Interview With Jonny Owen - Star of 'A Bit of Tom Jones'

Ceri: How did you get into acting and theater? Jonny: Basically I was in a band in the mid 90's called The Pocket Devils. We became quite well known on the live circuit especially in Wales where we did quite a bit of TV. There was a drama series starting in my home town of Merthyr Tydfil called 'Nuts and Bolts'. The casting director at ITV Wales had seen me in this band and approached me about auditioning for a part in the series (the Character was called 'Richey' and in a band you see?). Anyway many weeks and screen tests later I got the part. From there I got an agent and parts in other series. So, you could say there was a bit of luck! Ha.   Ceri: You won a BAFTA Cymru, Gwyn Alf Williams Award in 2006 for your part in the making of documentary "The Aberfan Disaster". Care to tell us a bit about that experience? Jonny: Yes of course. The town where I come from, Merthyr Tydfil, has a small mining village just outside where tragically a Coal Tip fell onto the Primary School and surrounding streets in 1966. The 'disaster' was seen by millions world wide as over a hundred school children and local people were killed. My Father worked at one of the local Mines at the time and was one of the first on the scene to help with the rescue and clear up. Forty years later I was working at ITV Wales as an Assistant Producer in the Factual dept as well as acting. They said they were doing a documentary in conjunction with S4C and SKY about the disaster. They asked would I like to work on the program. Now being from Merthyr I was acutely aware of how sensitive the subject was and how poorly the people had been treated by the Coal Board and Government after the disaster so I said that I would only be involved if we could tell the truth about how appalling the disaster was for the people of the village both during and after. They not only agreed but wanted to go down that path too. So we did just that. We were pretty scathing of the Govt of the time but felt justified when the people of the village thanked us afterwards for telling the real story. That meant more than anything. That year it seemed Bafta Cymru also agreed and gave us the special 'Gwyn Alf Williams' award for program of Historical significance. Ceri: You've starred in a number of critically acclaimed films. Care to tell us a little about your roles in two of them:- "Little White Lies" and "Good Arrows"? Jonny: Little White Lies was about a family torn apart by racism. There is a lot of tension in the UK about immigration. Wrongly people seem to think it's a threat. The truth of the matter is that the UK would pretty much stop functioning without the work done by people from across the UK. LWL tells the dark tale of a Welsh lad who gets into right wing politics with tragic results. It was a difficult role to play but also important and the film carried a good anti racist message. Good Arrows was about a Darts player who has fallen on hard times. He also finds out his wife has been financially bleeding him dry. It's a comedy but also is a sad story about people's obsession with celebrity. Ceri: How did you come to be involved in A Bit of Tom Jones? What do you think about the final film? Jonny: I was cast by the Director/Writer Peter Watkins Hughes. Years ago (On Nuts and Bolts) he told me Roger (my co star) that he would write a film for us one day..and he was as good as his word. It was as simple as that really. I think it's what it is. Just a funny film. A bit like a cross between Monty Python and the Carry on films in the UK. I just thought it was gonna be another film that went to DVD I didn't expect it to become a Box Office smash in the UK and win a Bafta Cymru for best film. That's a nice bonus obviously! Ceri: The response to the film has been very positive in Wales, how do you think it will do outside the country? Jonny: I think it'll be cool. They love Python in the States and Japan and it's of that ilk. You know, you cant make things for people's taste, I don't think anyway. That way you just end up chasing your tail. I think you make what you think is funny and then if someone liked it then fantastic, but trying to second guess is pointless. It may need subtitles in the US for my accent mind..;-) Ceri: You created and star in the internet series, "Svengali," which can be seen on youtube, what can you tell us about that? How did that come about and what are your plans for this? Jonny: It was an idea between me, Dean Cavanagh and Phil John. We just wanted to do something based on the music industry where (we believe) there is a lot of room for comedy, after all it's the only industry where bad behaviour is encouraged, and that's ripe for parody. We filmed some short Ep's and put them on the net and people loved it. We've been approached by some TV Production companies and Broadcasters who are interested but at the moment we are gonna keep making them as they are as we have complete control, which is great. The main character is Dixie and is based loosely on the manager of my old band The Pocket Devils. I also want to bring in his American partner Bobby Poe who I want Jack Black to play. I must get him the Ep's actually.. Ceri: What's next for your professionally? Jonny: A follow up to A bit of Tom Jones called Wales v's Uranus. We are pretty fed up that only the Americans get to take on Alien Invasions so we fancy having a pop ourselves...;-) Filming later this year. I'm back on Shameless for Channel 4 again this summer. Ceri: On your MySpace page, you cite the following quote from Aneurin Bevan as your inspiration:- "You know what happens to people who stand in the middle of the road don't you? They get knocked down....". Is it the quotation or the man himself that inspires you? Jonny: Yes but more Nye himself really. Astonishing man who left an incedible legacy. We are very proud of our universal health care system in the UK, the fact that treats you equally, whether you are rich or poor. Nye was the founder of this and Welsh too. He was voted 'The Greatest' ever Welshman in newspaper polls in 2000. I have to say I agree with that too! Ceri: You are known to be a big Cardiff city supporter? What did you think of their performance on Wednesday? Jonny: It was a disapointing end to the season...but we have new backers now and I fancy we'll go that one better next year. It would be fantastic to get a Welsh club into the English Premiership as it has such a worldwide profile...I'm sure we will next year. Ceri: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru? Jonny: Just to say 'Hi and Diolch for asking me to be interviewed. There'll always be a welcome in the 'Old Country' for you all and I'd love to drop by to see you all sometime soon. Find more videos like this on Americymru Interview by Ceri Shaw Email

