Biography
Emerging after the breakup of the British folk dance ensemble Flowers And Frolics, the band assembled its original roster in 1985. That lineup included Dan Quinn (b. 11 October 1949, Grimsby, South Humberside, England; melodeon), Nick Havell (b. Nicholas George Havell, 7 January 1951, Stratford, London, England; bass trombone/piano), Trevor Bennett (b. 4 August 1945, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England; tenor and alto trombones, wind synthesiser, keyboards), Rob Gifford (b. 1 March 1955, Wanstead, London, England; drums/percussion), and Chris Taylor (mouth organs/melodeon/guitar), the last of whom had previously played with the Oyster Band. When Quinn departed in November 1989, Terry Mann (b. 6 October 1963, Barking, London, England; guitar/soprano saxophone/melodeons/bass/wind synthesizer) stepped in on multiple instruments. Between 1993 and 1996 the final configuration consisted of Bennett, Gifford, Taylor, Michael Davidson (bass/guitar) and Dave Blackmore (saxophone/keyboards). A fixture at folk festivals and at heart a dance outfit, the group drew its repertoire from across the British Isles as well as further afield, in contrast to Flowers And Frolics, whose focus remained English country dance.
Albums
