No, he did not sing the original version of ‘Walking in the air’ for the film ‘The Snowman’ but he did popularise it with his version in 1985. Then he became a point of ridicule for all but the most hardened jumper knitters who frequent the front row of churches and the WRVS who kept the flame lit for Aled.

Before we start, Peter Auty is the name of the young lad who sang the original version of ‘Walking in the air’  and a mighty fine job he did of it too. It’s difficult to say who did the better version seeing as most people don’t know there are two definitive versions of the same song unless it is pointed out to them.

Now young Aled’s workload was more than most artists achieve in a lifetime’s career. He recorded 16 albums by the time he was 16 and then his voice broke after which he went on to study music at the Royal Academy Of Music etc.

In other words he was a committed young lad who had achieved much in his early years but it’s the adult Aled that I find the most inspirational. He has show his critics the door and is now the best ambassador of the Christian faith in the country.

His demeanor is that of a wise yet innocent man who has experienced enough of life without needing to go down the route of self destruction like so many so called celebs today and instead sets an example for all.

Aled Jones was never ‘cool’ and he was never meant to be. He just had an amazing voice as a youngster and has an even better voice as an adult be it in a different register.

Lets face it the poor lad had a load of flak for having a beautiful voice and being a decent young man which says much about our society. But Aled has had the last laugh and his presenting of  BBC’s  ‘Songs of Praise’ has drawn more people to the traditional Christian service in a time when many have turned away from the church.

I for one would be proud to go for a walk with such a decent chap and talk about faith, life and the world we live in because he is a great example of what a decent Christian should be without caving in to the demands of a world that expects you to be tarnished by life in order to achieve acceptance. Aled is already accepted.

And because of his fastidiousness something remarkable has happened.

Aled Jones is now cool and probably always will be but it would be good to hear him add some Christian contemporary classical music to his repertoire but that is a personal preference of mine.

Before I end this article I think we should take a look at the man and the boy at the same time and remember why Aled Jones is a national treasure. It would be great to give Aled a moments respect and thanks for his contribution to our society, but I am sure his legion of fans remind him of how well loved he is but I bet he is sick of the jumpers and cakes.

In this YouTube  clip we see an older Aled having a little fun singing with a younger Aled with the song that made him famous but I warn you this is absolutely beautiful and may provoke an emotional response (it had my wife and eldest daughter in tears).

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Tags: Aled Jones, bbc, Christian faith, classical music, Culture, News, Peter Auty, Songs of Praise, The Snowman, Walking in the air

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