Legendary Cardiff musician – in demand by artists from Beyoncé to The Who – honored for lifetime contribution by Welsh Music Prize
Cardiff musician Pino Palladino, who has played bass guitar with everyone from rock royalty The Who to pop icons Adele, Elton John and Harry Styles, will receive the Welsh Music Inspiration award at next month’s Welsh Music Prize.

The awards ceremony, presented by BBC Radio 1 presenter Siân Eleri, takes place at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on October 6th. Shortlisted artists Gwenno, Sage Todz, Panic Shack, and Melin Melyn are among the live performers ahead of the award of the £10,000 prize for the best album made in Wales or by Welsh people around the world this past year.

The quietly prolific Palladino, who hails from a Welsh-Italian family of restaurateurs in the capital’s Whitchurch area and is now based in Los Angeles, is one of the most celebrated and in-demand bass players in the world, having played on two of the biggest-selling albums of the 21st century (Adele’s ‘21’ and Ed Sheeran’s ‘Divide’).

His early career as a session musician in the late 70s and early 80s was marked by his groundbreaking signature fretless bass, notably with Gary Numan on the album ‘I, Assassin’ and on the 1983 Paul Young hit ‘Wherever I Lay My Hat’.

Pino Palladino’s work spans genres; he spent 14 years playing with The Who, as well as collaborating with Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton on both recordings and live performances. His bass sound was hailed as vital in shaping D’Angelo’s iconic 2000 album ‘Voodoo’ – a partnership born from their shared love of Motown and soul music.

The list of artists and iconic tracks in his extraordinary back catalogue includes the Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé single ‘II Most Wanted’, from Beyoncé’s Grammy-award winning album, ‘Cowboy Carter’. The Welsh musician is also credited with tweaking Miley Cyrus’ track ‘End of the World’ with his signature bassline, as well as the Harry Styles hit single, ‘Watermelon Sugar’. He has worked with countless other world-renowned artists, from John Meyer to Nine Inch Nails, Elton John, Phil Collins, John Legend, Tina Turner, Chris Martin, Questlove and many more.

His most recent project is new album ‘That Wasn’t A Dream’ with fellow musician and producer, Blake Mills. The pair will tour the album across Europe and North America, which will include a stop in Pino’s hometown of Cardiff.

After playing in many Cardiff bands at the start of his career in the 70s, Pino Palladino joined the Jools Holland band, The Millionaires in the early 80s. He moved to London with the band and met his wife, Maz, a singer with the group. Speaking in tribute to Pino’s long and influential career in the music industry, Jools Holland said:

“I can think of nobody more deserving of this award than Pino Palladino. He has played with everyone and is constantly in demand around the world. Some musicians have a great touch, some have a great ear, some have a great technique, some a great feel. Occasionally a musician will invent a new style or sound with their instrument, but Pino is the only person I know who can truly lay claim to all of the above.”

Questlove, the Oscar and Grammy award-winning producer and drummer, who worked with Palladino as part of the hip hop-informed neo-soul collective, the Soulquarians said : “If I only had one person to choose to play bass with for the rest of my days, I would choose Pino Palladino”.

Reacting to the news of his recognition by the Welsh Music Prize, Pino Palladino said:
“I’m humbled and honoured that my work has been recognised in this way.”

Founded in 2011, the Welsh Music Prize celebrates its 15th anniversary this year and to mark the milestone, BBC Cymru Wales has commissioned a special highlights programme of the 2025 event, which will also explore the prize’s impact on the Welsh music scene over the past 15 years. The programme will air after this year’s ceremony on BBC One Wales and BBC iPlayer.

Previous winners of the Welsh Music Inspiration Award include hip hop pioneers Eric Martin and DJ Jaffa, folk protest singer, Dafydd Iwan, David Edwards and Pat Morgan from Datblygu, The Alarm singer Mike Peters, as well as folk music historians Meredydd Evans and Phylis Kinney and influential Welsh-language singer-songwriter, Meic Stevens.

The Welsh Music Prize is supported by Creative Wales, Cardiff Council, PRS for Music, PPL and Help Musicians.