Richard Marley - Front Row Cornet

About Richard: Richard was born deep in the heartland of the Yorkshire Brass Band movement. The town of Knottingley was famous for its pits, its glass industry and its brass band (not). Due to bouts of bronchitis he was advised to take up playing at the tender age of 11 and as never looked back! At his first band, Knottingley Silver Prize, he played Tenor Horn for 7 years. He also played at Whitwood Music College Wind band, Castleford Young Musicians and Wakefield Schools were he played Solo horn at the National Youth finals in the Albert Hall in 1977 (yes that’s 1977!!!) After 3 years at University were booze, drugs and loose women left no time for the tedium of playing in a brass band Richard joined the Oxted Band under the baton of Bill Geldard and Solo Cornet playing of Gracie Cole. He left after 4 years as Solo horn to live and work in Germany were again the finer things in life left no room for spittle and value oil. Triumphantly returning to England in the summer of 87 the Marley family was undergoing major expansion and the Horn was banished to the loft for 10 long years. Finally succumbing to pressure from the wife to 'get out of the house' he joined a local band in Reading called Spring Gardens which was conducted by Ted Watkins. Ted realising Richard was having far too much fun on horn talked Richard into playing Sop! A new world of tuning, sore lips and red faces was opened up to him and soon was overcome by ambition. In the winter of 99 he moved to St Sebastian’s (Wokingham) were the fusion of beer, women and music has been perfected. Looking for more challenges and a huge petrol bill he applied for the vacant Sop post at Friary against the wishes of the music lovers in the band. His most embarrassing brass band moment was when he was seen by the entire audience in the Royal Albert Hall snoging the Eupho player in the wings of the stage. His Mum was “horrified'. His best moments are yet to come!!!