Cookstown Sons of William Flute Band are a protestant band situated in Northern Ireland. From the bands formation in 1977, it has changed a lot with a lot of members passing through the ranks. The band started out as a 'Blood & Thunder' band and were regarded as one of the biggest and indeed best B&T bands in Ulster! The style of the band changed in the early 1990's to Melody. It was a huge risk for the band to take at the time but it certainly paid off as the band is now sought of as one of the top melody flute bands in the country!
As a blood & Thunder band, our numbers were phenomenal with approx. 60 flutes and 20 plus drummers in our peek! At times the band had 3 Bass drummers on parade and it was impressive to say the least.
It was in the early 1990's when the band took the decision to change their style to melody. They also changed their uniform to blue from the usual orange as it was thought it would help change the bands style! The change of colour turned out to be a poor decision for the band and only lasted a few months. We soon went back to our unique orange which has become a trademark of the Sons of William. The distinct colour is very recognisable to the public eye when on parade. The band faced a lot of criticism at this point as people knew Sons of William for their Loud Blood & Thunder and thought turning to melody would be the end of the band.
However, the band has gone from strength to strength since changing the style and its reputation is second to none! Many believe that the Sons of William are up there with the best bands in Ulster, if not the best! The past 4 - 5 years in particular have been probably the most successful in the band's history and from a melody point of view, the music has got better! This is thanks to a lot of hard work and dedication from all members and especially Alan Morton for teaching the band. Ally is an honorary member of the band with over 25 years service and was a huge impact on the turn in style from B&T to Melody. A mention must go to Laurie Johnston from Imperial Corps of Drums from Liverpool, who has arranged many of our Tunes in the past few years. As the band continues to progress and thrive to get better, a lot of hard work is being done behind the scenes and this is an on-going trend. Alexander Abbott from Scotland has been a great influence in recent times and has arranged a few tunes which the band will be playing in the forthcoming years including a Composition which he presented to the band as a gift. Alex is a musical expert and through Luke Forrest, he has been working very hard to find musical arrangements to suit the style of the band. Davie Harkness, Also from Scotland has arranged a few tunes for us in the past. Huge thanks must go to these men for their hard work and dedication to Cookstown Sons of William.
The band is still known for its unique style of music. With a quick tempo and a smart discipline, the band stands out in the crowd while playing 1stBb flutes, 2ndBb flutes, F Flutes, Eb piccolo, Premier Side Drums, Premier Bass drum, and cymbals. The band also carry the colours of the UDR, the UVF colours to remember those brave man who fought in the war, A Scottish flag and indeed a union Jack. It is these features which create the buzz when Cookstown Sons of William take to the streets.
For the bands 30th anniversary, the band celebrated by launching our 1st ever CD called "Rally Round The Flag". If you are interested in a CD or a DVD, then please us either 'Contact Us' Page to order.
For God & Ulster
Негізгі бет Cookstown Sons of William 12th July 2013 Penny Arcade
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