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Neil Brookes and Tony Weatherall
Fiddle Flute and Melodeons
Summary
Neil Brookes
Dance music runs in Neils family. His Grandfather and Mother were fine clog dancers, and his Uncle Sam Steele collected valuable recordings of East Anglian musicians in the early 1960s, now on the Veteran CD Heel and Toe. He learned to play fiddle and flute with the Irish communities of Manchester and Crewe, before turning his attention to the dance music of England. He has been a lifelong folk club performer, Morris dancer, and band musician. More recently he has worked with and continues to tour with Cheshire singer, Roy Clinging. He has a passion for English dance music, and has amassed a huge repertoire of tunes, including many from his native North West.
Tony Weatherall
Tony grew up in a musical environment, with family sing-songs and home-made music a regular occurrence in his grandfather's pub in Newcastle-under-Lyme. He started playing melodeon in the early seventies and after moving to London soon discovered a world of squeeze-box music via the now legendary Dobells and Collets record shops: Argentinian Tango, French musette, Tex-Mex, Cajun, Seychelles contra-dance, etc. etc. In the mid-eighties he helped form pioneer British cajun band, The Crayfish Five and later went on to play with The Companions of the Rosy Hours, Le Rue, The Hackney Ramblers and The Boat Band. He now lives in north Shropshire and since returning to the North West has developed a renewed interest in English music.
