Foden's Band (originally Foden's Motor Works Band, and variants with sponsors' names) is a brass band from

Sandbach Sandbach (pronounced ) is the name of a historic market town and a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements: Sandbach itself as the largest, Elworth, Ettiley Heath a ...

in Cheshire. The band derives its name from the Foden manufacturer of trucks in Sandbach. Foden's Band are one of the top brass bands in the world; regularly appearing at the top of the "World of Brass – World Rankings" In 2012, Foden's became double winners of both the National Championships and the British Open.

History

Origins

The origins of the band go back to 1900 when the village of

Elworth Elworth is a village in the county of Cheshire, located in the North West of England, and is a suburb of the town of Sandbach, located approximately one mile eastward. Elworth is known for its industrial past, having historically been the home o ...

near

in Cheshire formed its own band having been let down in its attempt to secure the services of the nearby town band to feature in the celebrations marking the relief of Mafeking in the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

. After a couple of years the village band was wound up, but from that base local industrialist Edwin Foden formed the Fodens Motor Works Band. For a few years the new band had modest ambitions, but in 1908 a fundamental reorganisation took place and, by the following year, it had achieved Championship Section status, a prestigious position that has been maintained ever since.

Fred and Harry Mortimer years

Conductor Fred Mortimer (1880–1953) led Fodens for 27 years from around 1927 until his death in 1953. During that time they won the national championships eight times, and according to Mortimer, had been broadcast around 250 times. On 9 November 1933, the band appeared in the

Lord Mayor's Show The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the best-known annual events in London as well as one of the longest-established, dating back to the 13th century. A new lord mayor is appointed every year, and the public parade that takes place as his or her in ...

in London, billed as the Band of Foden Motor Works. In 1955, the musical director,

Harry Mortimer Harry Mortimer (10 April 1902 – 23 January 1992) was an English composer and conductor who specialised in brass band music, one of the foremost cornet players of his era. Harry Mortimer was born in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, his father bein ...

(1902–1992), formed the ''Men O'Brass'', whereby selected members of the band combined with other players from the

Fairey Band The Fairey Band is a brass band based in Heaton Chapel in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The band has achieved fame in modern music circles with its appearances playing Acid Brass although they still play traditional brass band music and part ...

and

Morris Motors Morris Motors Limited was a British privately owned motor vehicle manufacturing company formed in 1919 to take over the assets of William Morris's WRM Motors Limited and continue production of the same vehicles. By 1926 its production represent ...

Band. In January 1983, the band was sponsored by Overseas Technical Services Ltd. from Harrow, being renamed the Foden OTS Band. In July 1986, it was sponsored by the

Britannia Building Society The Britannia Building Society was founded as the Leek & Moorlands Building Society in Leek in 1856. It expanded steadily as a regional society until the late 1950s when it began a major expansion drive, partly through branch openings but also so ...

to become the Britannia Building Society Foden Band, which became the Britannia Building Society Band. In September 1997, the band was sponsored by the

Antoine Courtois The Antoine Courtois company, founded in Paris in 1789, is a renowned manufacturer of brass musical instruments. The company's name comes from the name of the founder's children who created the brand name in 1803. The company has been a leading ma ...

company of France, to become the Fodens Courtois Band. In November 2004, the band was sponsored by Richardson Developments of Oldbury. Since 2008 the band has been without sponsorship and is currently known as the Foden's Band.

Honours

The band has been ordered to play by Royal Command on three occasions: in 1913 for

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

and Queen Mary, in 1938 at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

for

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

and Queen Elizabeth, and most recently in 1983 where the band had the honour of playing for

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

. The band has won the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain twelve times. In 2008 the band won the 156th British Open Championships. It was the 11th time that the Foden's Band had triumphed at the contest. 2009 has seen further success for the band with a record breaking 4th consecutive triumph at the North West Regionals, victory at the Cambridge International Masters and then winning the Brass in Concert Championships at the Sage Centre in Gateshead in November. Recent contest highlights in 2010 have included 6th at the English Nationals, 4th at the British Open, 9th at the National Championships and most recently 3rd at Brass in Concert.

