Eric Walter John Ball OBE (31 October 1903 – 1 October 1989) was a British composer, arranger and conductor of brass band music, described as "one of the most prolific writers and influential figures in the brass band and choral world".
[1] He was born in Kingswood, Gloucestershire, the eldest of 16 children whose parents were active in the Salvation Army.
[3] Ball resigned unexpectedly from the Salvation Army in 1944, after he started attending spiritualist meetings following the death of his sister-in-law.
[1] By the mid-1950s, he withdrew from conducting brass bands competitively, to concentrate on teaching and composing music.
[4] In 1972, Ball assembled the Virtuosi Brass Band of Great Britain, a recording ensemble of top players, including James Shepherd who occupied the principal cornet seat and helped Ball assemble the rest of the band.