In remembrence of past members no longer with us.
EDWARD JOHN PEARSON
29 September 1941 - 20 August 2026
Always known as John or 'Uncle John' with his family relationship to Duncan Whinyates, John was a regular and committed member of Anvil Chorus for over fourty years from 1985, for which he recieved his BABS recognition pin in 2025. John sang Baritone throughout that period and could be relied upon to support the Chorus in attending weekly rehearsals, singouts and Conventions until his health deteriorated in latter years However he still came to rehearsals when he felt able to,’ encouraged’ by his partner Sheila. He was rewarded for this record with the award by Chorus Members, of the Sides Family Trophy in 2022.
John had a longstanding keenness for music and so too were his family. His main interest was to play the guitar. He was looked upon by the extended family of children grandchildren and great grandchildren as the person to go to for DIY help and advice over many years.
Professionally John was a very experienced long-distance lorry driver who continued working in this role until his seventieth birthday, travelling all over the United Kingdom as well as in Europe, starting this role well before the advent of satellite navigation systems.
As a mark of John’s love of Barbershop music, one of the recorded songs played at his funeral was ‘Ten Feet Off the Ground’ by the Vocal Majority. Over a dozen members of the Chorus attended his funeral and, led by Duncan Whinyates, sang ‘Irish Blessing’ at the family’s request at the wake held at Great Barr Golf Club on 18 September 2026. John’s quiet unassuming and friendly presence will be sorely missed by the Chorus and our condolences were expressed to his long-time partner Sheila of over forty years and their extended family.
DENNIS HODGETTS
18 February 1934 - 6 February 2026
Dennis Hodgetts was not only one of the seven founder members of Anvil Chorus but remained so for many years until the need to support his wife during her illnesses forced his resignation. He sang Lead in the Chorus throughout this time although he occasionally helped out by singing Tenor when numbers were short..
Quite apart from his Chorus service Dennis also sang in several Quartets over the years starting with the Club’s first competing quartet Chime Gentlemen, alongside Rod Butcher, Michael sides and Paul While, which won the Silver Medals in the BABS Convention.
Following this success Dennis took an active part in many other quartets including Chime and Again with Colin Williams, Roy Hodge and John Winterbottom and also Dads Harmony with Peter Hughes, George Badland and John Winterbottom.
Dennis was also so keen on his music and singing that he was simultaneously a member of the KJ Choir based in West Bromwich and in addition to regular concerts , this choir arranged an annual day out usually to a stately home followed by a meal and plenty of singing during the day. He was also a member for some years of another barbershop Chorus, called Gentlemen Songsters, later to be called Crescendo, under the Direction of john Wiggins.
His contributions to the Chorus were recognised by both fellow members and the Management Team with the awards of the Michael Sides Trophy in 2107 and the Joe Riseborough Rosebowl in 2016. Another justified claim to fame was when early in the life of the Chorus he designed the original logo using the initials W and M to form the figure of a singer
A very good turnout of both current and past members of Anvil Chorus attended Dennis’s funeral at the Sandwell Valley Crematorium on 19 February 2026 when at the request of his Daughter, Carol, and the family, those present sang ‘ Irish Blessing.'
The image on the left shows the original WMBHC club badge designed by Dennis. It is a clever use of the WestMiodlands initials to create the raised arms above the waist and the legs below.
CHRISTOPHER JAMES HENDERSON- HAMILTON
8 September 1944 – 14 December 2025
Chris enjoyed many very different pursuits and hobbies including track and field athletics; navigating in car rallies; and Morris Dancing ! He grew up with plenty of music contacts due to his family church connections and also being part of a pop music group. Another life-long interest and active hobby was gardening and he achieved great success at this.
Chris joined BABS in the summer or 2013 having become a founder member of a new Club in Ipswich – the VIP’s – under the Directorship of Gaynor Schofield, wife of Brian who has a longstanding, and multi-gold medal winning association with barbershop singing both in Quartets and Choruses. Chris attended a six-week Learn to Sing Course which led to his initial commitment to this hobby.
