It has traditionally been a ‘man’s world’ so how important are the women to this particular musical family?
For decades, the sound of a brass band has conjured up images of working class northern men joined together in music as an escape from their gruelling day job at the coal face or on the factory floor. But, whilst most of our mines and much of our heavy industry has died off, the brass band movement continues to thrive and women have had a part to play in its continued success. Geoff Bird went to Garswood near Wigan to meet The Trinity Girls Brass Band who have been an all female brass band for the last fifty years. Jenni is joined by Chris Vale, author of ‘Brassy Women’, which charts the struggles of an all female brass band in the 1960s, and Kevin Wadsworth, a former player with Black Dyke Mills. They’ll be discussing the history of brass banding and why it’s been dominated by the men for so long.
‘Brassy Women’ by Chris Vale is published by Book Guild Ltd, ISBN-13 9781846242984
