Owain Phyfe
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Owain Phyfe | |
|---|---|
 Owain Phyfe plays for an audience at a Renaissance fair in 2003 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Owen Fite |
| Born | April 9, 1949 |
| Died | September 5, 2012[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Owain Phyfe (1949-2012) was a vocalist, instrumentalist, composer, and the founder of Nightwatch Recording, which concentrates on Renaissance and Medieval music. He lived in Berkley, Mich., often playing at O'Mara's Restaurant when he wasn't traveling the Renaissance circuit. He died from pancreatic cancer on September 5, 2012.[1] The following day performers and fans held an all night wake in his honor.
Early years
Phyfe grew up in a bilingual family with Welsh as a second language. Nourished by his grandparent's appreciation for song, Phyfe's study of languages in college and his travels abroad to England, France, and Spain as well as his experience later as a musician in New York City's Greenwich Village led to finding his own Renaissance spirit.[2]
Beginnings
In the mid-1980s, Phyfe and his wife Paula became festival performers at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. Spellbound by early music, Phyfe decided to develop a "singer of songs" persona. While researching late medieval and renaissance music, he found himself favoring faire life over the automotive engineering company he had started in 1983. "It became my dream to present the beauty of Renaissance music," Phyfe explained, "not as a documentary, but as a living expression."[2]
Career
He teamed up with the magical Renaissance Fair jam band CANTIGA in 1990 to form The New World Renaissance Band, specializing in the performance of ancient music in English, Spanish, Italian, Welsh, German, French, Provençal and Latin. He has also toured with Richie Blackmore.[3] He played many traditional instruments including recorders, viola, cello, fiddle, and harp. He performed across the U.S.,[4] and his music has aired worldwide and on over 250 radio stations across North America. He performed and offered workshops at many medieval recreationist, musical and Neo-Pagan events including the S.C.A.'s Pennsic War,[5] The SCA's "Gulf Wars" event, where he performed solo and also with Wolgemut at the Green Dragon Tavern the Michigan Renaissance Festival,[6] Sirius Rising, Pagan Spirit Gathering[7] and the Starwood Festival,[8] both as a soloist and with the New World Renaissance Band. He also contributed to the soundtrack of the Wim Wenders film Pina[9]
Partial discography
Owain Phyfe
- 1995 - Sweet Was the Song (with L'Ensemble Josquin) (Nightwatch Recording)
- 1999 - Poets, Bards, & Singers of Songs (Nightwatch Recording)
- 2006 - Lágrimas de Sangría (Tears of Sangria) (Nightwatch Recording)
New World Renaissance Band
- 1992 - Live the Legend (Nightwatch Recording)
- 1995 - Where Beauty Moves and Wit Delights (Nightwatch Recording)
- 1996 - Odyssey (Nightwatch Recording)
- 2002 - Tales From the Vineyard (Nightwatch Recording)
Reviews
Owain Phyfe
- Revue Magazine June 1995
- Detroit Monthly March 1996
- WKBD-TV News Spotlight May 26, 1996
Albums
- Renaissance Magazine Vol. 3 #2 Issue #10
- New Age Journal Mar/Ap 1994
- Sunday Oakland Press March 3, 1996
- Shakespeare Oxford Newsletter Sept. 1997
- Magical Blend 1998 Issue #62
- Detroit Free Press Sept. 19th, 1999
- The Mists of Avalon - WDVR-FM
- Review of Owain Phyfe's Poets, Bards and Singers of Song by Willa, 'At The Fair Staff Writer (June 20, 2001)
Awards
- 1997 Cessés Mortels de Soupirer (Sigh no More, Mortals) - Best Music Video: Ohio's National Telly Awards
- 1997 Cessés Mortels de Soupirer (Sigh no More, Mortals) - Best Music Video: International Communicator Awards
- 2003 Texas Renaissance Festival: The Phillip Hafer (King Henry) Memorial MVP Award
References
- ^ a b By Jerry Wolffe of The Oakland Press (2012-09-13). "Renaissance Musician Owain 'Phyfe' Fite Dies at 62". theoaklandpress.com. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
- ^ a b Owain Phyfe Appreciative Listener Society (OPALS)
- ^ Cantiga Music Website
- ^ . Nightwatchrecording.com. 2012-04-01 http://www.nightwatchrecording.com/calendar.owain.htm. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Pennsic.Net - Entertainers at Pennsic War
- ^ Owain Phyfe article renaissance magazine
- ^ Pagan Spirit Gathering 2008
- ^ Starwood Festival 24 | Entertainment |ACE Pagan Magical Consciousness Gathering
- ^ La Prima Vez
Further reading
- In Memorium: Owain Phyfe by Joe Guppy in Live Journal, Sept. 9, 2012
- In Remembrance of the Bard, Owain Phyfe in RenFestHQ (Sept, 6, 2012)