From Friends and Family
Occasionally, we’ll get things sent to us from past band members that we
received too late to include in our stories. Or friends of the band will send us
some long ago treasures that they’ve come across while rummaging through
dust-laden boxes deep in their attic. This is the area of our website that we’ll
use to post these items. And we encourage anyone who’s reading this part
of our website, that if they have any memories of the past, memorabilia or
things pertaining to the Brass Union band that they feel others might want to
see, to forward them to us so we can post them here. Our contact
information is on our band contact page and can be found HERE.
Our first submission comes to us from the band’s first drummer, Dave Balan.
We received these photos after we had already completed our pictorials on
these particular years. To the left is the Brass Union performing at Aldershot
High School in 1967. The band was a 7-piece unit at the time with members,
from left to right: Cliff Hunt and Bill Magee on trumpets, Vuk Kovinich on lead
guitar and vocals, Dave Baylis on bass guitar, Bruce Wilson on rhythm guitar,
Paul Scott on trombone and Darrell Nameth on saxophone. Hidden in the
back behind Vuk and Dave Baylis is band drummer, Dave Balan.
To right is the band performing in the same Aldershot High School
gymnasium one year later in 1968. Band members at this time
were, from left to right: Mike Lansbury on lead vocals, Dave Baylis
on bass guitar, Bruce Wilson on rhythm guitar, lead guitarist Len
Blum taking a turn singing, Dave Balan in the back on drums, Cliff
Hunt on trumpet, Darrell Nameth on saxophone, Bill Magee on
trumpet and Paul Scott on trombone.
The next submission, to the left, was sent to us
by Terry Bramhall, the band’s third bass
guitarist. We’re not sure of the venue, but it was
undoubtedly one of the Burlington High Schools
and we believe the year was 1969. Here, Dave
Thrasher had replaced Mike Lansbury as the
band’s lead vocalist -- shown standing in the
front centre. To the far right, Paul Goodrow had
replaced Paul Scott on trombone, and Mike
Thornton was now the band’s bass guitarist,
replacing Dave Baylis.
From Stephen Booth: The two pictures to
the left are of John Hannah playing with the
‘Crackers’ band at the Orient Express in
Burlington in 1981.
And the two pictures below are sent to us by
Reg Denis of the ‘Crackers’ band, with John
playing with the same band when they
opened for ‘Nazareth’ at Mohawk College in
1984. In the picture to the bottom left, from
left to right are John Hannah, Mike Almas on
guitar and Patti Warden on bass guitar.
It is probably fitting, at this time, to add the above mp3 to
this website. “Harbour Rescue Mission” was one of the
band’s dozen or so ‘originals’, written by Richard Clark of
Hamilton and recorded in 1970 or 1971 -- we are unsure of
the location. On lead vocal is John Hannah.
‘’Harbour Rescue Mission’ -- The Brass Union
