Ainsworth 'Chuffy' Cust

Ainsworth Cust is not a name that will ring any bells in the steelband circles.  However the nickname 'Chuffy' will instantly set the wheels of recognition turning.

He has been with Sonatas since the early years - 1971 to be exact.  He is a tenor bass player at heart, but has been seen on guitar pans, and has been corralled on the 'Cow Bell' in the rhythm section of the band.  It happened that there was a panorama where the 'tempo' got away from the band on stage, and sometime thereafter, he volunteered to keep the tempo steady. He did such a good job, that his orders were to stay there.  As he puts it, he will practice all season long on his pans, but come Panorama night - he will not be found behind them, but on the cow bell, where it literally 'counts'.  As he philosophically puts it - no sacrifice is too much for the band, so he takes it all in stride.

This is Chuffy's second time around wearing the captain's hat in Sonatas - he did so from 1983 - 1987, took up the captaincy reins again in 2002, and looks forward to putting the face of perfection on Sonatas' performances.