Evan James (poet) Evan James (poet) Evan James (also known by the bardic name "Ieuan ap Iago") (1809 – 30 September 1878), a weaver and poet from Pontypridd, originally from Caerphilly, Wales, wrote the lyrics of "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" ("Land of my Fathers"), the national anthem of Wales. James, a weaver by trade, employed several people at his mill on the bank of the River Rhondda. According to family legend, his son James James, was walking one day in January 1856 on the banks of the river when the melody for "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" came to him. When he gave the
Tich Gwilym at Abergavenny, alongside the likes of Fleetwood Mac and Jethro Tull. Tich found fame in the 1970s, when as part of Geraint Jarman a'r Cynganeddwyr, he recorded the Welsh national anthem on the electric guitar. The Jimi Hendrix inspired version, which first appeared on Jarman's 1978 album also called "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau", became synonymous with Tich and has appeared on compilation albums of Welsh artists. In 2006, an eight track recording of the Welsh national anthem was 'discovered' in London. At the time it was alleged that this was a lost version by Hendrix, though others claimed that it