An Interview With Halley Weaver - Portland's 'Zero Emissions Harpist'

Halley Weaver, Portlands very own "zero emissions harpist" will be playing at the 'Night of The Living Bards' in Portland, Oregon on October 7th. This event is part of the Left Coast Eisteddfod 2010. Americymru spoke to Halley about her love for the harp and her future musical plans. Americymru: You have been described as Portland's "zero emissions harpist". Can you explain this for our readers? Halley: Many harpists, whether folk or classical, get from gig to gig by use of large station wagons, even to the extent of small panel trucks. When traveling around the city of Portland, I opt to use my bike and a custom-made trailer whenever possible. When the bike and trailer aren't appropriate, as in the case of very severe weather, I take public transportation. This is sometimes, annoying, to say the least, but it's great to talk to people on the bus, curious about the harp! Americymru: What attracted you to the harp? How long have you been playing it? Halley: As a little girl, I was in love with fantasy books, medieval history, fantasy role-playing games, etc. At some point, a switch went off in my mind and I wanted to play the folk harp. There was no epiphany moment while at a Celtic festival or while watching a movie. I just decided. I don't even recall having any "harp contact" before I got my first one. I do remember drawing a little "savings meter" and marking it off with red marker every time I saved money for my harp fund. It took a couple years of persistence before my parents deemed I was serious about this infatuation. That was almost 12 years ago, and I know that they don't regret finally giving in to my whim! Americymru: We learn from your site ( link ) that you were, at least initially self-taught. How difficult was it to learn to play the harp? Halley: This is my dad's favorite story. When I got my first harp, I was also given a "teach yourself" book. I spent the entire day in my room devouring the book and the next morning at breakfast, I performed the first few songs in the book to my family. I remember there were times when I was extremely discouraged and frustrated. Felt clumsy, stiff-fingered and slow. But then, there are times last week when I felt like that while practicing! It's definitely an act of love, though. And as with most love, sometimes I'm a little blind to the less-than-stellar times. Americymru: What is your typical repertoire? What kind of events do you perform at? Halley: My repertoire is so fluidly organic and changes (sometimes on a daily basis!). I peform an eclectic collection on traditional folk and Celtic pieces. I really enjoy dance tunes; jigs, reels, etc so a lot of my music has a very bright, springy flow to it. I've played a variety of venues from retirement centers, weddings, funerals, corporate banquets, Renaissance fairs, churches, craft fairs, art galleries and street corners. I've become pretty versatile to performing in a bunch of unique environments. It's always a lot of fun and everyone has their different charm. Americymru: Do you plan to release any cd's in he near future? Is there anywhere online where people can hear your music? Halley: I have been in the long, long process of trying to get a CD recorded on a very limited budget. I've started actually two different times last year and because of my very generous recording friends' schedules, things have fallen through both times. Third time, being the charm, I am taking my time and saving my pocket change so that I can afford to get it professionally done. But regardless, I am hoping by the end of summer to have the CD out. Music samples will be available at my website by the end of April, but until there, there is my gig webpage at: www.gigmasters.com/harp/halleytheharper Americymru: You have been involved with the SCA ( Society for Creative Anachronisms ). Care to tell us a little more about your involvement with the organisation? Halley: I was involved in the SCA in northwest Washington for a number of years. It was a deeply rewarding experience where I volunteered for many of their public demos, teaching children and adults all sorts of nifty things from chainmail to fencing, making bread, working wool and about period instruments. I became my "barony's" ambassador to the "East Kingdom" when I went away to school in Massachusetts and then later to "Artemesia" (Utah). While my membership has lapsed and I currently don't have the time to dedicate to such a fun, educational non-profit, I still have tons of photos all over and my "Award of Arms" framed and hanging in my art space. (I still plan family visits to Washington around events, "accidently" though, so I can duck in and say hi to friends!) Americymru: Have you ever accompanied other musicians or do you always perform solo? Halley: I regularly "jam" with other musicians whether it's in my home or during a pub's monthly "session." I love impromptu jams on the street corners and have met some amazing people that way and some really great friends. I have performed a few times with violins, flutes, guitars and piano. Am looking forward to some future projects this summer with folk, gypsy/klezmer and just some crazy musicians! Americymru: Is there any performance that you are particularly proud of? Any memorable incidents whilst performing? Halley: I have performed for audiences of over 2000 people. I have performed for huge, gorgeous weddings set in amazing locations. However, the performances that really stick in my mind are playing for retirement centers and events where it's smaller, more intimate - where people can ask questions and I get to mingle and really meet the people that I am playing for. I have many, many memorable incidents, but one in particular that I love is playing at the Waterfront Park in Portland, which is a paved multi-use path along the river. During the early summer last year, there were a lot of muscle guys jogging. Not one would make visible eye-contact with me, but quiet a few would stop within earshot as their spontaneous place to stop and do calf stretches on the handrails. Americymru: What kind of music do you listen to? Are there any performers that you draw inspiration from? Halley: I listen to a lot of country/folk rock music. Andrew Bird, Billy Bragg, Robyn Hitchcock, The Mountain Goats, Casey Neill and the Norway Rats, just to name a few. My first love with celtic pub music was with a Winnipeg band, The Dust Rhinos. 10 years later, they're still my favorite band. I don't know if I draw inspiration from any particular performer. I do know that the first time I heard Robyn Hitchcock though, I was inspired to begin writing my own music and get the bug every time I go to a live show to run home and work on music. Americymru: Any final message for the members and readers of Americymru? Halley: I want to say something cheesy about following your bliss, but you know, without making it sound cheesy. I just know that I have worked a lot of jobs; marketing, tech support, food service, etc and while I've had some jobs that I've really liked, I love being a performer and educator. Last summer, I was able to successfully support myself by harp alone and I am really hoping to continue with that trend through this summer. Not everyone has the lifestyle that they can drop everything and start over, but I was given that opportunity two years ago, and I have been truly happy with my decision since.

