Maralene a Gareth

Back in the 1970s when Wales were still good at rugby the mercurial figure of Gareth Edwards reigned supreme. He was a jinking, side-stepping, demi-god – his sporting prowess matched only by the luxuriance of his sideburns. To capitalise on his folk-hero status it was decided that he should release a record. In 1972 he teamed up with promising young folk singer Maralene Powell from Pantydwr, near Rhayader, to do exactly that. Innocent-looking Maralene would go on to release a couple of middle-of-the-road albums. The song they recorded together, Wyt Ti Weithiau?, was a Welsh-language cover version of an old Sixties track, Did You Ever?. Issued by Cambrian records their duet topped the Welsh-language charts. Despite this modest success Edwards somehow resisted the temptation to pursue a career in rock’n’roll, preferring instead the delights of running around a rugby field caked in mud.