As the oldest HBCU marching band, the Marching Crimson Pipers have inspired musicians in the African-American community for over a century. The TU Marching Band has performed at the Mardi Gras Parade, Stagg Bowl, and made multiple appearances at the Honda Battle Of The Bands.
The mighty Ocean of Soul Marching Band, known for its captivating field show performances, precise drills, hig
h knees, and harmonious sound, holds a special place in the heart of Texas Southern University as well as the Third Ward community.
The idea of forming a band at Texas Southern University derived from Houston College for Negroes during the 1945 - 1946 school year. They started out with only 35 musicians and Conrad Johnson became the band director.
In July of 1969, the TSU band was introduced to Benjamin J. Butler II. Butler came in and changed the formality of the band which was soon to be renamed, “The Ocean of Soul”.
It wasn’t until the 1973 Battle of the Bands when the “Ocean of Soul” finally revealed to the public its new first-class band uniforms which made them stand apart from anyone else.
Today, the Ocean of Soul has expanded to more than 300 members, making it the largest student organization on campus.
History of the Marching Rams
In 1925, Slater Industrial Academy became known as Winston-Salem Teachers College. The first tangible efforts in the direction of starting a band came between the years 1937-1941. During this four-year period, a group of young college students organized a musical group and named themselves the Teachers College Collegians. The Teachers College Collegians performed and played primarily dance music.
History of the Tennessee State Aristocrat of Bands
The idea for a show band at Tennessee State University originated with its second president, the late Dr. Walter S. Davis. President Davis selected J.D. Chavis to serve as the first band director. Under Chavis’ leadership, the marching band grew and developed into a premier university band that gave spectacular performances in parades and half-time shows at football games.
History of the "Sonic Boom" of the South
The marching band began in the 1940s at what was then Jackson State College, under the directorship of Frederick D. Hall, who had directed a band at the college as early as the 1920s, in addition to the chorus and orchestra. It was initially made up of students from Jackson College and Lanier High School.
- A Narrative History of African American Marching Band: Toward A Historicultural Understanding. The purpose of this study is to construct a concise historical narrative of the development and characteristics of African American styles of marching band. While some extant research studies have been published in this area of study, the focus has been primarily on individual exemplary teachers or university band programs. In this article, much of the available published and unpublished scholarly work was reviewed for synthesis into narrative form. Unique style characteristics of African American marching bands are identified and tied to historical developments. The author proposes that African American styles of marching band be examined as an art form through the lens of historic cultural research.
"Showtime" Marching Band
When John Newson arrived at Howard in the 1980s, the marching band was known as the Howard University Soul Steppers. He brought a fresh style to the uniforms, introducing contrasting colors that would create a different look each time a formation pivoted on the field and high-water pants that highlighted the instrumentalists’ white spats. He also brought some of the theatrics he picked up from his days as an undergrad performing with the Human Jukebox, the famed marching band at Southern University, a historically black university in Baton Rouge. During his tenure, Showtime and the dancers have performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, at the opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and at numerous NFL halftime shows.