Having sung with the VIP’s for several years he quickly demonstrated his ability as an accomplished Bass singer and was invited to join the newly formed local Fever Pitch Quartet in 2018 as a founder member where he sang with Bob Sangwell, Tenor; Phil Kemp, Lead; and Ben Topliss Baritone. The Quartet remained active on long-distance chat and zoom sessions throughout the Covid pandemic. This association continued even after Chris and family moved to Worcestershire, which involved regular long-distance travel to monthly rehearsals in Suffolk. The Quartet performed many local singouts including variety shows, Women’s Institute meetings and often busking after rehearsals in and around Stowmarket. Quite apart from his singing contributions in the Chorus and Quartet, Chris became Secretary to the Ipswich Club, a position he held until the house move.
Chris and his wife Jennifer moved to live near Pershore in Worcestershire and to be near to their son and his young family which led to him then joining the local Club, Vale Harmony. It was from that chorus Chris then joined Anvil Chorus as a joint member in the early months of 2025 at which point the chorus had suffered two totally unexpected deaths in the Bass section including the Section Leader, so his contribution at that stage immediately before what proved to be his final Convention in Bournemouth was critically important in improving our performance up to eleventh place from nineteenth previously.
He was also under consideration to join Classmates Quartet following the ‘retirement’ of George Badland. As he had shown in Suffolk and Worcestershire, Chris had considerable ability to learn songs very quickly and accurately, qualities admired by choruses and quartets over the years. Sadly with developing ill-health in 2024 and 2025 Chris was finding it increasingly difficult to sing and his barbershop commitments unfortunately came to an end when given a terminal illness diagnosis in the summer of 2025 – not long after Convention. He therefore withdrew from his singing and was undergoing care and treatment largely at home until the end stage of his illness required admission to hospice care. Members of his Quartet and Choruses visited during this time and he was always especially appreciative of their support for him.
At the funeral service there was a substantial representation from Ipswich, Pershore and Anvil Chorus along with the members of Fever pitch all of whom joined together in singing the Irish Blessing at the conclusion of the service.
Chris was a gentle, caring and committed contributor to his hobby and will be sorely missed by all those who had the pleasure of singing with him. Our condolences go to his widow Jennifer, his son, daughter-in-law and their young family.
Colin Anthony Bowen B.E.M.
23 NOVEMBER 1966 – 6 APRIL 2025 by Henry Foster
The Chorus has lost an excellent Bass singer with the passing of Colin who following the ‘retirement ‘of his predecessor George Badland, became Section Leader of the Basses in 2024.
He joined the Chorus and became a member of the British Association of Barbershop Singers in July 2010, initially singing Bass, then changing to Lead before returning to sing Bass. Colin was a very fast learner of his part and in addition to singing with the Chorus he enjoyed singing bass principally with “Good Last Chord Quartet” when he joined up with pals Dave Williams, Steve Lee and Andy Flack. He also stood in very ably on occasions with Classmates Quartet.
Colin receives his BEM
Colin was very strong academically, gaining a scholarship to King Edward’s School in Aston, achieving excellent ‘A’ levels and joining the Police Service although he decided that in career terms this was not to be a lasting option. He then moved and had a long and successful career as a Civil Servant initially working with the Department of Work and Pensions before moving to the HMRC working As a Data Analyst Manager. In addition to his normal duties he made major contributions to initiatives within HMRC in connection with equality and mental health support, indeed in relation to mental health support his work influenced things not only locally but across the West Midlands area. He established arrangements for ‘time to talk’ sessions for staff; social activities including walks, and visits. As a result of this work he was nominated for an award at the HMRC Rewards and Recognition Event where he won the ‘Bringing Communities Together’ award. Colin was also to be given a special Senior Civil Service Award for his efforts in this field though sadly this only became known when he was away from work through illness and he never got to receive this deserved award.
Amidst a busy career and growing family responsibilities Colin decided to study for a higher qualification and achieved an Honours Degree in Psychology through the Open University Colin was by no means restricted to singing Barbershop music as he had for many years been lead singer and guitarist [ lead and bass !] in a Rock Band called ‘One More Time’ which performed a few times at Anvil Chorus Social evenings over the years. The Band rehearsed regularly on Thursdays each week creating great sounds and plenty of fun and laughter.
