Jim Rowlands

Who is Jim Rowlands?

Jim Rowlands is a Welsh folk singer who lives in Ploermel, Brittany. He has toured France over the last 15 years almost non-stop, promoting Wales and its music and culture in countless festivals, such as L'interceltique de lorient and Printemps de Bourges, and concerts, such as Stade de France and Cirque Bouglione.

He plays principally with harpist Hywel John, also a Welshman, as well as American fiddle player Paul Susen and French bass player Thomas Saint, and makes occasional outings with Y Cymry and Celtingpotes, his two Welsh folk rock groups, also based in France.

Rowlands is the president of the APDG society, which exists to promote and diffuse Welsh music and language, and has also recorded many albums of his own brand of Welsh Celtic songs, most notably "Gobaith" in 1999 on the SMC label and "Pasbort" in 2001, which was released in Wales on SAIN, and which contains the single "Cysgu Tawel".

His music has played on at least one English-language BBC radio show in 2004, and the Cymru BBC lists him as a featured artist.

Rowlands wrote and performed the background music for The Naked Isle, a documentary about British prisoners of war.