Barry Marsden, Solo Cornet
I HAD NO CHOICE!
That's right, my father could not wait until I could hold a cornet, there was no doubt that I would be involved in Brass Bands.
I was brought up in a small cotton town North of Manchester in the heart of the Brass Band scene in that part of the country. My earliest recollections were of my father, (who was Band Master and Songster Leader of the local Salvation Army), were of sitting in as a very small boy watching dad at Songster practise, holding and playing the cornet with one had and conducting with the other. He used to get pretty annoyed and used to throw things when practise was not going well.
So, at the age of seven years a tutor was found for me, he was a man called Leonard Davies who was also the conductor of the local band, Middleton Borough Silver Band. I joined the band at the age of eight and stayed with them until 1955 when I joined The Chadderton & District Band 3rd Section and went to my first London Final with them in 1958. The Solo Cornet player at the time was Brian Evans who became probably one the best and finest Soprano player in the country.
In 1966 I had a short period away from the north and came to live in Nottingham and played for about a year with Bestwood Black Diamonds who were a good 2nd Section band at the time.
Then back home to the north and my old band. Chadderton Band was self funding, and ways had to be found to raise cash for running the band. A sponsored swim was organised at the local Swimming Baths, the highlight of the event was yours truly swimming a length of the baths on his back playing "I'm for ever blowing Bubbles!" NEVER AGAIN.
After many enjoyable successful years with Chadderton Band and becoming principal cornet my job demanded that I leave the frozen north and move to the midlands.
I did play for a short time with the Rochdale Wilsons Band. They were 1st section and had a great MD who was Norman Ashcroft, he had been principal cornet with the Fairey Band for many years. The Rochdale band was supported by the local MP, Cyril Smith, and I remember taking part in a concert for one of his MP colleagues in deepest darkest Wales. We did the concert and had an extremely drunken night afterwards.
The Solo Cornet player for The Rochdale band was a guy called David Morris (David figures on many records made by! Kings of Brass", I recently heard that he has now become the World Whistling Champion, how bazaar is that!
I left the north for the last time in 1975 with my job and in 1983 because of a chance meeting with the then Solo Cornet player Julie, was invited to come to practise with Rolls Royce and the rest, as they say is history.
