Meredydd Evans facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Meredydd Evans
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| Background information | |
| Born | 9 December 1919 Llanegryn, Merionethshire, Wales |
| Died | 21 February 2015 (aged 95) |
| Genres | Welsh folk music, traditional |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, television producer, academic professor, activist |
Meredydd Evans (born December 9, 1919 – died February 21, 2015) was a very important person in Welsh culture. People often called him Merêd. He was known for collecting, editing, and performing folk music from Wales. Folk music is traditional music passed down through generations.
Merêd was a big name in Welsh media for over 50 years. He influenced many parts of Welsh life. This included folk music, TV, and even the Welsh language itself. He first became famous as part of a singing group called Triawd y Coleg.
Starting in the 1950s, he made popular Welsh language recordings. He also published books about Welsh music. He did this with his American wife, Phyllis Kinney. Together, they helped share Welsh music with the world. Merêd also worked as the Head of Light Entertainment at BBC Wales. This was from 1963 to 1973. He was also a strong supporter of Welsh language rights. His and Phyllis's important work is now kept at the National Library of Wales.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Merêd was born in Llanegryn, a village in Wales. He grew up in a town called Tanygrisiau. He was the youngest of eleven children. His father, Richard, worked in a quarry. His mother, Charlotte, loved reading and singing. She taught Merêd many Welsh folk songs.
When Merêd was 14, he left school. His father became too ill to work. Merêd got a job at the Co-op shop to help his family. He worked there for seven years. His father passed away in 1936.
From 1938, Merêd wanted to become a minister. He started preaching in his local area. He also became a pacifist. This means he believed in peace and was against war. In 1939, before Second World War started, he said he was a conscientious objector. This meant he refused to join the military because of his beliefs. He was allowed to avoid military service. Merêd believed in non-violence his whole life.
In 1940, he started college to study for the ministry. The next year, he continued his training at the University of Wales, Bangor. In 1943, he changed his studies to Philosophy. He graduated with top honors in 1945.
Music and Media Career
Triawd y Coleg
Merêd's love for Welsh music grew while he was at Bangor University. He started singing folk songs on his own. He also formed a singing group called Triawd y Coleg. He sang with Cledwyn Jones and Robin Williams. They sang in "close harmony," meaning their voices blended together closely.
The trio became very popular. They performed songs mostly written by Merêd. A BBC producer noticed them. Triawd y Coleg became the stars of a Welsh radio show called Noson Lawen. The show made their funny and emotional songs famous across Wales. Many people listened to the program. They were the first Welsh musical group to become famous through radio. In the 1960s and 70s, Triawd y Coleg recorded many songs and albums.
Academia, Recording, and Television
In 1947, Merêd became a teacher of Philosophy at Coleg Harlech. In March of that year, he met Phyllis Kinney. She was an American singer touring the UK. Phyllis had studied at a famous music school. She showed Merêd folk music from all over the world. They got married in 1948 and had a daughter in 1949.
By the late 1940s, Merêd was often on Welsh radio. He was a presenter and a performer. He was known for singing duets with Phyllis. He had a clear, light tenor voice. Some people even called him "the Welsh Bing Crosby." In 2015, a record company co-founder called Merêd the "first star of the Welsh pop singing world."
Merêd left Coleg Harlech in 1950. He then worked as an editor for a Welsh newspaper. In 1952, Merêd and his family moved to America. He studied for his PhD in Philosophy at Princeton University. He earned his doctorate in 1955.
While in America, Merêd recorded some Welsh folk songs. He sang them without any instruments. A record company called Folkways Records released them as an album. Welsh Folk-Songs was named one of the best records of 1954 by The New York Times. From 1955 to 1960, Merêd taught at Boston University. Students even voted him Professor of the Year in 1957. He met famous people like Albert Einstein and Marilyn Monroe during this time. He also helped share Welsh music in America.
After returning to Wales in 1960, Merêd continued his work. With Phyllis, he edited three important collections of Welsh songs. In 1962, he recorded a new album called A Concert of Welsh Songs. This was his first album with instruments. Merêd also wrote music for a patriotic poem called "Colli Iaith" (Losing a Language). This song became very popular.
In 1963, Merêd became Head of Light Entertainment at BBC Wales. He found the job challenging at first. He helped create many popular TV shows. These included Ryan a Ronnie and Hob y Deri Dando. He helped discover talented people like Meic Stevens. Merêd left BBC Wales in 1973. He then joined Cardiff University. He worked there until he retired in 1985. In 1973, Merêd also started Y Dinesydd, a Welsh-language newspaper for Cardiff.
In the 1970s, Merêd and Phyllis moved to Cwmystwyth. They were very involved in their community. They taught Welsh to many of their neighbors. Their home became a popular place for people to visit. It was close to the National Library of Wales. This allowed them to study the history of folk songs. Their research was often published in a journal. In 2007, a special book was published to celebrate their contributions to Welsh music and culture. Merêd also continued his interest in philosophy. He wrote a book about a Scottish philosopher in 1984.
Political Activism
Merêd joined Plaid Cymru, a Welsh political party, in 1960. He became a leader in Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society). He always supported peaceful ways to help Welsh speakers. His strong support for the society may have stopped him from getting a top job at BBC Wales.
In 1979, Merêd and two other academics broke into a TV transmitter station. This was a peaceful protest. They wanted to pressure the government to create a Welsh language TV channel. They were found guilty, but their actions helped lead to the launch of S4C, the Welsh language broadcasting service, in 1982.
In 1986, Merêd gave a speech. He spoke about his concerns that many English speakers moving to rural Wales were affecting the Welsh culture. In 1993, he took part in another protest. He and others destroyed a judge's chair in a court. This was to push for a new Welsh Language Act. This law aimed to give more rights to the Welsh language.
In 1999, Merêd refused to pay his TV licence fee. He said there was less Welsh broadcasting on TV. He was ready to go to prison, but friends paid the fine for him. From 1998, Merêd led the campaign to create the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. This is a college that teaches university courses in Welsh. When it opened in 2011, Merêd was honored.
Later Life and Legacy
Merêd continued to sing even in his old age. His last recording was in 2012. He worked in his study every day until a few months before he passed away.
Merêd died on February 21, 2015, at the age of 95. Hundreds of people attended his funeral. Many people praised his work. Jamie Bevan of Cymdeithas yr Iaith said that without Merêd, Wales would not have S4C, the Welsh Language Act, or the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. Merêd and Phyllis Kinney gave their important papers and recordings to the National Library of Wales. They are now part of the Welsh Music Archive.
Honours
In 2013, Merêd was honored at the first St David's Day Parade in Aberystwyth. This was for his great service to Wales and the Welsh language. In 2015, after he passed away, he received a Good Tradition Award from the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. This was for his work in bringing back traditional Welsh songs.
In 2019, Merêd and Phyllis Kinney received the Welsh Music Prize Inspiration Award. The same year, Merêd was added to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. This book lists important people who have died. The Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol now gives out the Meredydd Evans Memorial Prize each year.
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)
