Grimethorpe Colliery Band

The Grimethorpe Colliery Band is a

The year after the band's formation saw it enter its first competition at Belle Vue in Manchester.^[2] Its first radio broadcast was in 1932 and from 1941 to 1951 it was on UK national radio every month.

George Thompson was musical director from the early 1950s until 1972 during which time the band won the British Open Contest for the first time. Thompson was followed by Elgar Howarth as Professional Conductor and Musical Director. 1974 saw the band, along with

The band continued through the industrial troubles of the 1980s and the closure of Grimethorpe Colliery on 13 October 1992.^{[citation needed]} The band gained first place with 99 out of 100 on 17 October 1992 in the National Brass Band Championship at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Following the closure of the Grimethorpe Colliery in 1993, the Band was sponsored by

The Grimethorpe Colliery Band has premiered some of the most important brass music of the 20th century, including Sir Harrison Birtwistle's Grimethorpe Aria, written for the band, and Hans Werner Henze's Ragtimes and Habaneras as well as several pieces by Sir Malcolm Arnold.

Rock and pop

The band has appeared on rock and pop records, notably "When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease", on Roy Harper's 1975 HQ album, and Peter Skellern's 1978 and 1979 albums Skellern (including the hit single "Love Is the Sweetest Thing") and Astaire. In 1976, the band assisted comedian Max Bygraves in recording a song specially commissioned by the National Coal Board called "Do It The Safety Way", in order to promote safety procedures in coalmines.

One former member of the band, trombonist Andy Cato, went on to co-found electronic music duo Groove Armada.^[3]

In films

International fame came with the film

Honours

• National Brass Band Championships – Winners 1970, 1992, 2006 and 2007.^[4]
• English National Brass Band Championships – Winners 2007,^[5][6] 2008.^[7]
• Yorkshire Champions – 1963, 1967, 1973, 1983, 1991, 1995, 2005, 2006.^[2]
• Brass in Concert Champions – 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2001 to 2005, 2010 and 2014.^[8]
• Mineworkers' Champions – 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973 to 1980, 1983, 1985 to 2002.^[2]
• British Open Champions – 1969, 1984, 1991, 2015.^[2]
• Granada Band of the Year – 1972, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1985.^[2]

Other events

The band represented England at the European Brass Band Championship in

• Roger Webster – Former Principal Cornet
• Nicholas Childs – Former Solo Euphonium
• Andy Cato – Former Trombonist and co-founder of electronic music duo Groove Armada.^[3]

Partial discography

References

External links

• Official site
• The-Grimethorpe-Colliery-Band discography at Discogs

Video clips

• Concierto d'Aranjuez, from the film Brassed Off
• MacArthur Park, played at Brass in Concert 2008 at
  The Sage
• Grimethorpe Aria, composed for the band by Sir Harrison Birtwistle
• The New Jerusalem, winning performance at the 1992 National Championships at the Royal Albert Hall
• Eurovision interval show, performing at the Eurovision Song Contest 1998