Endaf Emlyn


Endaf Emlyn is a Welsh musician, film, and television director.

Early life

Emlyn was born in Bangor, Caernarfonshire, Wales. He was brought up in Pwllheli and played violin in the National Youth Orchestra of Wales alongside Karl Jenkins and John Cale.

Career

Emlyn trained initially as a teacher but shortly decided to pursue a career in the media instead.
He began his television career as script-writer and presenter for HTV Wales, but had a simultaneous career as a musician.

Music

Emlyn has been producing music since the early 1960s. He is signed to Tony Hatch's publishing company, M&M Music.
In 1967 he released his first published record, Paper Chains, on the Parlophone label. Emlyn produced the record at Abbey Road, famous for The Beatles who were fellow Parlophone artists at the time. The B-side was named Madryn. The song was named Record of the Week upon release by Tony Blackburn on BBC Radio 1. He went on to release two other solo records on Parlophone, All My Life/Cherry Hill, and Starshine/Where were You?
His first album, Hiraeth, which combined interpretations of old folk tunes and original lyrical songs, was released in 1973.
The first group he was a member of was Yr Eiddoch Yn Gywir with Hywel Gwynfryn and Derek Boote. He went on to become a member of the band Injaroc in 1977, and later a band named Jîp.
In 1974 he composed the opening music of the BBC's Welsh-language soap opera, Pobol y Cwm, 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 Lifetime Contribution Award at the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival.

Recordings