Joyce Wooster - 1st Plectrum Banjo, Mandolin and Violin
Pauline Gibson - Plays Plectrum Banjo
My interest in banjos has been with me all my life. My father always played a banjo on high days and holidays and even as a young child I decided that when the time was right I would play one too. Although I dabbled around with Dad’s instrument unfortunately I did not really have the chance to play properly until quite late in life, i.e. in my 50s. I bought a tenor banjo and met Jim Cox who was a brilliant player of all string instruments and he talked me into having a plectrum banjo instead and I now have a Silver Bell which is brilliant.
Shortly afterwards I was introduced to Percy Wootton who originally lived in Bucks and then moved north and I did travel there for a couple of lessons. We kept in touch and one day I had a letter from him saying that he was coming to the area and all his pupils were meeting in a pub in West Wycombe and it was there I met Joyce and subsequently had a few lessons. Eventually Joyce formed her own band called Banjovi Revival and I have been in it ever since. Banjovi Revival have raised thousands of pounds for various charities. We have had some great times and now I am semi-retired at 82 but I still play when I can.
Maggie Wooster - Keyboard
Maggie joined the band in 1996 after she retired from nursing and has been using her share of the donations to support the Princes Centre in Princes Risborough. She also plays in the Towersey Folk Dancing Band and her husband's Black Dog Band. In her spare time she 'plays' the uilleann pipes which the family describe as listening to a cow in distress.
Ken Brazier - Guitar and Singer - 12 String Guitar
I joined the band in 2013 having previously played in a couple of folk groups in the 1970’s/80’s. One of the groups was called “The Dregs” and had a brilliant catch-phrase “He was only a singer with The Dregs but what he sediment”. I’m afraid that is typical of the type of humour in some of the songs I do. I am very partial to 60’s and 70’s pop songs and they form a good part of my repertoire.
Jenny Everett - Plectrum Banjo
Jenny has been playing the Banjo since she was 12 years old. Previous to this she played the Violin and Guitar. Jenny had the same banjo teacher, Percy Wooton as Joyce and Pauline and is very privileged to have inherited Percy's Banjo. She joined Banjovi in her mid twenties and continues to enjoy playing with the band mostly playing at weekends and evenings performances.