HISTORY
The History of Keith & District Silver Band
Origins
The origins of the Band go back to 1966. Tom Wright was one of the local peripatetic brass teachers. Originally from South Shields and with an army background; Tom was an enthusiastic and engaging character with the ability to get the best out of his young charges. He had the idea of forming a youth brass band to provide a platform for young brass players and this was initially based at Portsoy School. Willie Barron well remembers trips from Keith to Portsoy in Tom's Bedford Dormabile to attend rehearsals.
Early Years
By 1968 the band had gravitated to Keith Grammar, becoming the Keith School Band and by 1971 it had assumed the current name of Keith and District Silver Band with adult members from the old Keith Town Band supplementing the younger players and bringing experience to the group. Several players from the Tom Wright years are still with K&DSB. They are Christine Barron, Shuna Dick and Anne Edward. In 1977 the Band appeared on television in Scotspraise from St Thomas's, Keith alongside the United Churches Choir and the Keith New Philharmonic Society!
The Contesting Years
Today the Band is non-contesting but this wasn't always so. Tom Wright took the Band to the National 4th Section Championship in successive years from 1970 to 1973 coming 13th, 6th, 8th and 6th respectively. The Band did not return to the nationals until 1989 with Willie Barron in charge. He also took the Band to the competition in 1990 and that was our last appearance at this event. K&DSB was also a regular competitor at the North District and Carnegie Contests (among others) and achieved 2nd place in the latter in 1973 and 1974. See https://brassbandresults.co.uk/bands/keith-and-district-silver-band/ for more details.
Having established the Band as a local institution; Tom Wright moved on to pursue a different career in 1977 and Willie Barron took over the baton for the first and longest of his two stints in charge. Willie saw the Band through thick and thin (including a time when player numbers dwindled to less than 10) and developed a style all of his own which commanded the respect of the Band and ensured that listeners were well entertained. Ever the local 'loon'; he has a natural rapport with audiences which sometimes turned in unexpected directions only to be brought back into line by a look from his wife, Christine, on the Euphonium bench!
In 2004 Willie decided it was time for a change and he moved to playing BBb Bass. Glenn Munro, local music teacher and conductor of Moray Concert Brass, picked up the baton and led the Band through four successful years during which we benefited from his skills as a professional musician, encouraging a fuller and more confident sound - work that still underlies the sound of the Band today. Glenn decided to stand down in 2008 due to increased work load and a wish to spend more time with family. He continues to be a highly respected figure in the Moray music scene with Moray Concert Brass and other ensembles.
Fortunately for the Band, Willie was willing to step up to the plate again and built on the foundations that both he and Glenn had laid down, expanding repertoire and introducing more challenging pieces while ensuring that entertainment was the primary driver behind music selection.
After almost another 10 years in charge Willie decided to once more step back from the podium . Fortunately two willing candidates from the Band stepped forward and agreed to share the conducting duties while continuing to sit in as player. George Brown is a stalwart of the local brass music scene and is a versatile tenor horn, euphonium, cornet and trumpet player in a variety of styles, brass band, big band, classical and dance music to name a few. Ed Friday is a music teacher for Moray Council who also plays in the Mario Janetta Big Band and the Scottish Recorder Ensemble. Ed often pulls out one or more recorders during our concerts to give the Band a break and amaze the audience.
In 2022 Matt Bailey (Musical Director with Turriff Silver Band) offered to work with the band in the lead up to an important concert in aid of local charities. Based on the success of this work, he agreed to take up the position of conductor full time. Matt has considerable experience working at the heart of the banding world in the North West of England, both as a player and a conductor, including at the iconic Whit Friday Marches and with the famous Besses O' th' Barn.
"Just wanted to say thanks again from myself & Lantern of the North for performing yesterday. You were fantastic as always and singing in the rain was particularly relevant!"
“Thanks for a wonderful evening of music at Whitehills tonight and for finishing with one of my favourite "Army" pieces.”