John Maines
Encyclopedia
John Maines is a musician, trombone player and active figure in the British brass band
movement as a performer, conductor, tutor, compere
and concert presenter.
player with the Prescot Cables Band near St. Helens
. After a move to trombone
he joined the Wigan Boys Club and Cammell Laird
band in Birkenhead, Cheshire. As a young player he became the North of England
Junior Solo Champion and was invited to play for the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain
. A move to Cornwall saw John as principal trombone with St. Austell
and Bodmin bands where he achieved a succession of competition victories at solo competitions throughout the South West of England. It was at this time that he gained the title of Champion Trombone Player of Great Britain on three successive occasions. He is one of only two players ever to achieve a hat-trick
in this event.
After playing solo trombone with the Stanshawe (Bristol) and Fairey Engineering
bands with whom he also held the post of principal trombone with Harry Mortimer
’s Men o’ Brass, he became principal trombone with the Black Dyke Mills Band
. With this band he won competition titles including a hat trick of European Championships and toured such countries as Holland, Switzerland, Spain and Japan.
Since 1979 he has been a music tutor for the National Youth Brass Band
of Great Britain and is a Council member of the same organisation.
Maines is a member of the National Association of Brass Band Adjudicators and regularly adjudicates both at home and abroad. He travels in Europe taking him to such places as Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and Denmark where he has taken part in various musical activities including the direction of the National Youth Band of Denmark. Maines’ academic work saw him graduate from the University of Sheffield
with a BA (Hons) Degree.
Maines is active as a conductor in the UK directing different bands, as well as undertaking the role of Master of Ceremonies at many of the country’s band events such as The National Youth Band Championships, The Great Northern
Brass Arts Festival
, The Harry Mortimer Centenary Concert and acting as compere for many bands such as Black Dyke, Fairey’s, Grimethorpe Colliery
, Foden's
, Brighouse & Rastrick
, Wingates
, Leyland
, BAYV Cory
and Yorkshire Building Society
.
Maines was for a time the Musical Director
of the Versatile Brass group with whom he travelled extensively.
Maines is a writer for various music publications, and has taken part in many recordings for CD, Radio and Television. In addition to his everyday banding activities Maines was for many years the presenter of the long running BBC weekly band programme "GMR Brass” and in 1999 received the Manchester Music Makers
award for his contribution to music broadcasting in the Greater Manchester
area.
He is now the presenter of World of Brass Radio on
www.worldofbrass.com, an internet based programme of brass music.
Brass band (British style)
A British-style brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardised range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around local industry and communities...
movement as a performer, conductor, tutor, compere
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
and concert presenter.
Biography
Maines was born in Warrington on 10 December 1948. He was raised in Winwick, Lancashire and later Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire. After initial lessons from his father, his early musical career started as a tenor hornAlto horn
The alto horn is a brass instrument pitched in E...
player with the Prescot Cables Band near St. Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
. After a move to trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
he joined the Wigan Boys Club and Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company...
band in Birkenhead, Cheshire. As a young player he became the North of England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
Junior Solo Champion and was invited to play for the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. A move to Cornwall saw John as principal trombone with St. Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
and Bodmin bands where he achieved a succession of competition victories at solo competitions throughout the South West of England. It was at this time that he gained the title of Champion Trombone Player of Great Britain on three successive occasions. He is one of only two players ever to achieve a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in this event.
After playing solo trombone with the Stanshawe (Bristol) and Fairey Engineering
Fairey Band
The Fairey Band is a brass band based in Heaton Chapel in Stockport, Greater Manchester.Its name comes from Sir Richard Fairey and the Fairey Aviation Company, famous in later years for the Fairey Delta 2 aircraft - the first aircraft in level flight to exceed 1,000mph, and had an important...
bands with whom he also held the post of principal trombone with Harry Mortimer
Harry Mortimer
Harry Mortimer OBE was an English composer and conductor who specialised in brass band music.Born in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, his father was conductor Fred Mortimer . Fred taught Harry and his brothers Rex and Alex to play the cornet, and also composition. Later he was taught by William Rimmer...
