John Bull is a country/barn dance/ceilidh band that has been providing lively, accessible music for approaching 30 years. Essentially a live band, we specialise in performing in such a way that novices and experienced dancers alike can enjoy the fun of country/barn/folk dancing. Our approach to the music is complemented by the straightforward and fully explained calling provided by Eddie, which helps anyone to overcome any nerves they may have at the start of an evening! Click here if you would like to book the band: book the band >
The band was formed in 1976, when Robin Boyle returned to Merseyside from college in Cardiff and joined up with Colin Berrido, Richard Stapledon and Martin Hughes to start the band. Martin soon left and the other three recruited Neil Stuart from a Wirral folk group, and then teamed up with Eddie Henderson as their 'resident' caller, completing the line-up of the band for the next 6 years.
At that point, Colin moved down south due to work commitments, but the other four members remained together – with occasional temporary changes and additions as people moved around the country. The current members of the band – Robin Boyle (fiddle and drum programming), Richard Stapledon (melodeons), Neil Stuart (bass and other guitars), and Eddie Henderson (caller) - now approach the 30th birthday of the band with continued energy and enthusiasm for what they do.
Whilst all four were originally from The Wirral on Merseyside, the members of John Bull have now spread their wings due to professional commitments. Neil now lives near Chesterfield, Eddie near Loughborough and Robin is exiled to the Isle of Man, leaving Richard as the only remaining Wirral resident. They are therefore used to travelling substantial distances to wherever they perform! Reflecting their Wirral roots, the band has provided the music for several plays produced by The Riverside Players in Heswall. These have included Larkrise (the first part of Flora Thompson's Larkrise to Candleford); The Nativity (the first play in The Mystery Plays cycle); Tess of the D'Urbevilles (Thomas Hardy was of course a fine fiddler and enthusiastic supporter of country dancing); and The Clearing (a play set against the background of Oliver Cromwell's 'ethnic cleansing' in Ireland).
The band's name was taken directly and deliberately from the 18th Century personification of Britain, reflecting the British bias in the music played. Since its inception, the band has specifically focused on playing folk-dance music in an accessible and lively manner, using modern instruments to help bring some of the wealth of material that makes up the folk tradition to new ears of younger generations. Whilst the majority of the music and dances come appropriately from the British Isles, in recent times the material has broadened to include compositions by members of the band, including tunes, dances and even songs, whilst still retaining the essence of the traditional idiom.
The band has produced 3 CDs for listening, and two volumes of a resource pack of dances and music aimed at teachers, Girl Guide leaders and anyone else that wants to teach country dancing to others (or just have your own 'at home' ceilidh!). Keen to retain control of our own destiny, we have recorded, mixed, engineered and mastered all these products ourselves, with only manufacture and duplication carried out by third parties. Click here to find out more about these products:
