CLIFF Edmunds, who has died aged 93, was a prominent brass band player both in Oxford and around the world, also becoming a respected conductor and competition judge.

Mr Edmunds was part of the hugely successful Morris Motors' Brass Band in the 1950s, performing live on the radio - including a solo horn performance on BBC Radio Bandstand - and competing for national prizes.

He worked at the factory, first on the production line before rising to area manager, and kept up his passion for music through his 30 years with the firm.

After he retired and stopped playing, he became an adjudicator around the world and conducted bands in the city.

Cliff Edmunds was born in Rhondda, Wales, on January 29, 1924 to parents Emily and Thomas Edmunds, a miner.

The youngest of four children, he grew up near the coal mining valley with his sisters Betty and Naomi and brother Alf.

The family was very musical and he joined the Salvation Army - his sister Betty was an officer - playing in its brass band from a young age.

When he was taking horn lessons from a professional who lived nearby he met Muriel John, a young girl who was friends of the householders.

Their love grew from occasional meetings and they married at St Peter's Church in Rhondda in June 1941.

The couple's first child, Margaret, was born shortly after, and then their son John followed in 1947.

At the age of 23 he left the Salvation Army for the Parc & Dare Band, which to this day remains one of the most successful bands in Wales.

In October 1945 he played the solo horn at the Royal Albert Hall as the band came third in the National Championship of Great Britain.

Following his successes with the Welsh band he auditioned for the Morris Motors' brass band and was accepted in 1950.

He joined the company - based at the Cowley car plant - where he worked on the production line, eventually moving up to the rank of foreman and then area manager.

The family initially lived in Napier Road, Cowley before moving to Garsington where Mr Edmunds stayed until his death earlier this month.

It was his successes with the band that gave him most joy and propelled him to the respected status around the world.

The Morris Motors' band - formed by employees in 1924 - was one of the finest in the south of England for many years.

After Mr Edmunds joined they enjoyed numerous awards, records and radio and TV broadcasts, and entertained audiences in Canada, Northern Ireland, Holland, Switzerland and Scandinavia.

In 1958, he played a solo horn performance on BBC Radio Bandstand, a rare and impressive feat at the time.

Over the next 20 years he continued to play in bands, including Men of Brass - a band compiled by Morris Motors' musical director Harry Mortimer, made up of players from three different manufacturing firms.

He made it into the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, made up of 75 players, and also completed a band master's diploma at the Brass Band College of Music - and would later become a tutor.

As he got older he played less and less - his son John said he wanted to 'finish at the top' and became a conductor and adjudicator of competitions around the world.

In the 1970s he was the conductor of Oxford Concert Brass, which his son played in, and rehearsals were held in Garsington for convenience.

He retired from work at Morris Motors in 1981 but continued conducting and judging for several years after.

He died peacefully on May 8, and is survived by his two children, John and Margaret, two grandchildren Nicola and Kirsty, and five great-grandchildren.

His funeral will take place today at St Mary's Church, Garsington at 11am.