‘Music can give you instant acceptance in foreign lands’
Here is a splendid example showing how learning to play a brass instrument can add so much more to people’s lives
BYRON Tucker was born in Gilfach Goch and started playing the tenor horn at Tonyrefail Boys band when he was 12.
He showed some early promise and won prizes in solo competitions including the National Eistedd- fod just after six months of playing.
His bandmaster Tom Jones suggested he change to cornet and he has been playing cornet ever since for more than 55 years.
In 1963, he joined MidRhondda Working Mens’ Band and played in his first Welsh Area contest in 1964 at the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. In 1964, they won the National Eisteddfod ahead of Cory and Brighouse and Rastrick. That year, they also won the Welsh Open and the following year qualified for the National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall.
The following year, 1965, saw Byron heading to England to look for work as his mother did not want him to work under ground. He struggled to find work and accommodation in Birmingham so went to Coventry to join relatives.
He found employment at Jaguar Cars in the machine shop, found they had a band and was soon playing in Championship standard.
Unfortunately, the band fell apart after his first contest with them and he moved to Coventry School of Music. After 18 months of playing principal cornet, he was invited to play repiano cornet with City of Coventry Band.
They came fourth in 1968 at the National Finals behind Brighouse, Black Dyke and GUS.
Whilst at Coventry, he met Eric Ball and Harry Mortimer, both world famous conductors, and he played in several Men of Brass concerts under the leadership of Harry Mortimer. Unfortunately, these great days had to end as he was required to work shift work which meant that he could not manage to maintain the rehearsal schedule, so was required to resign.
In the early 1980s, the night shift finished and Byron found himself back playing with City of Coventry. The band qualified for the London Finals each year from 1986 to 1990, but when Jaguar was sold to Ford, the band lost all sponsorship and disbanded.
Byron joined Rigid Container’s Band (The old GUS Band) in 1992 and they won the Midland Area contest under John Berryman and came ninth in the London Finals.
In 1994, they qualified for the Finals again, but Byron had to resign as he was required to work the night shift once again.
He joined Rolls Royce, Coventry, and found that he could just about manage the rehearsals with this 1st section band and they won the area and the subsequent Finals in 1995.
Byron was once again back in the Championship section. In 1999, Rolls Royce Coventry came second in The Grand Shield contest which qualified them to take part in the British Open Championships. Due to increased split time shift work, Byron resigned from the band and found a non-contesting band, Royal Spa Brass.
He then played for a short time as principal cornet with the Band of The West Mercia Constabulary before retiring from the Jaguar factory and marrying Nikki, a tenor horn player with Royal Spa Brass and later with the Constabulary band.
2006 was a momentous year for Byron as the Rolls Royce band, now the Jaguar Band, played in the National Finals and also travelled to Chicago to take part in the US Open Championships. The band came second overall.
Nikki and Byron travelled to Australia and New Zealand over three months in 2007 and man- aged to ‘have a blow’ with bands in Manly, Sydney and at Bondi beach in Australia and with Levin Band and the top band in New Zealand, Dalewool Auckland.
In 2008, on their return, Byron was invited to guest with Avonbank (Evesham) Band and they found themselves back visiting Pennsylvania, USA, as part of a town twinning programme.
In 2014, Nikki got a job in Switzerland and they moved to Adelboden, a small village of 3,500 inhabitants. Within a month, they were both playing with the village Salvation Army.
They now also play with the band in the next village, Brass Band Frutigen which is about a 30 minute bus ride.
Byron writes: “The great thing about music and banding is the friendship and camaraderie which covers all languages and cultures and can give you instant acceptance in a strange foreign land.”