The North American Festival of Wales - An Interview With Alan Thomas

Don't miss this opportunity for fellowship and Welsh culture in Portland! Our daytime programming will feature four days of interesting and informative seminars, workshops, concerts & much more.An Interview with Eirian Owen, Musical Director of the Cor Godre'r Aran who will be appearing at NAFOW 2010 can be found here. More info and registration here Americymru: For how many years have you been an accompanist at the North American Festival of Wales? Alan: I was invited to become accompanist for the NAFOW when it was held here in Ottawa in 2000 I think I am the only professional musician in the city who was born in Wales, so the Committee decided to invite me. I missed a couple of years after that but I have performed in several US cities ever since. Americymru: Care to tell us some of the people you have accompanied in that time? Alan: I have accompanied quite a number of singers, notably in recent years Shannon Mercer, Aled Wyn Davies and Gwyndaf Jones, all of whom were very well received at the festivals Shannon is from Ottawa, and I played for her when she was a 10-year old ! Americymru: What for you is the most enjoyable and the most significant part of the festival? Alan: I enjoy all the festival but I especially like the concert after the Banquet on the Friday evening,when the guest soloist and I perform a 45-minute recital for the assembled company Americymru: How long have you been playing the organ? Alan: I began piano lessons when I was 6 and then organ lessons when I was 13 (when I was tall enough to reach the pedals !) That makes 60 years, since I shall be 74 in June Americymru: You were born in Neath in South Wales? Care to tell our readers something about the town? What early memories do you have of it? Alan: Neath was a wonderful town for music The Grammar School I attended had a very strong vocal and instrumental program, and turned out several professional musicians apart from myself The town had a flourishing Municipal orchestra in which I played Double Bass , and a splendid Operatic Society which put on a Grand Opera every year Americymru: You were once active in the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. Care to tell us more about your role with that organisation? Alan: I began playing Double bass in the NYOW and then was invited to join the staff when I reached the age of 20 (when players were considered too old to continue !) I then became Orchestral Librarian and did all kinds of jobs normally associated with that of Orchestral manager, such as visiting all the concert halls in advance and sorting things out with the staff there I was employed by the Welsh Joint Education Committee at this stage. Americymru: In 1977, you were appointed Organist and Choir Director of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Ottawa. How active is the Welsh community in Ottawa? Alan: The Welsh Society in Ottawa is quite active, with a Choir, a Christmas service and an annual St David's Day dinner and concert preceeded by a Cymanfa Ganu There is a department of Celtic Studies at the University of Ottawa, which is a very useful resource for us Americymru: What, for you, will be the musical highlight of this years festival? Alan: The highlight of the festival is the afternoon Cymanfa and the Friday evening concert, but all the events are very well worth attending, including the Saturday night concert by the visiting choir. Americymru: Any final message for the members and readers of Americymru? Alan: My advice to everyone is simply to make every effort to attend this wonderful weekend devoted to Welsh music and culture in general Not to be missed !!

Interview: Ceri Shaw Email

Only Men Aloud announce a UK-wide Christmas Tour 2009

After a critically acclaimed sell out tour in April and May 2009, Only Men Aloud are back with a very special Christmas themed tour. The show will be a selection of festive Christmas repertoire plus a mixture of songs from the first and second albums (the second being called ‘Band of Brothers’ and released on the 12th October) plus a few firm favourites. Only Men Aloud was formed in 2000 by Tim Rhys-Evans and in 2008, entered what was to be the UK’s biggest choir competition to date, with choirs battling to become voted the best choir in the UK on BBC One’s hit Saturday night show Last Choir Standing. After battling through the rounds, OMA gave some incredible performances and after an all Welsh Final, were crowned the winners and the nation’s favourite choir. After winning Last Choir Standing, Only Men Aloud signed a five album, multi-million pound record deal with Universal Classics and Jazz, and joined Merlin Elite's management roster. The choir's top-twenty debut album was recorded over five days at AIR studios in London, and achieved gold status within the first week of sales and went on to sell over a quarter million albums within the UK. Tim’s primary aim was to encourage younger men to get involved with one of Wales’ oldest and best loved traditions, male voice singing. The group are unafraid to tackle music not normally associated with male voice choirs; their repertoire ranges from the 17th Century to the present day, and has included several world premieres in this time. This tour follows on from the hugely successful sold out debut tour for which they received standing ovations at every single show. The varied collection of repertoire plus the unique choreography lends to what is an extremely enjoyable night of entertainment. The choir appears regularly on network radio and television. Notable broadcasts include the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium, Radio Three Choir of the Year from The Royal Festival Hall, and a performance on HMS Belfast for the BBC One New Years Eve broadcast. This year has seen two successful trips to the United States completed and a private performance for Prince Charles, Camilla and their guests at Buckingham Palace. Tickets are £29.50 / £26.00 / £20.00 Regional and £35.00 / £27.50 / £22.50 London Tickets go on general sale Friday 4th September @ 10:00am Available at www.gigsandtours.com 24 hr cc hotline 0871 2200 260 TOUR DATES December 1, 2009 - Glasgow December 3, 2009 - Lladudno December 5, 2009 - Cardiff December 6, 2009 - Norwich December 7, 2009 - Ipswich December 8, 2009 - Birmingham December 9, 2009 - Liverpool December 11, 2009 - Brighton December 14, 2009 - Manchester December 16, 2009 - Portsmouth December 17, 2009 - Bristol December 18, 2009 - Nottingham December 20, 2009 - London

A Year On From Winning ‘Last Choir Standing’ Only Men Aloud Release Their Second Album ‘Band Of Brothers’

What a difference a year makes! Only Men Aloud, the Welsh choir who won last summer’s BBC1 TV show Last Choir Standing, return this autumn with their second album. Band of Brothers will be released a year after the win, which gained them the title of “The Nation’s Favourite Choir” and launched them into a new realm.   The choir, made up of 20 young men from South Wales, have experienced a rollercoaster ride since winning the BBC1 prime time Saturday night show. Within hours of winning and following a vicious bidding war between major record labels, Only Men Aloud signed a multi-million pound, five-album deal with Universal Music. The record deal, the largest ever for a choir by quite some margin, was signed at Wales’ iconic Millennium Stadium exactly a year to the week before their second album launch. Their first album achieved gold status within a week and went on to sell over a quarter of a million copies. In addition to their recording deal, Only Men Aloud signed to a world class management team who boast a roster including Denise Van Outen, Jodie Kidd, Jay Kay, Vanessa-Mae and Louise Redknapp. Their next step was to take on the US, and they were immediately snapped up by CAA (Creative Artists Agency), the agency behind David Beckham. They have now performed at several huge venues across the US on two separate tours and are scheduled to be back in the USA in early 2010 for a lengthy tour.  