Richard Jones (10)

Bassist, keyboardist, accordionist, vocalist. Richard Jones was a founder member of the Climax (Chicago) Blues Band, thence bassist of Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, rejoining Climax Blues Band as keyboardist for their hit years; after a few years out of the business he discovered a love for folk music through Folk Camp in Devon, and decided to form a band to play dance music. This was Meridian (27), where he was joined by fiddler Anna Tabbush and piper/whistle & flute player Chris Walshaw; but he felt the need to expand the tonal palette into a fuller-blown primarily dance outfit that could actually play ceilidhs and festival stages, recruiting an additional fiddler Holly Sheldrake and guitarist Mark Weaver to provide the rhythmic undertow formed the Climax Ceilidh Band.