Jim Fletcher was born in Shepshed, Leicestershire, and first began playing the horn aged 8 with the Hathern Band. He won his first solo contest aged 9, and played the Trumpet and Clarinet whilst still at school.

Jim went the Huddersfield Technical College aged 17 to study with the celebrated cornet soloist Philip McCann. Whilst there, he won a scholarship for consistent academic excellence, sang in Sainsburys Choir of the Year competition and the Welsh National Eistedfodd with the college Chamber Choir, and joined the Sellers Engineering Band.   

From there, Jim went to the Huddersfield University, where he gained a Bmus(honors) in performance. He remained with the Sellers Band for almost ten years, during which time he progressed to principal horn, and helped set up and run the Sellers International Youth Band.

In 2000, Jim left Sellers and joined the world famous stars of the film ‘Brassed Off’, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band on first horn.  Since then he has appeared around the world in many of the worlds great concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House and dates across Japan, New Zealand and Europe as well as the UK.

As well as appearing with the Grimethorpe band, Jim has recorded and toured with the
Kate Rusby Band. Kate is one of the U.K’s foremost folk musicians and it was a thrill for Jim to appear at several prestigious dates with her, including the Roots festival in Glasgow and the Sidmouth festival, where the band was recorded for broadcast by BBC TV.

Equally, Jim was honoured when he was asked to travel to America to appear with the Brass Band of Battle Creek. The bands name and prodigious ability goes before it, and it was thrilling when he first sat amongst such a fantastic bunch of musicians. Despite the fact he absolutely hates flying, and has to juggle his job as a teacher just outside London where he resides, it’s still one of the most important things in his calendar.