Back in Britain, the choir completed a critically acclaimed and sold out UK tour including their hometown Cardiff Arena, and also had a personal invitation from Prince Charles to perform for Camilla, Prince Charles and their guests at a private function in Buckingham Palace. The choir have attracted a number of high-profile and varied collaborations such as Josh Groban and Russell Watson plus home-grown Welsh talents Bonnie Tyler, Rhydian Roberts, Bryn Terfel, Aled Jones and Katherine Jenkins. OMA now return with their second album Band of Brothers, in which they present interpretations of modern classics such as ‘Somebody to Love’, performed with Kerry Ellis who hails from the Queen musical ‘We Will Rock You’. The choir also go back to their Welsh roots, with traditional anthems such as ‘Land of Our Fathers’ and ‘Blaenwern’. Demonstrating the choir’s eclectic background and tastes, from opera through to rock songs, they are all truly great tunes despite being from varied sources. Tim Rhys-Evans, MD of OMA, said of the new album, “From the beginning I wanted this to represent the wide range of repertoire. The arrangements have a filmic feel. I wanted it to be the kind of album that, if you were driving through a huge, open landscape, you would play on your car stereo. It’s fab and dandy – go buy a copy”. Only Men Aloud Biography Only Men Aloud were formed in January 2000 by Choir Master and Music Director Tim Rhys-Evans to inject some new blood into the Male Welsh Choir tradition. The choir have had regular slots on BBC Radio 4 and also Songs of Praise and in 2003 won the male choir category in the inaugural year of S4Cs Côr Cymru. Following on from this, the choir were chosen to perform on three separate occasions during the opening of the Wales Millennium Centre. They performed in the Opening Ceremony, Royal Gala, and also sang in the pre opening banquet honouring various eminent Welsh figures including Bryn Terfel, Sian Phillips and Shirley Bassey. In 2008 Only Men Aloud entered what was to be the UK’s biggest choir competition to date, with UK choirs battling to become voted the best choir in the UK on BBC1’s hit Saturday night show ‘Last Choir Standing’. After battling through the rounds, OMA gave some incredible performances and after an all Welsh Final, were crowned the winners and the Nations favourite choir. The choir signed a multi-album record deal with Universal Music and their debut album was released in November 2008, which has sold over a quarter of a million records. OMA have had an extremely busy year with international releases of their debut album plus a full UK sell-out tour, including Cardiff International Arena. This year also sees the choir record and release their second album with Universal Music. Only Men Aloud have also just returned from their second trip to the USA. Earlier this year the choir were personally invited by the Welsh Assembly to perform as part of Wales Week USA. The choir were invited to perform in front of the First Minister of Wales and the British Ambassador at the British Embassy in Washington DC. The event promoted Wales as the featured Country in this year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which has seen Only Men Aloud return to the States in June and July of this year. Their time in the States has also included performances in New York as well as several TV and Radio appearances, including major American television channel CBS. For more information visit www.onlymenaloud.com

