Meredydd Evans

Meredydd Evans (9 December 1919 – 21 February 2015), known colloquially as Merêd, was a collector, editor, historian and performer of folk music of Wales. A major figure in Welsh media for over half a century, Evans has been described as influencing "almost every sphere of Welsh cultural life, from folk music and philosophy to broadcasting and language politics".

Evans first found prominence as a member of the popular singing group Triawd y Coleg, writing original material for the group as well as adapting existing songs into Welsh. A light tenor, his success as a performer on BBC Radio earned him the nickname "the Bangor Bing". Beginning in the 1950s, Evans made award-winning Welsh language recordings and published collections and research in collaboration with his American-born wife Phyllis Kinney, helping to preserve and promote Welsh music worldwide. Evans served as Head of Light Entertainment at BBC Wales between 1963 and 1973; in this role, he has been credited with discovering performers including Meic Stevens and Ryan Davies. He was a leading campaigner for Welsh language rights, taking part in acts of non-violent civil disobedience in later life. The archives of Evans and Kinney are now part of the Welsh Music Archive at the National Library of Wales.

Early life

Born in Llanegryn in Merionethshire, Evans was brought up in Tanygrisiau. He was the youngest of eleven children born to Charlotte Evans (née Pugh, 1881–1965) and her husband Richard Evans (1867–1936). Richard, a socialist and engineer, worked at the Foel granite quarry whilst Charlotte fostered a cultured homelife, encouraging her children to read widely and singing to them, giving Evans his first exposure to Welsh folk songs. When Evans was fourteen, he left school after his father became too ill to work and supported his family with a job at the Co-op, where he stayed for seven years. In September 1940, Evans enrolled at Clwyd College, Rhyl to undertake a preparatory course for the ministry. The following year, his training continued at the University College of North Wales, Bangor. He began a career as a solo folk singer and also formed a close harmony group, Triawd y Coleg, with Cledwyn Jones and Robin Williams. After coming to the attention of BBC producer Sam Jones, Triawd y Coleg were recruited to be the stars of the Welsh-language light entertainment radio programme Noson Lawen. Broadcast monthly from Bangor, each edition of the show was bookended by performances by the group; they were nurtured by Jones, who was known to lock Evans in a room until he produced words for a tune. Noson Lawen brought Triawd y Coleg's humorous and sentimental songs to audiences across Wales and made them household names. At one point it was estimated that 20% of the Welsh population listened to the programme. The group were the first musical performers in the Welsh-language achieve fame through the medium of radio, and their success made Evans a household name. Triawd y Coleg starred in a short film based upon the programme in 1950, with Evans playing a farmer's son who dreams of greater things. During the 1960s, Triawd y Coleg recorded a series of singles and EPs for Welsh Teldisc and, in the 1970s, made two albums for Sain. They made two appearances at the National Eisteddfod of Wales (in 1947 and 1971) and continued to perform sporadically into the 1990s.

Academia, recording and television Excerpt of Evans performing the plygain carol "Ar Gyfer Heddiw'r Bore" Evans was appointed Tutor in Philosophy and Political Theory at Coleg Harlech in 1947. In March of that year, he met Phyllis Kinney (1922−2026), an American singer, whilst she was touring as lead solo with the Carl Rosa Opera Company in the UK. Kinney had studied at the Juilliard School and introduced Evans to folk music from around the world. His singing style earned him the nickname "the Welsh Bing", to his chagrin. The album was reviewed in DownBeat, who wrote "the darkly moving language of Wales is sung beautifully by Meredydd Evans". From 1955 to 1960, Evans taught at Boston University, where in 1957 the students voted him Professor of the Year.

After returning to Wales in 1960, Evans was appointed to succeed Cynan in the Department of Extramural Studies at Bangor. In 1962, Evans recorded a new album, A Concert of Welsh Songs, with Kinney, the Russian harpist Maria Korchinska and several backing musicians and singers conducted and arranged by Robert Docker. Kinney later described the album, Evans' first to use instrumental backing, as "tradition dressed up to suit the audience". Evans later composed music to Harri Webb's patriotic poem "Colli Iaith" (Losing a Language), which has achieved the status of a traditional air. As head, Evans produced numerous popular television programmes including Fo a Fe, Ryan a Ronnie, Disc a Dawn, Lloffa and Hob y Deri Dando. He has been credited with identifying talents including Meic Stevens and Ryan Davies during his tenure. to celebrate their contribution "not only to Welsh traditional music but to the very culture and language of Wales." Evans' early interest in philosophy continued; in 1984, he published an acclaimed study of the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume.

Evans left the Labour Party and joined Plaid Cymru in 1960.

In a controversial 1986 speech at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, Evans attacked central and local government for ignoring the cultural effects of large-scale inward migration of monoglot English-speakers into rural areas in Wales. In 1993, he entered Carmarthen Crown Court with several other prominent Welsh figures and destroyed the judge's chair in an ultimately successful campaign for a new Welsh Language Act. He was prepared to face imprisonment, but the fine was paid on his behalf by friends who were concerned about his health. In March 2014, Evans was quoted as backing further peaceful demonstrations by Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg following protests in Aberystwyth.

Later life

Evans had a lapse of faith in later life, considering himself agnostic for a period. He worked daily in his study until a few months before his death. His funeral was attended by hundreds of mourners. Among the tributes, Jamie Bevan of Cymdeithas yr Iaith said "without him, we would not be enjoying some of the gains for the Welsh language, especially the Welsh language channel, S4C, the Welsh Language Act and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol."

Honours In 2013, Evans was awarded Tywysydd (guide) in the first ever Parêd Gŵyl Dewi Aberystwyth (St David's Day Parade) for his services to Wales and the Welsh language. In 2019, Evans and Phyllis Kinney were awarded the Welsh Music Prize Inspiration Award. In the same year, Evans was one of 226 contemporary UK figures who died in 2015 inducted into the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. The Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol awards the Meredydd Evans Memorial Prize (Gwobr Merêd) each year.

Publications Hume Gwasg Gee, Denbigh. 1984. Merêd: detholiad o ysgrifau Dr. Meredydd Evans (eds Geraint Huw Jenkins, Ann Ffrancon), Gomer, Llandysul, 1994. Canu'r Cymry Volumes 1&2. Welsh Folk Songs. Welsh Folk-Song Society.

Discography Solo Welsh Folk-Songs (Folkways, 1954) A Concert of Welsh Songs (Delysé, 1962) Merêd (Sain, 1976)

with Triawd y Coleg Triawd y Coleg (Sain, 1973) Y Noson Lawen (Sain, 1973)