by Barry Owen Furrer | May 4, 2023 | Sousa's Band
The first Friday of May is designated as International Tuba Day thanks to then high schooler Joel Day back in 1979 while attending Lower Merion H.S. in a suburb of Philadelphia. He made up fifty percent of his band’s tuba section and finding a lack of respect among...
by Barry Owen Furrer | Nov 6, 2022 | Americana, Sousa's Band
November the 6th not only marks the birth of John Philip Sousa but also the saxophone’s inventor, Antoine-Joseph ‘Adolphe’ Sax (1814-1894) as the shared birthday also denotes National Saxophone Day in honor of the Belgian musician and inventor. While Hector Berlioz,...
by Barry Owen Furrer | Oct 30, 2022 | Americana
October 30th is recognized as National Checklist Day and if there was anyone in the Sousa organization who benefitted from a checklist, it was longtime band librarian, Clarence J. “Buss” Russell! Mr. Russell joined Sousa’s Band in time for the World Tour in 1910,...
by Barry Owen Furrer | Oct 24, 2022 | Biography
After receiving his commission in the US Navy, John Philip Sousa set to work with his 300 piece “Jackie” Band taking them around the country on tours to raise money for the war effort. Here Sousa conducts the band at a Liberty Loan Campaign in in...
by Barry Owen Furrer | Oct 17, 2022 | Biography
October 17 is National Pasta Day. Here are John Philip Sousa’s recipes for Spaghetti and Polentas/Pelotas (meatballs). Three versions exist. One from 1907, 1916 and 1922. Try them all! POLENTAS, recipe by John Philip Sousa 1907 February 1907 issue of the...
by Barry Owen Furrer | Sep 28, 2022 | Americana
September 28th is National Sons Day so this post is dedicated not to The March King and his father, Antonio, but rather to John Philip Sousa, Jr. John, Jr,. was the first of three Sousa children and was born on April 1st, 1881. He was educated in Washington, New York...
by Barry Owen Furrer | Sep 26, 2022 | Biography
September 26th marks the 130th anniversary of the initial concert of Sousa’s New Marine Band held at the Stillman Music Hall in Plainfield, NJ. This would be the first of more than 15,550 concerts that would follow over the next thirty nine years which included four...
by Barry Owen Furrer | Sep 22, 2022 | Biography
Today, September 22nd, 1869 or 1870, marks the birth of Arthur Willard Pryor, who, due to his pyrotechnical abilities on the slide trombone, was crowned “trombone king;” or the “poet” or “Paganini” of the trombone while twelve years soloist with John Philip Sousa’s...
by Barry Owen Furrer | Sep 20, 2022 | Biography
The recent passing of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and all the pomp and pageantry that has followed her over her 70-year reign had me reflecting on the two occasions that John Philip Sousa and His Band performed before The Royal Family. Within the pages of one...
by Barry Owen Furrer | Aug 19, 2022 | Biography
During President Garfield’s short administration the US Marine Band was called but once to play at the White House, and this with such an odd result that the incident is worth relating. The band had been on duty all day, from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., participating...
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