When a group of miners from the Dearne got together to form a choir on 23rd September 1924, little did they know the legacy they would create.
But a hundred years later, the Thurnscoe Harmonic Male Voice Choir are still singing strong, bringing joy to all those who hear the iconic Thurnscoe sound.
The choir was initially formed after being inspired by another male choir made up of miners who were performing at a fundraising event for a local church. The congregation was full of fellow miners who were amazed that a bunch of rough looking lads could perform hymns with such talent.
Intent on following suit, they gathered one evening at Thurnscoe Primitive Methodist Chapel and had their first rehearsal two days later.
The choir instantly set the bar high. Within six months they had entered their first competition, Cleethorpes Festival, where they finished runners up, just two points behind the winners. In July 1925, they won their first competition at Brodsworth Music Festival.
Over the coming years, Thurnscoe Harmonic Male Voice Choir went on to win over 100 prizes in major competitions, performing in Blackpool, Wales, Middlesborough and as far away as Germany and Malta.
They were often doing 12 competitions a year in their peak, but stopped competing around five years ago when membership began to reduce due to the increasing age of members.
During the 1960s, they had around 80 members; today there are around 40. They range in age from 50 up to 92. Most are still local to Thurnscoe but some do travel from the likes of Retford. Ex-miners are now joined by former bank managers, teachers and fire fighters.
While they may have changed in size, and new voices have joined the ranks, they’ve retained the Thurnscoe sound.
“It’s all about teamwork,” says the choir’s president, Mick McGrevy. “As a harmonic choir, we’re split into four sections. So you have to listen to those around you and try to stay in tune. Otherwise we’d all sing in unison which anyone can do.”
Mick is the choir’s longest standing member, having been involved for 58 years. His dad Mac was a club turn and miner who joined the choir in the mid-60s after getting fed up with touring; Mick joined the following year. At one point, there were three generations of McGrevy men in the choir, with Mick’s youngest son also having a stint in it.
“I don’t know why as he can’t whistle,” Mick says. “You don’t need to have a wonderful voice and only need to be able to sing at one octave, although we do have some good voices at the top part. But you do need to read and follow music.”
The choir is led by musical director Tony Jermy, a retired teacher from Wombwell who has been a member for over 40 years. Their repertoire is made up of around 30 songs, from classical pieces like Nessun Dorma to rock and roll hits by Elvis and the Everly Brothers, to nursery rhymes like the Owl and the Pussycat.
“It takes a lot of time to learn new songs and a lot of patience on Tony’s part,” says concert secretary Ken Barry. “I remember we once learnt Bohemian Rhapsody and we must have spent half an hour just doing the ‘no, no, no’ bit as Tony didn’t like how it was sounding.
“Being in the choir is a commitment and you have to be disciplined. It’s not karaoke. We perform at weddings and invite the couple down to see us rehearse. When we start singing they’re usually in shock at the noise coming out of these fat, balding old men.”
Ken is a relatively new recruit, having joined the choir in 2018 after watching them perform at a concert in Swinton. He was quickly encouraged to become concert secretary and has had a busy year organising their schedule of concerts, along with fellow committee member Alan Pepper.
They’ve already done three specific centenary concerts at venues connected to their 100-year history. The final one will be at Wentworth Woodhouse on Saturday 16th November in the marble saloon.
This year, they’ve also held a centenary dinner at Hickleton Golf Club with the Mayor of Barnsley, held a memorial concert for the late Irene Hill who was their accompanist for 70 years, and will be concluding the Wentworth Church festival at the end of September.
To ensure they reach another big milestone, Thurnscoe Harmonic Male Voice Choir are keen to welcome new members. Any men interested can just turn up to one of their rehearsals at Goldthorpe parish hall (S63 9JY) on Wednesday evenings at 7.30pm and Sunday mornings at 10.30am.
Or for more information, visit their website.