Desert Island Discs

Foden's band have been featured on the BBC's radio programme, Desert Island Discs, on several occasions: *1 Aug 1951,

Jimmy Edwards James Keith O'Neill Edwards, DFC (23 March 19207 July 1988) was an English comedy writer and actor on radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in ''Take It from Here'' and as headmaster "Professor" James Edwards in ''Whack-O!''. Early lif ...

(Comedy actor, Scriptwriter), The Fodens Motor Works Band: The Three Bears Suite *11 Jul 1960,

Eddie Calvert Albert Edward "Eddie" Calvert (15 March 1922 – 7 August 1978) was an English trumpeter, who enjoyed his greatest success in the 1950s. Between 1953 and 1958, Calvert achieved seven instrumental hits on the UK Singles Chart, including two ch ...

(Trumpeter), Fodens Motor Works Band: Zelda (Caprice) *16 Apr 1962,

Billy Butlin Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne Butlin (29 September 189912 June 1980) was a South African-born British entrepreneur whose name is synonymous with the British holiday camp.''#refRiverside, American Heritage Dictionary 2004'', p. 135.#refSc ...

(Holiday camp owner), The Fodens Motor Works Band: The March of the Herald *8 Feb 1965,

Owen Brannigan Owen Brannigan OBE (10 March 19089 May 1973) was an English bass, known in opera for buffo roles and in concert for a wide range of solo parts in music ranging from Henry Purcell to Michael Tippett. He is best remembered for his roles in Moza ...

(Opera singer), Alec Mortimer & Foden's Motor Works Band: Drinking *16 Jan 1971,

Robert Bolt Robert Oxton Bolt (15 August 1924 – 20 February 1995) was an English playwright and a two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter, known for writing the screenplays for ''Lawrence of Arabia'', ''Doctor Zhivago'', and '' A Man for All Seasons'', ...

(Playwright), Fairey & Fodens Massed Bands:

The Stars and Stripes Forever "The Stars and Stripes Forever" is a patriotic American march written and composed by John Philip Sousa in 1896. By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National March of the United States of America. History In his 1928 autobi ...

Contesting honours

*British Open Brass Band Championships – 12 Wins: 2012, 2008, 2004, 1964, 1928, 1927, 1926, 1915, 1913, 1912, 1910, 1909 *National Championships of Great Britain – 16 wins: 2022, 2021, 2018, 2012,Foden's brass band celebrates double win
, BBC News, 23 October 2012 1999, 1958, 1953, 1950, 1938, 1937,National Band Festival At Alexandra Palace 1937
, British Pathé. Retrieved 25 January 2015 1936, 1934, 1933, 1932, 1930, 1910 (barred 1935). :(Previously called the Crystal Palace 1000 Guinea Trophy) *North West Regional Championships – 16 wins, including: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1989, 1988 *Brass in Concert Championships – 6 Wins: 2009, 2000, 1998, 1990, 1988, 1987. *All England Masters – 7 Wins: 2009, 2007, 2002, 1995, 1994, 1991, 1990. *English National Championships – Winners 2006 *European Championships – Winners 1992

Musical directors

The band's current conducting team is:About Foden's Band
, at Foden's Band Website *

Bramwell Tovey Bramwell Tovey (11 July 1953 – 12 July 2022) was a British conductor and composer. Life and career Tovey was educated at Ilford County High School, the Royal Academy of Music and the University of London. His formal music education was as ...

*Michael Fowles (Associate Conductor)

Bibliography

*F. D. Burgess, ''By royal command: the story of Fodens Motor Works Band'', Publisher Webberley, 1977 *Allan Littlemore, ''Fodens Band: One Hundred Years of Musical Excellence'', Edition 2, Publisher Caron Pubns, 2000. . 186 pages.

References

External links

Foden's Band
official website

Video clips

Armagh 2008
playing title music from '' The Children of Sanchez'' film. {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1902 British brass bands Culture in Cheshire People from Sandbach