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Welsh composer renowned for the hymn tune 'Cwm Rhondda', widely used for 'Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah'.Born in Dowlais, Wales, Hughes worked as a coal clerk and later as a sales representative while composing sacred music. A self-taught musician, he served as precentor at Salem Baptist Chapel in Pontypridd. His most enduring work, 'Cwm Rhondda', was composed in 1905 and became a global hymn standard. Hughes died at 58 and is buried at Glyntaff Cemetery.

• Despite minimal formal training, Hughes composed over 40 hymn tunes and anthems, often writing parts for his chapel choir on scrap paper during train commutes.
• His iconic tune 'Cwm Rhondda' was originally penned for a 1905 Cymanfa Ganu (hymn festival) in Capel Rhondda, Pontypridd, but gained worldwide popularity only years after his death.
• Hughes faced financial struggles throughout his life, balancing music with his job at a grocery wholesaler, reflecting the challenges of working-class artists in industrial Wales.
• He died suddenly of a heart attack at home, with local choirs spontaneously gathering to sing 'Cwm Rhondda' at his funeral—a tradition still observed at Welsh memorials.