Interesting insight into Aled the teenager

xbons

I get Google alerts for Aled and usually igore the "blog" ones. But one has come up today that I feel is worth copying here as it gives an interesting insight into the teenage Aled.

It is from a blog called skidmore's island, and the relevant part starts about half way down the page:

""No Welsh broadcasting station is complete without a choir. At a lifeboat charity evening I heard a quartet called the Oscars, and immediately recruited them. A pal of mine, Derek Jones, was a bit worried about his teenage son whose singing voice had just broken. He was keen on broadcasting so Derek asked if we would teach him the art of interviewing. I was a bit reluctant. Whenever I heard the lad sing, the hair on the back of the head lifted and I had a sense that he had been touched by God. His name was Aled Jones. Done quite well since, but at that time his preoccupation was a sandwich toaster he had bought with his first earnings and he was forever thrusting toasted sandwiches at you.

But I thought, 'Give the lad a chance', and employed him at a fiver a week. Aled did nothing by halves. He played tennis to county standard; a fine footballer, he was offered trials with professionals; and he was so keen to get his GCSEs that in the interval of a concert before most of America in the Hollywood Bowl, he sat in his dressing room, swotting. Aled went out with my wife on a couple of interviews and picked the art up so quickly he was soon doing them on his own. His dad told me he nearly drove his parents mad practising interviewing on them.

A remarkable boy. Never a trace of nerves. Singing for the Royal Family, he forgot the lyric and made up one as he sang along. He went to record Memories for Andrew Lloyd Webber. 'Like to do a run-through' said Lloyd Webber. 'Can we go for a take?' asked Aled.

They did, and the first take was all that was needed. 'Good God,' said Lloyd Webber, 'it took Barbra Streisand a week to do that.'

His Dad told me later: 'I didn't like to explain he was in a hurry to watch Match of the Day.'

Aled was blessed with three gifts: the voice of an angel and his parents, Derek and Nest, who kept his feet firmly nailed to the ground.

When he was awarded his first Gold Disc, the BBC planned a huge reception in Cardiff for the award ceremony. 'Out of the question,' said Derek, 'he would have to miss school.' The BBC had to hire a helicopter to get him to the ceremony; it landed on the playing field of his school in Menai Bridge."

Source: skidmoresisland blogspot CLICK HERE

PS - Aled is still preoccupied with food....! and still has his feet nailed firmly to the ground! Laughing

xantha · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 9:47 pm Post subject:

That's a lovely story Xbons and a great insight into Aled in his earlier years.

xena · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 1:49 am Post subject:

What a fantastic story Xbons and as you have already said a wonderful insight into a gifted, yet grounded young boy who developed into a very charming, humble and talented young man!

Thanks for sharing x

xbons · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 8:40 pm Post subject:

Glad you enjoyed it, xantha and xena - much was known before - e.g I've mentioned about Aled's tennis playing abilites in the "xtras" we've been collecting, and the football trial (for Manchester United) is generally known also.

But to read it as a pesonal comment from someone who has no axe to grind, but just knew Aled as a teenager was interesting reading, I thought! Smile

Silwa · Joined: Oct 16, 2006 Posts: 78 Location: Denbighshire

Thanks for that Xbons! A really great article.
A few months ago I met a couple of people who went to the same school as Aled and the one thing they both remembered was a helicopter landing in the playing field for him!