Remembering Wally Evans: 1944 to 2024

Born in 1944 in Porthmadog, North Wales, Wally was raised amidst the rich Welsh culture of choirs and music. At 14, he received his first guitar and joined a local skiffle group. After leaving school, Wally worked as an instrument maintenance planning clerk at a nuclear power station while developing a keen interest in electronics. During this period, he formed The Infamous Coalition, a semi-professional group that performed around North Wales and Northwest England for several years.

Balancing his day job and musical gigs became challenging, leading Wally to combine his passions by studying Electronic Musical Instrument Technology at The London College of Furniture. He helped fund his education with gigs in Irish pubs, Caribbean steel bands, and Greek restaurants.

After graduating, Wally joined Rose Morris Co Ltd as an assistant factory manager, later becoming an electronics engineer with Rosetti. In 1973, Wally sold his much-loved guitar to visit his girlfriend, Hiroko, in Tokyo. They married in Japan and returned to London, where Wally began studying Japanese.

In 1976, Wally attended his first Frankfurt Fair, tasked with connecting with Japanese companies and just a couple of years later, this led to a lasting friendship with Mr. Takanobu Yanagisawa (senior), then president of the Yanagisawa Wind Instrument Company. In 1985, after being made redundant, Wally co-founded A&W Ltd with Alby Paynter, pioneering the distribution of Jim Dunlop products in the UK.

During a 1987 family holiday in Japan, Wally visited the Yanagisawa factory and was offered the UK agency for their saxophones, which he duly accepted. After his partnership with Paynter ended in 1989, Wally joined Barnes & Mullins. With the company under new leadership, Wally’s diverse skills and strong relationship with Yanagisawa were invaluable, and under his guidance, Yanagisawa saxophones became the best-selling premium saxophone brand in the UK.

In 2000, Barnes & Mullins moved from London to Oswestry, Shropshire, but Wally remained in London to maintain the brand’s presence from his home. His contributions to the company and the music industry were very significant, and Barnes & Mullins continues to recognize his role in their success to this day.

Wally retired in 2011 after 42 years in the music industry yet continued his passion playing guitar as part of a Welsh folk band, Dai Bando.

Wally is survived by his wife, Hiroko, their two children and a granddaughter, plus countless colleagues and friends who remember him very fondly.

His legacy in the music industry and the lives he touched will endure.