This time Chris presented “Legends of the Brass Band World”. His reminiscences told of three talented brass band musicians, together with photographs and excerpts of their music from Chris’s wide collection of old 78 records.

At the age of nine years old, Chris was given the choice of attending Sunday School, or becoming a member of the Clifton and Lightcliffe Band.

He chose the latter and has played the cornet ever since. In those days the bands were all male, whereas now many have lady players, he said.

Many brass bands featured on the radio until the 1960s and each band would have it’s own signature tune. The Brighouse and Rastrick theme tune was called “West Riding” and included a piece of “On Ilkley Moor Bar T’at”.

There were brass band leagues, akin to the football system, and many local and national competitions. Only those in the premier league would play in prestigious venues like Leeds Town Hall. Chris was very proud when he gained his first hand-me-down, overlarge uniform. In the days before lottery grants, he remembers having to raise money for the band at fish and chip suppers, beetle and whist drives.

The three legends of the brass band world Chris described to us were Derek Garside, Arthur Laycock and James Shepherd.

Derek Garside came from a musical family and is now in his late 70s.

He became a star player as a boy with the Brighouse and Rastrick Band. Later he was principal cornet player with the famous CWS (Manchester) Band for 25 years. He also went as guest soloist to other bands.

In the 1970s he was Musical Director to the CWS (Manchester) Band, but the band folded only a decade later when it lost valued sponsorship. Some of the “old-timers” reformed a band, giving concerts to full houses and producing recordings for enthusiastic followers of brass band music.

Chris is the proud owner of a 1920 record that he found on a market stall in Leeds of Todmorden born musician Arthur Laycock.

Arthur, who appears in the Antiquarian Society book entitled “Todmorden Cameos” produced for the millennium, was born at Hole Bottom in 1887. Arthur joined the Cornholme Brass Band as a boy, then came to Todmorden Old Brass Band and then progressed up through the ranks.

Arthur Laycock won many national competitions and made many 78 records. He played with the St Hilda Colliery Band, and had a world tour for 18 months in 1910.

During the Great War, Arthur served with the Northumberland Fusiliers Band. He later joined Eastbourne Municipal Orchestra, then Whitby Municipal Orchestra.

Arthur died tragically at only 42 years of age whilst playing on a tour of Cornwall. Chris said that many musicians attended his funeral and is buried at Wheatlands Cemetery in Earby.

The third of the evening’s brass band legends was James Shepherd, principal cornet player in the Black Dyke band. This musician was born in Newbiggin by the Sea in Northumberland.