{"id":37010,"date":"2017-11-21T16:31:42","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T16:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=37010"},"modified":"2017-11-21T16:31:42","modified_gmt":"2017-11-21T16:31:42","slug":"cardiff-character-warren-jewell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2017\/11\/21\/cardiff-character-warren-jewell\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardiff Character: Warren Jewell"},"content":{"rendered":"

The homeless man who can be heard livening up the city’s streets with his singing and\u00a0guitar playing for the passing crowds<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"A

Amongst the hustle and bustle of the busy Hayes high street, you may hear a faint melody in the background that will catch your attention for a just second. <\/span><\/p>\n

That sound is most likely to be a busker, and one of the many to be found on this street is 46-year-old Warren Jewell. <\/span><\/p>\n

Originally from Maesteg, Bridgend, Warren is a homeless<\/a> busker who earns his living through playing his guitar and singing on the streets to passersby, who he relies on for money.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been homeless for just over a year,\u201d Warren explained, \u201cI was renting privately in Hereford and my landlord put the house up for sale so I had to move out. I came back to Cardiff thinking I\u2019d find a bed and it\u2019s been more difficult than I\u2019d envisaged.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Making it on his own
\n<\/b>Despite having family close by, Warren is determined to get back on his feet without having to turn to them for help.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMy folks are in Bridgend, but I\u2019d rather do my own thing, do things myself\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Warren explained that, though he\u2019s lived in a lot of places, he tends to stay in Cardiff because, \u201cIt\u2019s a resourceful place” and it generally has a good feeling compared to other places he has lived. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before he became homeless and before his divorce, Warren was a civil engineer working on the motorways in the south west of England. <\/span><\/p>\n

But now he earns his living through playing music on the streets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Playing for the people<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"

Having played the guitar since he was 18-years-old, Warren enjoys playing blues and jazz <\/span>from some of his favourite and most inspirational artists such as Amy Winehouse, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Zappa.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not necessarily stuff I would play when I\u2019m busking but it\u2019s what I like. When I\u2019m busking,\u201d Warren continued, \u201cI normally do Pink Floyd<\/span> or Otis Reading or Gnarls Barkley. I try and play to the crowd that\u2019s around me, depending on age brackets. So if there\u2019s older people around I\u2019ll do older songs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ambition and recognition<\/b><\/p>\n