Tales of an Aber Lad

A top television producer has described how he looked on in horror as a trapeze artist plunged helplessly to her death in the big top at an Aberystwyth circus. The tragedy is one of a collection of memories of David Lloyd’s childhood in the 1940s and ’50s in his autobiography Tales of an Aber Lad. David was a teenager in the Bertram Mills audience in May 1958 when 31-year-old Frances Duncan fell 25 feet, head first, after a defective rope became loose around her ankle. David says, “In my young life, I had never felt so frozen with shock and horror. I had seen her plummet and hit the ground and it was terrible. She lay there in the sawdust, her body shaking violently but the band struck up a tune and the clowns came on and distracted us as Frances was taken away to the North Road Hospital.”

Other recollections include a quack German ‘doctor’ who made patients bathe naked beneath Constitution Hill and an outbreak of typhoid fever, caused by local ice cream, which threatened to wreck the resort’s post-war tourist trade. The author, now living in semi-retirement in Aberystwyth, remembers the glory days of the old Coliseum Cinema, presided over by its formidable owner Mrs Gale, the “Grand Dame of picture palaces.” David says, “If there was romance on the Coliseum screen it was nothing compared to the passion in the back row of the stalls.” The ‘activities’ there are said to have been “so intense that the entire row from Seat 1 to Seat 25 had developed a treacherous lean.”

Reminiscences include news of the first television signal, picked up from a Midlands transmitter in 1950. The reception was said to have been better at night, “when there was less traffic on Trefechan Bridge.” Similarly early wireless (radio) signals were believed to have been affected by “bad weather around Pen Dinas.” A world that has long since disappeared was enlivened by the (Air Raid) Wardens Dramatic Society with producer Wilf Jones, the popular seasonal pantomimes of Peggy Royston and Shirley Twiddy, and “dainty teas” at DW Teviotdale in North Parade. David turns back the clock to remember the ‘big freeze’ of 1947, sweets becoming ration coupon free in 1953 and the terrors of the gas machine at the Portland Street dentists’. He remembers the November Fair with Ronnie Taylor’s Boxing Booth and the town girls who were “thrown around on the waltzer, hiding their stockings and suspenders from blasts of cold air.” Milk poured into jugs from churns carried by horse and cart was supplemented by doorstep deliveries from the likes of Mister Lister the green grocer and the eagerly awaited Corona man. Bread, coal, meat and fish were also delivered direct in those days, while itinerants brought candles and clothes pegs. Then there were visits to the traditional shops of Hodges, Bradleys, Daniel Thomas and Albert Davies. The Gwalia Motor Company boasted that it provided “a reliable motor car that could cover any distance.”

