Memories of the Monk brothers

Memories of the Monk brothers

Music

Derek Seaton recalls watching the Monk brothers in their early days in Wigston.

East Midlands Oral History Archive

From a recording with Derek Seaton made for the East Midlands Oral History Archive. Uncatalogued.

East Midlands Oral History Archive

1940s.

You may use this item in accordance with the licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/uk/

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Well, I used to go to the Wigston Magna Methodist Church, which was in Frederick Street in Wigston Magna, and the Monks brothers, Ivan and Owen also went there, and their parents. They formed a band all very early on when they were in their teens, they formed a group known as the Indiana Swingtet – the Indiana Swingtet – that was their first band. And of course we all got interested in it because they were two lads who we met on a regular basis, played football with them, and that was my introduction to music, to traditional jazz. They would play local dance venues and that sort of thing, play occasionally on the church Sunday School premises and this sort of thing, you know. Owen was always playing the piano up in the youth club, you know, he’d be giving us solo jazz sessions on a Friday night. Yes, just playing away on his own, you know, tremendous player.

Now, you said the local dance halls, where in Wigston would that be?

There was a co-operative hall in Wigston, that was a dance hall, quite a good one, good floor, and places like that.

As you remember it, what was the repertoire, what sort of stuff did they play?

It was mainly New Orleans, they were very much into that era, Louis Armstrong, and so on, yes.

Colin Hyde

Derek Seaton

Interviewee's home address.