Decoration Day 1905

Decoration Day 1905

Memorial Day (now known Memorial Day), was the result of the American civil war when family, friends, and townspeople would decorate graves of the Union and Confederate dead. A tradition beginning as early as 1864, approximately six locations claim to be the...
National Tuba Day

National Tuba Day

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...
The March King’s Sax Appeal

The March King’s Sax Appeal

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,...
The Sousa Band 1910-11 World Tour

The Sousa Band 1910-11 World Tour

On December 24, 1910, the Sousa Band embarked on a world tour. Although not the first group to travel around the world, the publicity generated was immense (although the financial rewards were only modest). Sousa’s reputation, marches and recordings preceded...
Sousa Band Roster

Sousa Band Roster

Sousa Band Roster A partial listing of musicians and soloists who performed and toured with Sousa’s Band.Reference: Kenneth Berger, The March King and His Band. New York, Exposition Press, 1957. For a much more complete roster, check out Paul Bierley’s The...
Sousa’s Band

Sousa’s Band

The Most Famous Band in History Before The Rolling Stones. Before The Beatles. Before Benny Goodman. Before any of these, there was a band that remained the most popular musical act in the world for over 30 years. The first American musical organization to go on world...