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Band celebrate 125th anniversary

THE Brighouse and Rastrick Band, who shot to pop chart fame in the 1970s, is all set to celebrate their 125th anniversary.

This most famous public subscription band, which wrote a special chapter in the history of the British brass band movement through the remarkable success of the Floral Dance, will mark the milestone with a celebration concert in Huddersfield Town Hall on March 25.

The simple Cornish melody, arranged by Derek Broadbent, then musical director of the band, put the sound of a brass band into millions of homes via radio and television, and throughout the world people were swinging and swaying and happy-clapping to the infectious beat.

For a remarkable seven weeks the band held the No 2 spot in the pop charts, and only Paul McCartney's Mull of Kintyre denied the band the No 1 spot.

But there's a lot more to Brighouse and Rastrick than the successful climb into the pop charts. The band came into existence in 1881 as Brighouse and Rastrick Temperance Band, being a mixture of brass and reed instruments, although the transition to wholly brass didn't take very long. The band maintained its temperance label until the 1920s

Although successes on the contest stage were recorded in the early years, it wasn't until the 1920s that the band moved into the top flight of British brass bands.

That came in 1929 when Fred Berry conducted the band to victory in the prestigious Belle Vue September Championship, now the British Open. William Halliwell, the complete master on the contest platform, was later engaged as professional conductor and he took B & R to victory at Belle Vue in 1932, 1933 and 1934 and again in 1936.

Over the years Brighouse and Rastrick have been conducted to victory by other famous men, including Eric Ball, who captured the National Championship title with the band for the first time in 1946; and Walter Hargreaves, otherwise known as "The Wee Professor" or "The Mighty Atom," that title coming from his diminutive stature.

James Scott, Geoffrey Brand, Derek Broadbent and Allan Withington are others who have shared noteworthy contest victories with the band.

Today, the renowned tuba player James Gourlay is the band's professional conductor.

The famous Whit Friday march contests have also been a very happy hunting ground over the years, which sees the band at the top of the list for winning the most prize money.

The late Norman Waite, a man who served bands around Huddersfield with great distinction, was principal cornet with Brighouse and Rastrick in 1927 and 1928, having served as assistant principal the two previous years.

Another principal cornetist with B & R was the legendary Derek Garside who went on to carve out a brilliant career with the CWS Manchester Band.

Norman, who lived in Lindley, had memories of the first time Brighouse beat Black Dyke in a contest. It was the 1920s and the event was in the Yorkshire Dales. On the journey home Brighouse and Rastrick, temperance band or not, stopped at Dyke's regular watering hole in Queensbury to celebrate the special day. "I didn`t agree with it so I didn`t go in for a drink," said Norman many years later.

For over 60 years B and R have twice yearly presented massed band concerts in Huddersfield Town Hall, and while many famous names have joined the host band on stage, there is one such concert which has a special place in the band's history books.

In 2002 members of the Brighouse and Rastrick 1977 "Floral Dance" band were brought together again to join the then current Brighouse and Rastrick Band for a special massed celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of that remarkable success.

Two Brighouse and Rastrick bands on stage made it an evening which will long live in the memory of many.

Long service has played an important part in the history of the band.

The late Eddie Noble, who served as treasurer for a number of years, was the man who really put the band on the sound financial footing which it enjoys today.

Some of the others who have given dedicated service are Stephen Howes, of Wooldale, who retired as a player after about 30 years; baritone player Sheridan Fryer (Brighouse), who has now clocked up about 28 years in a couple of spells with the band (Sheridan broke his service when he had a spell with Lindley Band); and tenor horn player Ian Dust, who has been with B & R for 26 years with 18 of those years being spent as band secretary.

The band has for years enjoyed a full engagement diary in the United Kingdom, with overseas tours of Norway, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and other European destinations also figuring prominently, but without doubt the most physically demanding took place last year when the band jetted off across the Atlantic for two concerts in Edmonton and Calgary, in Canada.

The band travelled about 7,000 miles in little more than four very hectic days.

Throughout its long and distinguished history, years when a great number of the country's leading brass bands were given generous financial support by collieries and various works, Brighouse and Rastrick has never sought the backing of a company or organisation.

It's the proud boast that after 125 years the band still remains a famous public subscription band.