Quite apart from a busy working and family life and his varied musical commitments, Colin also played a major role in the work of the Scouting Movement around Birmingham in running local Scout Troops as well as arranging the periodic Handsworth Gang Shows which were on a very large scale and required significant organisation. Indeed, it was through this activity that he and his wife Karen first met on stage as cast members. He went on to become the Producer of the event, where he was able to exploit his considerable organisational skills. It was for his contribution to the support and organisation of these activities and work with and for younger people that Colin was deservedly awarded the British Empire Medal and he was presented this by the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire on 9 May 2015 [ Pictured].
Colin was a devoted family man who took great pride in in the development of his children, Gareth and Karys and with Karen enjoyed many memorable holidays and experiences together over the years.
Karen said “Colin was not ready to leave this world, and we were not ready to let him go. He has left a space in our hearts and our lives that can never be filled. But he has also left us with a legacy- of kindness, of service and of unwavering love and hope His family and friends will carry him with them always”.
Alan Keen
18 SEPTEMBER 1952 – 28 MARCH 2025 by Henry Foster
Our respected Club Chairman sadly died suddenly leaving the Chorus, his family of four children and two grand children, mourning the loss of a major contributor to the work and successes of the club over many years.Alan joined Anvil Chorus late in 2011 and became a member of the British Association of Barbershop Singers on 21 January 2012. Alan was a Bass singer and was one of the most regular and dedicated attenders for all Chorus activities including rehearsals, singouts and Conventions. He also attended several Harmony College events in the Chorus stream and on one occasion as part of the Quartet stream.
He sang Bass in ‘Quadroseniors’ quartet with his pals Lawrence Smith; Michael Hendrickson and Les Jordan and entertained around the Great Barr and Sutton Coldfield areas, as well as meeting for regular rehearsals most Fridays.
Alan served on two occasions as the Club Chairman demonstrating his commitment to the Chorus management, most recently taking up the role after the re-emergence of the Club post Covid-19 and he along with his Management Team colleagues steered the Chorus forward as it sought to pick up from the pandemic when several members were sadly lost. He also oversaw the difficult arrangements to move the Chorus from its long-standing rehearsal venue at Grove Vale School in Great Barr to our present venue at Beacon Church, Pheasey, to the north of Birmingham which has proved to be most successful.
A highlight of several Social Evenings run by the Club, was when Alan teamed up with his long-time pal, Colin Roper to present their very accurate impersonations of classic sketches by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. They both had the knack of voicing their parts just as the original comedians had done flavoured with local chorus member references
Alan had a long and successful career in Local Government having qualified with a degree in Politics followed by Diplomas in Housing Management and Management Studies. He progressed from a Trainee in Housing Management to become a senior manager in the Housing Department of Birmingham City Council and then after 30 years moved to become Head of Equality, Diversity and Disability with Solihull Council, a post he held for nine years until his retirement in 2016. He formed, and was Director of, Alan Keen Associates which offered training and consultancy mainly but not exclusively on Equality and Diversity issues. From 2018 onwards Alan worked as a Volunteer Advisor with the Birmingham Peoples Centre, helping many local people with employment issues
Away from the Chorus Alan enjoyed sports and was a long-time supporter and season ticket holder, of his favourite football club, Aston Villa and it is so sad the he was not there to see his team progress and play as one of the last eight clubs in the European Club Championship and semi-finalists in the FA Cup quite apart from competing in the top six teams in the country through the normal season. Earlier in life he had played cricket regularly and later watched Warwickshire along with his father.
In recent years Alan was strongly supported by his soulmate Claudine who would be a regular attender at singouts and Club events including sitting through his last all-day rehearsal in preparation for Convention in Bournemouth 2025
John Simcox
John’s service to the Chorus includes time spent as our Secretary to the Management Team of which he was a member, as well as becoming our Chorus Manager which involves considerable contact with the members each week.
For several years this also included the sometimes thankless job, of arranging our hotel accommodation for Conventions.
