Evolution of a Band:
Personnel Changes from 1953 to 2003

Beginning with Ken Colyer's Jazzmen, and not counting the various skiffle group configurations or the dates when Ottilie Patterson joined and left the band, there have been twenty-six distinct line-ups of the Barber band. Here are photographs of as many of these versions of the Chris Barber Band as I have been able to locate (many of them are from the Barber-Purser archive). You can see larger versions of some of these photographs (eventually, all of them) by going to the Photographs page. If a photograph is not yet available, I have posted the cover of a record or CD made by that particular line-up. Failing that, I have used a photo of the new member of the band.


1953 - 1954
Ken Colyer's Jazzmen:
Ken Colyer (trumpet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Monty Sunshine (clarinet)
Lonnie Donegan (banjo)
Jim Bray (bass)
Ron Bowden (drums)

1954 - 1955
Chris Barber's Jazz Band:
Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Monty Sunshine (clarinet)
Lonnie Donegan (banjo)
Jim Bray (bass)
Ron Bowden (drums)

1955
Chris Barber's Jazz Band
with Ottilie Patterson:
Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Monty Sunshine (clarinet)
Lonnie Donegan (banjo)
Jim Bray (bass)
Ron Bowden (drums) and
Ottilie Patterson (vocals)

1955 - 1956
Micky Ashman replaces Jim Bray

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Monty Sunshine (clarinet)
Lonnie Donegan (banjo)
Micky Ashman (bass)
Ron Bowden (drums)

April - November 1956
Dick Bishop replaces Lonnie Donegan
Dick Smith replaces Micky Ashman

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Monty Sunshine (clarinet)
Dick Bishop (banjo)
Dick Smith (bass)
Ron Bowden (drums)

1956 - 1957
Eddie Smith replaces Dick Bishop

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Monty Sunshine (clarinet)
Eddie Smith (banjo)
Dick Smith (bass)
Ron Bowden (drums)

1957 - 1960
Graham Burbidge replaces Ron Bowden

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Monty Sunshine (clarinet)
Eddie Smith (banjo)
Dick Smith (bass)
Graham Burbidge (drums)

1960 - 1964
Ian Wheeler replaces Monty Sunshine

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Ian Wheeler (reeds)
Eddie Smith (banjo)
Dick Smith (bass)
Graham Burbidge (drums)



1964
John Slaughter joins the band

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Ian Wheeler (reeds)
Eddie Smith (banjo)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Dick Smith (bass)
Graham Burbidge (drums)

1964 - 1966
Stu Morrison replaces Eddie Smith

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Ian Wheeler (reeds)
Stu Morrison (banjo)
John Slaughter (guitar) (not shown in this photo)
Dick Smith (bass)
Graham Burbidge (drums)

1966 - 1967
Micky Ashman replaces Dick Smith

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Ian Wheeler (reeds)
Stu Morrison (banjo)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Micky Ashman (bass)
Graham Burbidge (drums)

1967 - 1968
Jackie Flavelle replaces Micky Ashman

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Ian Wheeler (reeds)
Stu Morrison (banjo)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Jackie Flavelle (bass)
Graham Burbidge (drums)

1968 - 1971
John Crocker replaces Ian Wheeler

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Stu Morrison (banjo)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Jackie Flavelle (bass)
Graham Burbidge (drums)

January 1971 - March 1971
Dick Bishop replaces Stu Morrison; this line-up of the band did not make any records

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Dick Bishop (banjo)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Jackie Flavelle (bass)
Graham Burbidge (drums)

1971 - 1973
Steve Hammond replaces Dick Bishop

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Steve Hammond (banjo)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Jackie Flavelle (bass)
Graham Burbidge (drums)

1973 - 1976
Johnny McCallum replaces Steve Hammond

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Johnny McCallum (banjo)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Jackie Flavelle (bass)
Graham Burbidge (drums)

1976 - 1977
Pete York replaces Graham Burbidge

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Johnny McCallum (banjo)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Jackie Flavelle (bass)
Pete York (drums)

July 1977 - December 1977
Vic Pitt replaces Jackie Flavelle; this version of the band recorded only two tunes, both for a BBC radio programme.

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Johnny McCallum (banjo)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Pete York (drums)

1977 - 1978
Sammy Rimington joins the band; no recordings

Pat Halcox (trumpet & cornet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Sammy Rimington (reeds)
Johnny McCallum (banjo & guitar)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Pete York (drums)

1978 - 1979
Roger Hill replaces John Slaughter

Pat Halcox (trumpet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Sammy Rimington (reeds)
Johnny McCallum (banjo & guitar)
Roger Hill (guitar)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Pete York (drums)

1979 - 1986
Ian Wheeler returns to the band, replacing Sammy Rimington
Norman Emberson replaces Pete York

Pat Halcox (trumpet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Ian Wheeler (reeds)
Johnny McCallum (banjo & guitar)
Roger Hill (guitar)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Norman Emberson (drums)

1986 - 1988
John Slaughter returns to the band, replacing Roger Hill

Pat Halcox (trumpet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Ian Wheeler (reeds)
Johnny McCallum (banjo & guitar)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Norman Emberson (drums)

1988 - 1990
Alan "Sticky" Wickett replaces Norman Emberson

Pat Halcox (trumpet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Ian Wheeler (reeds)
Johnny McCallum (banjo & guitar)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Alan "Sticky" Wickett (drums)

1990 - 1994
Russell Gilbrook replaces Alan "Sticky" Wickett

Pat Halcox (trumpet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Ian Wheeler (reeds)
Johnny McCallum (banjo & guitar)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Russell Gilbrook (drums)

1994 - 1998
Alan "Sticky" Wickett returns to the band, replacing Russell Gilbrook
Johnny McCallum leaves the band, and Paul Sealey joins

Pat Halcox (trumpet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
Ian Wheeler (reeds)
Paul Sealey (banjo & guitar)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Alan "Sticky" Wickett (drums)

1998 - 2001
Alan "Sticky" Wickett leaves and is replaced by Colin Miller
Ian Wheeler leaves and is replaced by John Defferary

Pat Halcox (trumpet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
John Defferary (reeds)
Paul Sealey (banjo & guitar)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Colin Miller (drums)

2000
Chris Barber's Jazz & Blues Band
with Bob Hunt's Ellingtonians:
Pat Halcox, Mike "Magic" Henry (trumpet)
Chris Barber, Bob Hunt (trombone)
John Crocker, John Defferary, Nick Payton (reeds)
Paul Sealey (banjo & guitar)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Colin Miller (drums)
2001 - 2003
The BIG Chris Barber Band:
Pat Halcox (trumpet)
Mike "Magic" Henry (trumpet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Bob Hunt (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
John Defferary (reeds)
Tony Carter (reeds)
Paul Sealey (banjo & guitar)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Colin Miller (drums)
2003
The BIG Chris Barber Band:
Pat Halcox (trumpet)
Mike "Magic" Henry (trumpet)
Chris Barber (trombone)
Bob Hunt (trombone)
Trevor Whiting (reeds)
John Defferary (reeds)
Tony Carter (reeds)
Paul Sealey (banjo & guitar)
John Slaughter (guitar)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Colin Miller (drums)

Photo by Helge Lorenz


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