Gruff Rhys

Gruff Rhys was born in Haverfordwest, Wales in 1970 and first came to prominence as the frontman of Super Furry Animals, one of the most inventive and beloved British bands of the 1990s and 2000s. His solo career began in 2005 with 'Yr Atal Genhedlaeth', a Welsh-language album that drew on his roots in the Welsh-language music scene he had inhabited since his days in Ffa Coffi Pawb.

'Candylion' (2007) was his first English-language solo album and a warm, melodically rich record that showed his range beyond Super Furry Animals. 'Hotel Shampoo' (2011) and 'American Interior' (2014) — the latter a multimedia project exploring the story of John Evans, a Welsh explorer who searched for a Welsh-speaking Native American tribe — demonstrated his continued creative ambition.

Gruff Rhys has continued to release solo albums of consistent quality, with each record finding new ways to combine his Welsh identity, his love of psychedelia, and his gift for melody. He is one of the most consistently interesting figures in British and Welsh music — a musician whose curiosity and warmth make everything he touches worth hearing. ⚠ Flag: post-2018 solo activity — verify most recent release.