In addition to this John offered help to the Music Team with work on performance and presentation of the songs we use in both singouts and contests, drawing upon his considerable experience in organising and being the Producer of Scout Gang Shows locally. As a reflection of his abilities and extraordinary contributions he was elected by our members, winner of the Sides Family Trophy [equivalent to Barbershopper of the Year] and more recently winner of the Joe Riseborough Rosebowl which is awarded by the Management Team to a member who has made an exceptional contribution to the ongoing success of the Chorus.
There has been a massive outpouring of very complimentary comments about John since his passing including phrases such as him being ‘Ambassador for the Club’; ‘part of the life-blood of the Chorus’; Mr Anvil’; and from one of our ladies simply, ‘The Smiley One’! Over the last three years John struggled with several serious and debilitating illnesses but in his usual style, bravely continued his commitment to the Club and his pals for whom he would go out of his way to help and support. As attending regular rehearsals and singouts became more difficult for him he was elected to the First Fellowship of the Club – a new membership category for those who unfortunately find themselves in this situation.
We were able to share our memories and thoughts about John with his wife Julia with whom he would have celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in September this year, as well as son Rob and daughter Kate to whom we send our sincere condolences.
Lacy Kyle
18 APRIL 2021 by Henry Foster
Lacy who had been a member of Anvil Chorus for a little under twenty years, sadly died on 18 April 2021 and since then huge volumes of tributes have been received by the Club and its members from around the UK and beyond, all of which reflect on his amazing rich resonant Bass voice which was so good that any chorus would have been proud to have him amongst its members.Quite apart from his Anvil Chorus Membership he had also joined in 2019 the Birmingham-based MaleVox Chorus, and sang Bass with Classmates Quartet. From my first conversation with him when he was making enquiries about potentially joining Anvil Chorus, it was plain that with such a voice he was to be welcomed and I arranged to meet him prior to his first rehearsal to introduce him to the Director and other Members. From that day on he was a regular attender at rehearsals, Sing-outs and Conventions when his duties as a Custody Suite Sergeant allowed and he would travel to preliminary contests and take part in tag sessions as well.
Lacy had considerable music talents including piano playing; guitar playing in addition to his singing. Whilst others would usually warm up for events by drinking fluids Lacy would often take a few moments for a roll-up in the fresh air but invariably sang with skills which everyone would envy.
During 2019 and 2020 before Covid-19 overtook events Lacy also helped with some coaching during rehearsals particularly in the understanding of the Circle of Fifths and chord structures for example. He also gave time to other members of the Bass section in the learning and singing of new songs, finally taking over the award of ‘Cookies’ for recordings from the section on new songs.
Outside of Barbershop Lacy had a keen interest in both motor cars and motor cycles – usually owning two of each at any time – which he enjoyed tinkering with. He took great pride in his Kawasaki Bike. In the most recent years he tended to alternate the use of his cars between an old Land Rover and a Porche sports car which bore the apposite number BA55 BUS !
Another significant contribution which Lacy made for the Club was the creation of a new part of our Club website to handle the Media pages with Music; teach tracks; videos; and coaching notes which is as good as any chorus could hope to be able to access and use.
After his retirement from the West Midlands Police Service in 2016 he decided to take on a new challenge and became a valued member of staff of the West Midlands Ambulance Service in 2017 as part of the Patient Transport Service, which illustrates the major contributions which Lacy made to public services throughout his life.
Lacy leaves his wife Jenny and son Sam to whom sincere and heartfelt sympathies are extended.
Jim Cook
Jim from Worcestershire, would travel 80 miles return to our rehearsals, coaching sessions and singouts, rarely missing any of these and regularly being one of the first to arrive even when roadworks and accidents on the M5 did their best to delay him.
He joined the Bass Section with a rich resonant voice and in the words of our Director Rod Butcher, was a ‘giant of a Bass on our back row’. He frequently and selflessly helped others in the Section with troublesome parts of songs which was a great help especially to newer members.
Jim undertook a most important role in his Section in appraising accuracy of recordings for the Purple Dot award. His critiques were always thorough, constructive and helpful.
Jim was a quiet intelligent man with a good sense of humour, a good listener, and someone who was entirely reliable in supporting the work and aims of the Chorus. He was also blessed with a remarkable memory as demonstrated in his ability, years after it was taught by our previous Director Duncan Whinyates, of reciting the entire letter content of the Periodic Table – quite a party piece !
