Central Band Of The Royal British Legion
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The Central Band of The Royal British Legion is a concert band associated with the
Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ...
. In 2004, it celebrated its Diamond Jubilee, marking sixty years of music making dating back to
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. The band’s origins stem from the
Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...
, now affectionately known as Dad's Army. Its founder members, many with
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
service, having all played in the Band of the 56th (Surrey) Battalion Home Guard based in
Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...
. However, by 1944, with the possibility of a German invasion no longer a threat, the Home Guard was stood down bringing to an end four years of comradeship. As with all organisations, the breaking up of a band is a traumatic experience, so much so that a group of musicians from the Dad's Army Band resolved to keep the spirit alive by forming a new band under the aegis of the British Legion. Thus began 62 eventful years, which have seen the Band progress to its present proud status, enjoying the acclaim not only of audiences everywhere but also of its peers in the world of military music. The Central Band is the Legion’s premier and 'flagship' band and as such, represents the Legion on high-profile occasions as well as fulfilling a large number of varied engagements around the country. The Central Band is no stranger to high-profile events, many of which are televised and include Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall and
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
TV's '' Songs of Praise'', seen by millions. The current Director of Music i
Captain David Cole
MVO MMus ARAM RM.


Notable performances

In 2005, the band joined the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for an End of War Commemoration concert, in which they performed world premieres written especially for the occasion by the
Master of the Queen's Music Master of the King's Music (or Master of the Queen's Music, or earlier Master of the King's Musick) is a post in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. The holder of the post originally served the monarch of England, directing the court orche ...
, Sir
Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Musi ...
. In 2005 and again in 2007, the band recorded a programme for BBC Radio 2's ''Listen to the Band''. In 2006 and 2007, the band performed at the
Wimbledon Tennis Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is pla ...
, during the Ladies Finals Day and Men's Finals Day. The band has also performed during the lunch break at several test matches at Lords, including the 2005 Ashes test. In addition to this, the band has performed at the past two Commonwealth Games Baton Relay ceremonies, playing on the forecourt outside Buckingham Palace whilst HM The Queen handed the Commonwealth Games baton to a famous athlete.


Recordings

The band has made many recordings, including ''The Best of British'', which was recorded live with
Max Bygraves Walter William Bygraves (16 October 1922 – 31 August 2012), best known by the stage name Max Bygraves (adopted in honour of Max Miller), was an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, s ...
at the
Beck Theatre The Beck Theatre is a 600-seat theatre in Hayes, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was built in 1977 at a cost of £2.5 million. Type The Beck is a community theatre, offering one-night concerts, drama, comedy, dance, musicals, children's ...
. At the end of 2004, the band recorded ''Celebration''; this was followed with ''The Shadow of Your Smile'' in 2006. This was produced by Major John Perkins and includes "
Ave Maria The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...
", "Pirates of the Caribbean", "
Goodbye to Love "Goodbye to Love" is a song composed by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis. It was released by the Carpenters in 1972. On the '' Close to You: Remembering The Carpenters'' documentary, Tony Peluso stated that this was one of the first power balla ...
" and "The Gladiator's Farewell". In March 2007, the band recorded at the BBC
Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale is ...
studios for BBC Radio 2's ''Listen to the Band'' feature. The band recorde
their own version
of the new rave band
Klaxons Klaxons were an English rock band, based in London. Following the release of several 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles " Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut ...
' hit "
Gravity's Rainbow ''Gravity's Rainbow'' is a 1973 novel by American writer Thomas Pynchon. The narrative is set primarily in Europe at the end of World War II and centers on the design, production and dispatch of V-2 rockets by the German military. In particular, ...
" in May 2007. The band later performed this song for the fifth birthday party of
MTV Two MTV Rocks (formerly MTV Two, MTV2 Europe and M2) was a British pay television music channel that was operated by ViacomCBS Networks UK & Australia. Its programming consisted of 24-hour non-stop rock/alternative music. Format and history The s ...
's flagship rock show, ''Gonzo''.


References


External links


Official website of The Central Band of the Royal British Legion

Official Myspace of The Central Band of the Royal British Legion
{{Authority control Central Band of the Royal British LegionBritish
Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ...
Musical groups established in 1944 The Royal British Legion