David recalls the launch of the Eagle comic, the wonders of the first radiograms, rides on Crosville buses, houses with no central heating, beatings in school and being ordered to inhale fumes from the Gas Works as a cure for whooping cough. Aber is said to have been “awash with tea rooms, coal merchants, iron mongers, dressmakers and tailors.” Personalities abounded, including businessman John Potts who wore his trilby like an American gangster. Seilo Chapel’s organist Charles Clements was described by no less than Sir Henry Wood as “the finest accompanist in Europe.”

Born in the Caradoc Road maternity home in 1940, David Lloyd is the son of the late Gilbert Lloyd, manager of the old David Roberts Brewery in Trefechan. For many years David was producer/director of award-winning programmes for HTV Wales in Cardiff, where he became Head of Features and Head of Community Programmes. Another distinguished ‘Aber Lad’, the acclaimed author Herbert Williams, says in his foreword that David’s tales are “told with humour, dexterity and lightness of touch that makes for easy and rewarding reading. They are accompanied by a diversity of photographs which will surprise and even astonish readers.”

Announcement: Eluned Phillips (27 October 1914 – 10 January 2009) Memorial Service at the Welsh Church in Los Angeles

"This Great Welshwoman was born in Cenarth,on the same day that Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea. She knew Dylan well, but did not number him among her close friends. Her friends included Augustus John, Pablo Picasso and that fantastic French singer, Edith Piaf. Her autobiography The Reluctant Redhead relates the story of her unusual upbringing in west Wales, and her periods in London, Paris, USA and Patagonia. She died of pneumonia aged 94 at Glangwili Hospital in Camarthen. At the time of her death she was the oldest member of the Gorsedd of Bards. Being also the only woman to win the bardic crown at the National Eisteddfod of Wales twice, a feat she accomplished in 1967 at Bala and 1983 at Llangefni. There may be a Memorial Service for her at the Welsh Church in Los Angeles. For more details please contact Caroline Roper-Deyo cariadcaroline@yahoo.com"

Diolch yn fawr to Michael Barnes of BritishSocialNews.com for this information.

An Interview With Paul Child - Official Singer of the Welsh Rugby Union

How does it feel to stand on the pitch of the Millenium Stadium in front of those crowds and be the guy who gets to sing the national anthem?

It is every Welsh singer's dream to perform at The Millennium Stadium, It was certainly mine and I can still remember when I got the call for the first time, it's like one of those moments when you remember where you were when you heard that Elvis had died. I usually do a soundcheck about 2 hours before kick off, before the gates open so the stadium is empty apart from the stewards - it's an amazing feeling, and then to perform and lead the Welsh National Anthem in front of 75,000 Welsh fans is absolutely incredible.

Paul Child at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales

How did you start singing, what made that happen? What were your goals as a vocalist then?

I started singing at the age of 15, in a school rock band and later on I joined another band who did fairly well locally. We were mainly a covers band, playing Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Whitesnake. I wanted to be Jon Bon Jovi and we were having a great time, playing bars and clubs. Rock singing is, in my opinion, the hardest style to do properly - partly because you are expected to be running around on stage like a lunatic at the same time! This is why I started taking opera and classical singing lessons, learning to breath and project properly when I was 16.

Later, you were a cabaret singer on the Spanish island of Tenerife, how did that come about? How long did you do that and what was it like?