As the Chorus was in lockdown during the final few weeks of Jim’s illnesses the members had no chance to say or sing a final farewell to such a stalwart pal and this saddened the whole Chorus and our supporters.
Jim leaves his wife of 47 years, Angela, Sons Roger and Sandy and Daughter Sophie.
John Ellis 1934-2014
Throughout his time as a Barbershop singer, John Ellis gave enormous and valued service both to his Club and also the Association of Barbershop Singers. He was one of the first members of the West Midlands Barbershop Harmony Club when it was formed by teachers at the then Menzies High School in Great Barr and John completed some 26 years as a member, eventually being awarded Honorary Life Membership in recognition of his contributions over those years.John sang lead and although he would have accepted not being one of the strongest singers he was ever present at rehearsals and singouts up to the time of his eventual final illness.
Aside from the singing side of the Chorus john introduced and edited a very well put together r
Regular magazine called ‘ Forge Ahead’ and whilst some members contributed articles John often wrote the majority of it content. In recognition of his several contributions to the Club over the years John was awarded the Sides Family Trophy in 1886 and the Joe Riseborough Rose Bowl in 1995
He also made significant inputs to the management of the club, as Secretary for many years, and was responsible for making arrangements for accommodation at the BABS Annual Conventions including operating a savings scheme for members.
Quite apart from these contributions john was a regular part of the national arrangements for the holding of Harmony College, which initially began by him offering to help out for a year or so, but continuing to the time of his death in 2014. This important work was commemorated by the Club by the planting of a tree and memorial plaque, at Nottingham University, the venue for Harmony College for many years.
For most of his years as a member of the Club his wife, Celia, often attended our rehearsals helping with refreshments at break time each week as well as accompanying John at Conventions and some singouts, and it was fitting that she was awarded Honorary Membership of the Club for her unfailing support.
Chris Cherry
2003 was memorable as it was the year we decided to take the Chorus abroad, to Ireland, for IABS Convention for just the second time, having sung in the Dutch Convention back in 1990. The Chorus sang really well and came away with the Silver Medal falling just three points short of the All-Ireland Ladies Chorus. There were two major achievements on that trip – winning the Silver medal but then managing to get home at all, as our return ferry was cancelled, which meant that everyone arrived home well into the Monday morning instead of Sunday evening.
Chris was a lead singer and a regular attender at our events wherever they took place and sang with us in the various Conventions we attended around the country at the major Conference Centres. I mention this because as Chris’s medical conditions became more severe the taking part in Conventions which usually entails being on the feet for a couple of hours, became more difficult to handle but Chris saw them through.
In 2001 Chris was awarded Anvil’s Sides Family Trophy [Barbershopper of the Year] which is given by an annual vote amongst the full chorus membership to recognise exceptional service to the Club.
A few weeks after Chris’s terminal prognosis was given in the autumn of 2015, he asked if the quartet in which I sing, Classmates, might go over to his home and sing a few songs for him which we gladly did in the early part of 2016. Another member of the Chorus with whom Chris had struck up a close friendship, Mike Hendrickson also came along with us for what we all agreed was a memorable afternoon. It was clear that although he could no longer be active in our hobby, he retained an enthusiasm for our style of music and was still familiar with some of our repertoire, as well as well-known choruses and quartets around the country and beyond.
Chris gave sterling service to his hobby and the Club and we pay tribute to that commitment and that of his wife Pam who actively supported both Chris and the Chorus so well.
Chris himself designed the Thanksgiving Service which several members of the Chorus attended, and true to his sense of humour, although the service began by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Vocal Majority singing ‘How Great Thou Art ‘ it concluded like no other service with ‘The Laughing Policeman’!
Chris leaves Pam and his two daughters Belinda and Fiona.
