Hogia'r Wyddfa

The group formed in 1963 as a trio comprising Arwel Jones, Elwyn Jones and Myrddin Owen.[1] They initially performed under the name Triawd yr Wyddfa (the Snowdon Trio) and gave their first concert to a group of young mothers in their native Llanberis.[2] They became a quintet with the addition of guitarist Vivian Williams and piano accompanist Richard Morris.[1][3][4]

The group were influenced by Triawd y Coleg, admiring the vocal trio's preference for original material rather than imitating English-language music.[5] They adapted poems for some of their material, with Arwel Jones commenting in 2011 "we didn't want to sing covers of English or American songs – the poems of R. Williams Parry and Cynan said much more about us as boys from Llanberis."[6] The group initially received criticism for their practice of adapting poetry, but their songs were later credited with popularising the works they were based on.[6][7] In later years, contemporary Welsh poets wrote lyrics for the group.[7] Their performances took a light entertainment format, with comedy routines interspersed by songs.[6] Actor John Ogwen has credited the group's following to their use of "the wit and culture of the slate quarry workers. The humour has a certain edge but it’s also warm-hearted."[6]

Hogia'r Wyddfa's recording career began in 1968 with the first in a series of EP recordings for Dryw.[8] By the end of the decade, the group's recordings and appearances on television and at Eisteddfodau had made them household names in Wales.[9] In 1971, Hogia'r Wyddfa toured the United States and Canada as part of 48-strong entourage. They performed with Parti'r Ffynnon in Ohio, New York, Michigan and Ontario.[10] By 1972, they were described as "the leading Welsh folk group" by the North Wales Weekly News.[11] In 2017, Myrddin Owen commented "I don’t think there’s a village in Wales where we didn’t perform at least once, the amount of time we spent travelling and performing is almost frightening."[12] In 1973, the group performed at the Royal Albert Hall, an appearance they considered the pinnacle of their career.[3]

They recorded their self-titled first album with Sain in 1974.[13] Alongside tenor Trebor Edwards, they became one of Sain's best-selling acts.[14] In November 1990, Dafydd Iwan presented the group with gold discs for selling more than 10,000 copies of their second Sain album Caneuon Gorau (1975).[15] With Edwards, soprano Marian Roberts and Cerdd Dant exponent Rosalind Owen, the group again toured the United States and Canada in 1984.[1] After the death of Richard Morris,[16] Hogia'r Wyddfa searched for a successor and selected Annette Bryn Parri, who began touring with them in 1992.[7][17] The band continued to perform concerts in the 1990s and released Rhaid i Ni Ddathlu, their first album in over a decade, in 2001.[7]

The group celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2013 with a concert at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in Bala.[18] The concert, televised on S4C, followed the announcement that they would retire.[2]

Elwyn Jones died in 2017 aged 79.[12]