This acclaimed folk act was at the forefront of the revival of Welsh language music in the late 90s and early 00s. Julie Murphy (b. London, England; vocals) had met her future husband Ceri Rhys Matthews (b. Wales; guitar, clarinet, cittern, oboe) at art college in Maidstone, Kent, with the couple subsequently relocating to Matthews' native Wales. They met piper Jonathan Shorland (b. Hampshire, England) and worked together for several years in the music and art group Saith Rhyfeddod. Following a period spent working on other projects, the most notable of which was Murphy's collaboration with hurdy gurdy player Nigel Eaton (b. 3 January 1966, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, England) in Whirling Pope Joan, Murphy, Matthews and Shorland formed Fernhill in 1996 with the highly talented button accordion player Andy Cutting (b. 18 March 1969, Harrow, Middlesex, England). The same year's debut Ca' Nôs (1996) and the follow-up Llatai (1998) saw the quartet offering up rich and imaginative arrangements of traditional songs from Wales, England and Brittany.
An altered line-up found Tim Harries (b. 1959, England; double bass) and Cass Meurig (fiddle, crwth) joining Murphy, Matthews and Cutting on 2000's superb Whilia, a predominantly Welsh language recording. Cutting was in turn replaced by trumpeter Tomos Williams on 2003's Hynt, a bold, experimental album that saw Matthews putting aside his bagpipes and reed instruments to concentrate on guitar, and also featured a guest appearance from freestyle vocalist Nobsta Nutts. The 2006 live release Na Prádle was recorded at the Divadlo Na Prádle theatre in Prague, the Czech Republic, by a stripped-down trio of Murphy, Matthews and Williams.
