Band: Marching 100
University: Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Founded: 1946
Current Director: Dr. Julian E. Wright
Trust me, watch the video. It's worth my whole series. Listen to the reaction of the crowd. That's a road game, folks!
Without a doubt, the most powerful cultural force in the music world over the past 100+ years has been African American culture. Blues, jazz, hip-hop and their many derivatives are heard all over the planet and have influenced pretty much every other style in existence, popular and classical genres alike. College marching bands are no exception. The historically black colleges of the American southeast have, for decades, brought a dazzlingly different interpretation to the concept and Florida A&M's Marching 100 have long been the trailblazers. They've performed in the Bastille Day Parade in Paris, Presidential inaugural parades and Coca-Cola commercials. In 1992, Sports Illustrated called them "The Best College Marching Band in the Country."
Don't think marchers take what they do seriously? Check out this excellent piece by SI:
All This and Football, Too
My Picks for the Week: 11/20 (3rd place out of 3 players)
My Picks for the Season: 52/80 (3rd out of 3)
The Florida A&M Rattlers also boast a proud football tradition. Their all-time winning percentage is .670 and includes a national championship (Division I-AA) in 1978. They won this weekend, defeating Southern U. 38-33. They're 2-2 on the season.
Forgive me if you have already answered this elsewhere, but would leading one of these bands appeal to you?
ReplyDeleteMy cousin's career has been different than yours. He liked leading the high school band and constantly thought about trying to make the leap to the college level....