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Revision as of 18:14, 23 December 2005
- This article is about Aled Jones the singer. For information about the radio producer see Aled Haydn-Jones.
Aled Jones, (born 29 December 1970, Bangor, North Wales) is a Welsh singer and television personality who first came to fame as a boy soprano.
He joined the choir of Bangor Cathedral aged nine and was Head Chorister within two years. The remarkable clarity of his treble voice caught the attention of local record label Sain, and he was duly signed. He is best known for singing "Walking in the Air", the song from Channel 4's animated film "The Snowman", based on the book by Raymond Briggs. The song reached No. 5 in the UK charts. Ironically, the version in the film was not performed by Aled, but by Peter Auty, a St. Paul's Cathedral choirboy. His recording career was temporarily halted when his voice broke at sixteen, but he had already sold more than six million albums and sung for the Pope and the Queen, as well as presented numerous children's television programmes. He also enjoyed the distinction of being the first artist to have two classical albums listed simultaneously in the popular music charts.
Following the breaking of his voice, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In 1995 he secured a leading role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and met his future wife, Claire Fossett, while touring in Blackpool. The couple married in 2001 and have two young children.
Aled has since resumed his recording career, with a largely religious repertoire. He has recorded sixteen albums to date, many of which reached gold or platinum status in the UK and Australia. He is a lyric baritone, though he has expressed a desire to move into the traditional register of the tenor.
He is a presenter on Classic FM and Songs of Praise, and also frequently presents various programmes on Welsh radio and television. In Autumn 2004 he participated in the BBC ONE pro-celebrity ballroom dancing game show Strictly Come Dancing, partnering Lilia Kopylova. The pair came fourth, but Aled was said to have enjoyed the experience enormously, and credited the physically strenuous competition with his recent, noticeable weight loss.
His latest album, titled New Horizons was released in October 2005 and reached #21 in the UK.
Discography
Albums
- All Through The Night (1985), UK #2
- Aled Jones With The BBC Welsh Chorus (1985) UK #11
- Where E'er You Walk (1986) UK #36
- Pie Jesu (1986) UK #25
- An Album Of Hymns (1986) UK #18
- Aled (2002) UK #27
- Higher (2003) UK #21
- The Christmas Album (2004) UK #28
- Aled (Re-issue) (2005) UK #33
- New Horizons (2005) UK #21
Singles
- Walking in the Air (1985) UK #5