Colin Williams
Quite apart from his singing contributions to the Chorus, he served as a Member of the Club’s Management Committee; appointed Chairman in 1994; and for some time took on the role of Public Relations Officer. He won the Sides Family Trophy [ Anvil Chorus’s Barbershopper of the Year ] in 1989 . Throughout his long membership Colin enjoyed singing in quartet. In 1986, with John Winterbottom, Roy Hodge and Dennis Hodgetts he formed Chime and Again who performed regularly for five years, appearing both locally and in Limerick, Plymouth and Bangor [N.I]; Colin later sang lead in Centenary Square and more recently tenor with Classmates.Colin had to face up to the considerable challenge of ongoing serious illness during 2009 and 2010, but throughout confronted this with enormous courage and good humour. Following successful stem cell implant treatment over Christmas of 2009, he had a very active 2010. He decided to retire from his post with Royal Mail. After this he hosted his second daughter’s wedding in the summer; enjoyed a Mediterranean cruise with his wife and dear friends Roy and Irene Hodge; and rehearsed and competed with Classmates in the Senior Quartet contest in November. Regrettably it was quite soon after this contest that Colin became seriously ill again and he passed away peacefully with his family around him, on 11 January 2011.
It was fitting that representatives from each of the Choruses and quartets attended his funeral and both Synergy and Anvil Chorus sang at the wake.
Ivor Williams
Ivor often said that Barbershop had given him a new lease of singing life and he just loved being with us on the risers and, ever the performer, particularly enjoyed our public appearances and relished the challenge of Convention, so it’s fitting that the picture is of him enjoying the Sweet Pea experience at Harrogate this year. Sadly, just a few short months later Ivor passed away having fought a difficult battle with Lung and Liver Cancer.
Ivor was a keen follower of the modern jazz scene and recently, having just listened to Randy Chisholm of Marquis sing ‘I Will Never Pass This Way Again’ said ” Sitting with my mouth wide open, goosebumps on goosebumps and yes, a little tear, I’ve just witnessed a one off. What a sad loss to music. Thanks for giving me the opportunity of hearing something so beautiful.”
Ivor, you made us laugh, cry and sometimes grit our teeth, but you were always a treasure, Rest in Peace.
John Baker
Some years ago, I am unable to remember how many, (it seems for ever) he moved back to Birmingham and joined Anvil Chorus. The Chorus was never quite the same again, John was the eternal volunteer and whenever help was needed you would find John in the middle. It wasn’t long before he was appointed Chorus Manager. I remember phoning him and spoke to Do. John was out but I told Do that John’s name had been put forward to fill the post of Chorus Manager and we wanted to know if he would accept. I learned later that it was a silly question; of course he would accept. He did a stint as membership Secretary too but I guess his heart was as Chorus Manager.
Since that date he has been involved in every outing and competition the Chorus has undertaken – places like Holland and Republic of Ireland and Conventions too numerous to mention. I remember John’s trip to Holland. He had injured his foot to prior to the event and travelled with two crutches. It could only happen to John that a fellow member decided to change the length of his crutches, one very high and the other very low. It was him who suggested that we sing a tag in Dutch on the Saturday Show at DABS. At a short stop in Brussels, John blew his pitch pipe in the main square to gather the chorus members. Barbershoppers came from everywhere and even two Sweet Adelines came. They heard a pitchpipe and came to investigate. On the return sea journey he arranged with the Bursar that we perform two short sing-outs. He had the philosophy of the impossible we do immediately, miracles take a little longer. Incidents like this are myriad.
John worked in the Campus Crew for many years at Harmony College and was responsible for arranging the provision of polo shirts for the faculty and students. He had a tremendous ability to make people feel and be very welcome. He seemed to know everybody by name.
Over the last few years, John was not a well man but he would not let this affect his beloved barbershop and his support of Anvil Chorus. He never complained of his illnesses and any mention was merely discussion. For him, nothing was too much trouble, often at his own inconvenience and, certainly Anvil Chorus was a better chorus for his being a member. If John had any faults it was his willingness to volunteer for anything that needed doing, and he complained vehemently when things did not go right – sometimes unjustifiably. He himself recognised that he had a short anger fuse but he bore no grudge and always came back smiling. I guess that you could describe him as a little man with a big heart.
He was a great friend to me personally and was extremely helpful and encouraging both inside and outside barbershop. It is difficult to repay such friendship. His departure to that ‘chorus in the sky’ has made us all very sad. We have had difficulty coming to terms with this loss and we feel his going very acutely after his long and committed, no, devoted service.”