I went on holiday to Tenerife in the early nineties, it was just when karaoke was taking off in a big way and I was offered a job as a karaoke host. It was an ideal job as, early on in the evening, when there were no singers from the audience I had to sing and I used to let the audience pick songs for me to have a go at. I had developed quite a large range by then through my rock singing and classical lessons so I found I could sing just about anything. I would sing Neil Diamond, Elton John, Guns & Roses, Rod Stewart, and my 'party piece' was Meatloaf's 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light' - both the male and female parts! I stayed on the island for four years and while I was there I met fellow Welshman David Alexander - he was hugely popular on Tenerife and sadly he passed away there in February 1995. I returned to Wales a year later in 1996 and when I started singing in the workmen's clubs of Wales, I sang a couple of David's songs.

Now I go back to Tenerife once a year to visit old friends and I always do a show or two while I'm there - it's great because all the Welsh holiday makers pack the venues so it's just like being back in Wales - but its sunny!

You raised the money to self-produce your album, "Wales Forever," as a tribute to Welsh vocalist David Alexander, how did that happen? What inspired you do this album, what was your process in creating it?

When I returned to Wales and started performing on the workingmen's club circuit, I started doing some of the songs that I had heard David doing on Tenerife. I was getting asked by audiences all the time if I had an album available so I decided to go about producing my own. I wanted to do an album of contempory Welsh tunes - songs that have never been huge hits but are part of our folklore in Wales. I approached Johhny Caesar, who wrote the songs 'If I Could See The Rhondda', 'Come Home Rhondda Boy' and 'The Price Of Coal' and we based the album around those three songs. I had already been performing the songs with a male voice choir for some time so we took the choir to the recording studio between Fisguard and Haverfordwest in West Wales and recorded the album in three days.

"Wales Forever" went on to become the biggest-selling independently-released album ever in Wales, selling over 100,000 copies - how did it feel when it started selling that well? Did you know it would do well or was it more of a gamble?

The first pressing of the album was 2,000 copies and it was my intention to just sell them at live shows and small independent local stores but then I started getting calls from UK retail giant WHSmith, asking for two hundred copies per store! We had to move very quickly to supply the demand and, eight years later, that album is still selling all over the world - it's an incredible feeling and with the advent of iTunes and Amazon, more and more people all over the world are downloading it!

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=278809279&s=143444

How did you come to be "the official voice of Welsh rugby"? What does that mean exactly? 2006's "Bread of Heaven" is the official album of the Welsh Rugby Union. Can you tell us some more about that?

Although I was very proud of what we achieved with the 'Wales Forever' album, it was done 'on the cheap'in that the music was produced by sythesisers rather than real instruments so when I was asked to record the Official Album for the Welsh Rugby Team a few years later it seemed a perfect opportunity to revisit some of these songs and record them with a full live orchestra as well as a male voice choir. They had never been recorded in this way before and we felt that the songs deserved the very best production available.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=251423677&s=143444

Your latest album is "Shine," Can you tell us a little about it? Where can fans see you perform and buy your music?

I have really enjoyed recording 'Shine' - It's very exiting for me because it has a couple of original songs, like the title track and also 'Where The wind Blows'. I have mixed the styles up a little on this album because, going back my early days, I do like to sing in different styles so there are showtunes like 'Bring Him Home' from Les Miserables and even a cover of Journey's 'Faithfully' (one of my all time favourite songs). I've also included a live version of 'One Day / The Answer To Everything'. My live show is something I'm very proud of - we have a live orchestra on stage and the sound they produce is fantastic.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=280973295&s=143444

I'm looking forward to St Davids Day next year when I will be at The Princess Royal Theatre in Port Talbot - it's a great theatre and we have the Ospreys Choir with us for the first time. My website www.paulchild.com has all the tour details, album details and also a selection of live videos from shows and at The Millennium Stadium.

I have recently been involved in producing singles for the four regional Welsh Rugby Teams. All four singles are being released at the same time with the proceeds going to welsh Charities. Go to http://indiestore.7digital.com/welshmusic/ for full details!

I'm also hoping to be able to perform at the Left Coast Eisteddfod next year so maybe I'll get to meet some of the Americymru members! In the meantime I'd like to take this opportunity wish all of the members a Merry Festive Season and a very Happy New Year.