Former Members - Greatly Missed
Sadly Stick the Fiddle lost two of it's established and
accomplished band members during 2019
Bruce Thomas - Guitar - RIP (Obituary)
Bruce was born on 13th December 1946 and brought up in a small village near Tiverton in Devon
He started playing guitar in 1962, became lead guitarist in a schoolboy rock band and, with the exception of two sad years when the guitar went to the pawn shop, he’s been playing ever since.
In 1988 Bruce and a friend resurrected the folk club at the Welcome Inn, Halberton which they ran together for about four years hosting a number of top performers including the Albion Band, Show of Hands and Martin Carthy. During this period Bruce performed regularly at folk clubs in the region, singing and playing guitar and tenor banjo.
In the 1990’s Bruce took lessons in classical guitar and began performing as accompanist and soloist with the mid-devon choral group, Oriana. In recent years he has continued performances of this type with the choral group Conspirito.
The 1990’s was also when Bruce met Sue and Greta and discovered a shared interest in folk and classical music which led to the formation of the band which eventually metamorphosed into Stick The Fiddle.
With Stick, Bruce is basically the rhythm guitarist. His personal style of accompaniment enriched by the classical, flamenco and blues guitar techniques at his finger tips is an essential ingredient of the Stick sound.
Between gigs Bruce worked as a freelance civil engineer, quantity surveyor or computer programmer. He lived in Tiverton.
Andrew Curtis - Keyboard - RIP (Obituary)
A native of the Westcountry, Andrew started piano lessons at the age of 8 & the organ three years later. He was 12 when he first played the organ regularly for church services, & became organist and choirmaster at Holcombe Church when only 14. At this time he was introduced to Folk Music when he became dance-class pianist for the late Kate (Kit) Coombes. It was under her 'watchful eye' and tuition that his knowledge and love of the music developed.
He took a music Diploma course at Dartington College of Arts, Totnes under John Wellingham (organ) and Roy Truby (harpsichord) partaking in master classes at the John Loosemore Centre, Buckfastleigh, with Gustav Leonhardt, Christopher Hogwood and Peter Williams. The regular Folk music classes of Peter Kennedy were always practical & fun, leading to many community events in the area
At Hull College of Higher Education he trained as a Primary school teacher & gained his B.Ed (Hons) in 1982. Andrew was a Devon County supply teacher, having left 26 happy years of full-time teaching in April 2009.
Andrew has accompanied on organ and piano for local BBC television & radio, & has enjoyed conducting & working with both choral & operatic societies, in addition to orchestral & ensemble groups. Recent work includes Disney's 'High School Musical 1', HMS Pinafore & Faure's 'Requiem'.
Andrew was delighted when approached to play keyboard with Stick, he loved every opportunity to work with this great, fun bunch, & learned new folk techniques & styles for a change, rather than directing!