John Carter
John became a regular attender at rehearsals and singouts as well as contests – Mr Reliable in so many ways. He was the sort of guy who had a mischievous sense of fun and humour which came to the fore in so many ways during his membership. Memories of this are many, including his unannounced use of bells when performing ‘Jingle Bells’ one Christmas; and his claim to have used up half of his garden fence in producing stage props, including tankards, when we sang ‘Saloon’ at the Birmingham Convention. In making the tankard, his wife asked “John, what have you done with my dressing table” This talent developed when, appearing in a Music Hall act to raise funds for the chorus, he sang ‘Sonny Boy’ during the performance of which his ‘arms’ were extended to twice their normal length. The audience reaction each night was wonderful to see. On a visit to Ireland one year he was carrying an imitation starting pistol – another prop – which attracted considerable attention from the armed Police Officers at the Airport. Probably on this same trip, the quartet in which he occasionally sang used the title Four Kings Singers, which the compere of the contest amended just in time to the Four Devils! On another occasion he manufactured a wonderful roll-up screen for the Monday Morning Show through which along with Colin Williams; Roy Hodge and Rick Scott, poked their heads to perform ‘I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside’ just like the seafront photo-booths.
On numerous occasions John hosted guests to Anvil Chorus
Beyond activities in the Club, John devoted considerable efforts to the development and running of part of the Association’s Harmony Store – the section which at that time was dealing with the sale of recoded music of Choruses and Quartets, much of which he arranged to import from the United States. He could be always seen at the ‘shop’ usually dressed colourfully, but at one Brighton he excelled himself by not only his clothes, but with a Barbershop hat with flashing lights, a picture of which appeared on the front of the local newspaper that weekend when he became the image of Barbershop at that Convention. As book-keeping was not his forte, his brother Kenneth took control of the finances of the Harmony Store, leaving John to lead on the sales front where his happy-go-lucky style must have clinched many a sale for the Association.
John’s wife, Joan had one complaint. She could only go with John anywhere twice, the second time was to apologise.
Ken Carter
Like his brother Ken was a bass, but I think it is fair to say that Ken’s more important contribution to the chorus was his administrative role. He was a tireless worker on behalf of the chorus and became treasurer and held the post for a number of years. For many years Ken and his brother also ran the BABS shop at prelims and convention, selling tapes and CDs of the various quartets and choruses both local and international.
Ken was a true barber shopper in the sense that he was totally reliable, unselfish and a very good friend to many of us. He was a very intelligent and knowledgeable man and at work ran the Peugeot chemi lab at Coventry.
He was the main force behind the introduction of our annual Valentine’s day quartet presentations. Receiving all telephone requests, organising the cards and gifts to be presented, the routs to be traveled and the sequence of performances. Quite a complex task that he managed on his own without complaint. He also did much of the driving and acting as ‘minder’ to the quartets.
Once Anvil introduced the PD system of assessing members performances, Ken had problems getting through the various criteria and eventually left us and joined Coventry Three Spires as a tenor.
But he will always be remembers by many of us as the generous fun loving guy he was. Always having a funny incident to relate.
The best story I recall was when he and his brother John were invited down to London by the BBC for something that was being put on to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Howard Carters death. When asked by a member of the BBC “What will you be doing to celebrate the occasion” The answer that came back from brother John was “We are going to dig him up,—– and see how he likes it”
RIP Ken, you are still very much missed.
Geoff Robinson
Quite apart from singing Baritone, he moved in later years to sing Bass and also at times acted as a ‘roving’ Section Leader coaching the Leads too. Occasionally he was ‘out front’ when the Director was away or delayed in attending. Geoff was a proud member of the 1988 Bronze Medal winning Chorus in Harrogate.
Professionally Geoff was a Teacher of Mathematics and later Deputy Head Teacher at Menzies High School which is where the Chorus first formed. He also became a School Governor of our current rehearsal venue, Grove Vale School in Great Barr.
Geoff recruited many singers into our hobby, including John Ellis in the early days, along with several other members with whom he came into contact through his membership of the West Bromwich Mountaineering Club, indeed the Chorus still has members who share that hobby.
