HISTORY
Toddington Town Band has flourished against a backdrop of bombs, the Blitz, boom and bust! The first reference to the Toddington Brass Band was in an 1856 issue of The Dunstable Chronicle but, in 1910, a flurry of other bands including the abstemious ‘Temperance Band’ and its possibly more entertaining competition ‘The Beer and Baccy Band’ gave way to one which was established and conducted by James Hyde. That Band has kept its name since then, even though their home ‘town’ is now classed as a village.
With the exception of the First World War, Mr Hyde conducted the Band for forty one years until his death in 1951. From the 1920s onwards, the Hyde family transported Toddington Town Band around the country, where the Band competed against some of the country’s finest. Under James Hyde’s baton the Band had notable success in competitions. They won the 1937 Championship in Reading, and came 2nd in the 1947 Area Contest, going on to take 3rd place in the National Championship (Fourth Section) held at Bell-Vue, Manchester – a considerable achievement for any small village band. In those days, the Band practised in the Park Road band room, later moving to practise in the village Social and Services Club, near the Angel Public House, where they remain today. Denis Hyde took over the baton on the death of his father James in 1951. An accomplished musician, Denis was a trumpet and cornet player of note. He was also Musical Director of the Vauxhall Orchestra and Ladies Choir. Denis led the Band until his untimely death in 1982 and the Band came to a temporary halt. In 1984, Denis’s widow, Beryl Hyde, approached Derek Tiller, to reform the Band. Derek, a former member who had originally joined the Band on VE Day in 1945, when it was known as the Toddington Home Guard Band, took up the baton and along with players from Ampthill and Sandy bands, joined the existing players at Toddington to make music as a social band. Derek Tiller moved to Yorkshire in 1986 and the Band continued to rehearse under the direction of Ian Smith. In September 1987, Beryl approached local brass teacher Kevin Nicholls to take the Band forward. Kevin formed a new Junior band and was Musical Director of the existing senior band, until John Farmer, a well-known brass player in his own right with Heath Band, took up the baton in 1993. John conducted for a total of sixteen years, and under his direction, Toddington Town Band not only thrived but flourished, attracting players from well beyond the village boundaries and also appealing to a much wider audience. During John’s tenure the “Junior Band” was reintroduced and this has evolved, due to the age range of the players, into a “Development Band” which continues to go from strength to strength. On John's retirement in 2009, Mick Atkins, a player with the band, took on the post of Musical Director until November 2011. 2010 saw the band celebrating their centenary year with a programme of local concerts and events, together with a performance at the prestigious Stowe School and a visit to a music festival in France - the first time the band had left British soil. The band also recorded and released their first CD "... Telegram for Toddington ...”. In May 2013, the band was pleased to announce the appointment of Clive Keech as their new Musical Director. Clive came to the band with many years of experience in the brass band world, both as a player and as a conductor, with conducting appointments locally at both Bradwell Silver and Wolverton Town bands and further afield with Stonesfield Silver and the Hook Norton Band, both from Oxfordshire. Clive led the band, developing both the band's musical repertoire and the musical skills of players as individuals and the band as a whole. Clive sadly made the decision to step down as MD in December 2016. The band continued to rehearse under the joint leadership of Kenny Durbin, Ian Smith and David Horsler, until Kenny accepted the role of Musical Director in November 2017, formally confirmed at the band's AGM in February 2018. Since that time Kenny has continued to build on the foundations laid by the band's previous MDs, leading the band to being able to perform increasingly challenging pieces during its concerts, notably 'Zulu' and 'Hollywood'. Kenny has also encouraged solo, duet and 'feature' performances, as well as directing the band to perform original compositions and arrangements by band members. Despite having to suspend rehearsals for over a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Band continued to meet together virtually each week, recognising the importance of maintaining social contact during a difficult time. Full rehearsals were recommenced in May 2021, and the Band looks forward to continuing to play music for pleasure, music for us and music for our community. |