’s Men o’ Brass, he became principal trombone with the Black Dyke Mills Band
Black Dyke Band
The Black Dyke Band, formerly the Black Dyke Mills Band, is one of the oldest and best-known brass bands in the world. The band has won many prizes and competitions over the years...
. With this band he won competition titles including a hat trick of European Championships and toured such countries as Holland, Switzerland, Spain and Japan.
Since 1979 he has been a music tutor for the National Youth Brass Band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
of Great Britain and is a Council member of the same organisation.
Maines is a member of the National Association of Brass Band Adjudicators and regularly adjudicates both at home and abroad. He travels in Europe taking him to such places as Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and Denmark where he has taken part in various musical activities including the direction of the National Youth Band of Denmark. Maines’ academic work saw him graduate from the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
with a BA (Hons) Degree.
Maines is active as a conductor in the UK directing different bands, as well as undertaking the role of Master of Ceremonies at many of the country’s band events such as The National Youth Band Championships, The Great Northern
Great Northern
Great Northern may refer to:* Great Northern , led by former 30 Seconds to Mars member Solon Bixler*Great Northern , led by former Mission Mountain Wood Band member Rob Quist...
Brass Arts Festival
Arts festival
An arts festival is a festival that focuses on the visual arts in all its forms, but which may also focus on or include other arts.Arts festivals in the visual arts are exhibitions and are not to be confused with the commercial art fair. Artists participate in the most important of such festival...
, The Harry Mortimer Centenary Concert and acting as compere for many bands such as Black Dyke, Fairey’s, Grimethorpe Colliery
Grimethorpe Colliery Band
The Grimethorpe Colliery Band is a brass band, based in Grimethorpe, South Yorkshire, England. It was formed in 1917, as a leisure activity for the workers at the colliery, by members of the disbanded Cudworth Colliery Band...
, Foden's
Foden's Band
Foden's Band is a brass band from Sandbach in Cheshire. The band derives its name from the Foden manufacturer of trucks in Sandbach...
, Brighouse & Rastrick
Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band
The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band was formed in 1881. It is based in Brighouse, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.-History:The Brighouse and Rastrick Band is regarded by many as the best and most consistent ‘public subscription band’ in the world...
, Wingates
Wingates Band
Wingates Band is a brass band based in Wingates, a settlement near the town of Westhoughton in north-west England. It is considered one of the country's finest contesting bands and competes in the championship section of the British brass band league structure...
, Leyland
Leyland Band
The Leyland Band is a brass band based in Lancashire in the UK.-History:The Leyland Band was established in 1946 in the heart of industrial Lancashire as the Leyland Motors Band, taking its name from the world famous truck and bus company...
, BAYV Cory
Cory Band
The Cory Band, formerly the Buy As You View Band, is one of the oldest and best known brass bands in the world.-History and origins:The Cory Band hails from the Rhondda Valley in Wales. They were formed in 1884 and originally bore the name ‘Ton Temperance’ a reference to the Temperance movement in...
and Yorkshire Building Society
Yorkshire Building Society
The Yorkshire Building Society is the second largest building society in the UK, with its headquarters in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Assets now exceed £20 billion....
.
Maines was for a time the Musical Director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
of the Versatile Brass group with whom he travelled extensively.
Maines is a writer for various music publications, and has taken part in many recordings for CD, Radio and Television. In addition to his everyday banding activities Maines was for many years the presenter of the long running BBC weekly band programme "GMR Brass” and in 1999 received the Manchester Music Makers
Music Makers
The Music Makers was a 1940s band from Saint Kitts and Nevis. They were among the most popular of the Carnival bands from that era....
award for his contribution to music broadcasting in the Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
area.
He is now the presenter of World of Brass Radio on
Radio On
Radio On is a film directed by Christopher Petit and released in 1979. It is a rare example of a British road movie, shot in black and white and featuring music from a number of New Wave bands from the time, as well as established artists such as Kraftwerk and David Bowie...
www.worldofbrass.com, an internet based programme of brass music.