Geoff was in so many ways therefore a major contributor to both the initial establishment of the Chorus and its further development over two decades.
Stan Cox
He was a man who it seemed always had a twinkle in the eye accompanied by a shrewd sense of humour. Always willing to put his heart and soul into a performance he is fondly remembered for taking a lead role in the ‘send up’ of ‘Wait ‘til the Sun Shines Nellie’. He had good musical skills and would never pass up a chance to step out in front of the Chorus to direct whenever the opportunity arose. Amongst his many skills Stan was viewed as the Club Carpenter; made boxes to balance the height of the vertically challenged on each row of the risers; made the first Club banner in bright red and silver material to match the uniforms at that time; and could be relied upon to find ways and means to fix almost anything, or find someone who could. His boxes for the Chorus trophies are still in use today
Second City Sound, our sister Chorus, was formed in 1990/1 and initially Stan was its Director, later becoming the Assistant Chorus Director to John Riseborough and subsequently John Brackpool [originally Pratley] carrying his musical skills to that Chorus whilst still singing with Anvil Chorus. He was a proud member of the Bronze Medal winning Chorus at Harrogate in 1988
Stan enjoyed his cigarettes, and even whilst confined to hospital, he was always seeking out ways to sneak out to have one of his ‘fixes’. In later years he suffered a serious stroke but fought back from this really well. It’s said that whilst over in Ireland for one of their Conventions, he was waiting outside for other Club Members to emerge from their Hotel, and had decided to do his daily exercises, which included repeatedly flexing his affected hand into a fist and then releasing this. Rarely was Stan rendered speechless, but he was taken by surprise when a passer-by assumed that he was begging, and promptly thrust a coin into his outstretched hand!
Such was Stan’s affection for the Chorus, that he left a substantial bequest of £1000.00 to the Club in his will which the Management Committee committed to Education and Training initiatives.
Gil Ryder
A long-standing member of the Club, shortly after joining, was amazed when the guy in front of him on the risers said ‘I think I have some bad news for you’! Expecting to have an adverse comment about his singing, George Badland asked what that might be, only to discover and recall that he and Gil had both been in the same 2030 Squadron ATC some 40 years or so previously. At that time Gil was the Mace bearer whilst George was a bugler. This was their first meeting after all those years.
Gil’s lovely rich bass voice was a fine contribution to our sound, but gradually his health began to fail as serious heart problems gradually grew worse, and eventually things deteriorated to the point where he needed a heart transplant. Those of us in the Chorus at that time well recall his admission to Papworth Hospital, which at that time was one of just two hospitals in the country undertaking transplants. What was not so well known was the fact that the ambulance taking Gil down to Papworth for his surgery got lost en route and eventually came across another ambulance fortuitously heading in the same direction. It transpired that the second ambulance was taking a patient to receive the lungs from the same organ donor – an amazing coincidence.
His operation was a great success and he returned to his hobby in good shape. To recognise the contribution made by the Hospital the chorus went down to Papworth Hospital to sing for one of their Open Days, of all things travelling there and back on a double decker ‘bus ! True to form, Gil turned up dressed as a Conductor for the trip – a quite memorable and enjoyable day out.
With his friend Ron and ably supported by their wives, Olive and Jean, Gil organised several car boot sales for which chorus Members contributed items with all proceeds going to the Club. Anyone who has been to such a sale will appreciate the effort involved and the two guys worked tirelessly to do this to help the Club. This was formally recognised when Gil and Ron jointly won the Joe Riseborough Rosebowl for outstanding contributions to the Club. Gil was also a motorcycle fanatic sharing this interest with John Baker both of whom could tell many a tale about their various exploits.
Sadly, and in large part due to the anti-rejection drugs he needed to take, Gil’s health later deteriorated and he could no longer make it to rehearsals, although he would call in periodically to see how we were doing and to renew his many friendships in the Chorus. Many will recall his final visit at which stage he was terminally ill and when he insisted on saying his farewells to each member there that night. He was presented with a specially recorded and unique CD of the Chorus titled ‘Under the Direction Of ‘ which contained many of the then recent Convention performances of Anvil Chorus.
