emlyn's kitchen on four-track tape. His third album ''Syrffio Mewn Cariad'' (1976) was another concept album with songs about the sea while his fourth album ''Dawnsionara'' (1981) debuted "a sophisticated funk rock sound" and features
Pino Palladino
Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific session bassist, he has played bass for acts such as The Who, the John Mayer Trio, Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan, Jeff Beck ...
.
The first group he was a member of was Yr Eiddoch Yn Gywir (Yours Sincerely) with
Hywel Gwynfryn
Hywel Gwynfryn (born 13 July 1942 at Llangefni, Anglesey) is a Welsh TV, and radio personality and lyricist. He started working for the BBC in 1964 and joined Radio Cymru at its inception.
Career
Gwynfryn joined the BBC as a presenter in 1964 and ...
and Derek Boote. He went on to become a member of the band Injaroc in 1977, and later a band named Jîp (Jupiter).
In 1974 he composed the opening music of the BBC's Welsh-language soap opera, ''
Pobol y Cwm
''Pobol y Cwm'' (''People of the Valley''; ) is a Welsh-language soap opera produced by the BBC since October 1974. The longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC, ''Pobol y Cwm'' was originally transmitted on BBC One Wales an ...
'', and the theme has since been used in various forms.
TV and Film
He began his television career as a scriptwriter and publisher with HTV, and then a presenter on some of the first Welsh language pop programs, as well as working behind the scenes as a floor manager. In the late 1970s he was producer of the HTV Wales music program ''Sgrech''.
In 1983 he began to make his name as a director, releasing the documentary ''Shampŵ'', which won the Celtic Film and Television Festival ''Spirit of the Festival'' award.
His film ''Gaucho'' was released in 1984, which brought attention and praise to his directorial work. He established a film and television company in the 1990s, also named Gaucho, in reference to his earlier release.
In May 2017 he was awarded the
John Hefin
John Hefin Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (born John Hefin Evans; 14 August 1941 – 19 November 2012