OVERVIEW: Marching bands in black communities around the South provide a theatrical way to combine sports with music and performance. They can be seen marching, dancing, and playing  their instruments through the streets as large groups of people line up to watch. Despite its connections to the Civil War period, it later took on a new meaning through sports entertainment, holiday celebrations, and through hosting its own performances called “battle of the bands”. Marching bands are now a great way for communities and sports lovers to unwind and watch an extravagant display with music. After watching a performance from a black marching band of the South, one could understand why they are a staple group in HBCUs around the South.

 

History of Black Marching Bands

Marching bands originated from military bands which were used to bring music to ceremonies, to direct troops on their march into battle, and to motivate troops by playing their national anthem.  After the Civil War and around World War I, bands were becoming less popular for usage in military environments, but they were still valued for ceremonial settings outside of the battlefield. In particular, the modern marching band are most commonly seen during American football games. They carried over traditions such as formations, costumes, and sounds that were present during its military times into their setting at halftime performances.

Black marching bands of southern, black communities deviated from this American tradition by blending African American rhythm and music into these performances.  During World War I, African American bandleaders such as James Reese Europe influenced the traditional marches by incorporating jazz music and foot-stomping syncopation. As more African Americans joined the marching bands of the military, the more their cultures began to change the original standards.  As marching bands moved into educational institutions, black marching bands followed the same trend by becoming present at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The first marching band performance at a HBCU was said to be the Tuskegee Normal School Brass Band at Tuskegee University in Alabama. Over time, other southern universities began to incorporate marching bands into their environment, but most notably, Florida A&M University (FAMU) coined the showmanship that makes black marching bands so popular. Their incorporation of rhythm riding moves such as head bobbing, arm swinging, and back bending stunts greatly distinguished it from the tradition it originated from.

 

Modern Black Marching Bands

As black marching bands gained popularity over the years, they became an important part of black communities around the South. They not only spread through predominately black universities, but they also reached high schools in majority black communities. This setting allowed marching bands to perform for local football teams during homecomings and pep-rallies. Likewise, the performances happen during holiday seasons to highlight the festivities. Since its separation from the military, students from grade school to college are able to join the marching band as an extracurricular activity. Also, black marching bands are becoming more recognized through the media by appearing on televised performances such as Beyonce’s most recent 2018 Coachella performance.

Sound and Performance

The beauty behind these performances comes from the combination of high-energy displays of dance alongside familiar music that the audience is able to enjoy. Leading the performance portion of the band are the drum majors and majorettes. They swivel, glide, kick, and roll their way through the audience demonstrating complex dance movements that wows the viewer. Drum majors perform moves such as the 90 degree, high knee walk into their sequence of high-energy moves and most importantly, their infamous back bend that reaches to the ground never fails to rouse the audience. Usually, majorettes steal the show with their beauty, elegance, and high-energy moves as they perform jump kicks, body rolls, pelvis thrust, and many other moves that are hard to copy. To make their performance even more eye catching, their attire add the flare and mobility needed to compliment their dance moves. The drum majors’ costumes echoes its history in the military with elaborate troop suits. The majorettes’ attire can range from many elegant styles, but they are all designed to provide maximum movement room for dynamic motions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Likewise, the band wouldn’t be a band without their instrument players. They make up the largest portion of the band ranging from drummers, trumpet players, sousaphone players, and cymbals users. They bring the melodies that light up the atmosphere. The best part about listening to the band perform is hearing familiar instrumental versions of famous hip hop or pop songs. It excites the audience to shout and dance alongside the band members. Furthermore, the aspect that makes black marching bands unique is that not only are the drum majors and majorettes dancing but the instrument players also have their own dances. They sway left to right, bounce, or completely lay down their instruments to perform their own set of moves. The addition of dancing instrument players brings high levels of energy that radiates through the audience.

 

 

Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of the South

One of the most infamous black marching bands is Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of the South located in Jackson, Mississippi. They are a highly recognized HBCU band that has performed not only all around Mississippi but also at halftime shows for NFL teams such as the Atlanta Falcons, the Detroit Lions, the New Orleans Saints and the Cincinnati Bengals. They’ve also left the football field to perform on the television special for Motown’s 30th Anniversary and the 34th NAACP Image Awards. Watching the Sonic Boom of the South perform perfectly demonstrates the high-energy and elegance a HBCU band can show their audience.

Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of South marching into the 2017 Southern Heritage Classic.

 

 

Resources:

2C2KPHOTOGRAPHY. “JSUvs.PVAMU112115 506.” Flickr, 21 Nov. 2015, www.flickr.com/photos/2cheap2keep/23291144355/.

2C2KPHOTOGRAPHY. “MLKGrandeParade1152018#11.” Flickr, 15 Jan. 2018, www.flickr.com/photos/2cheap2keep/39224068104/in/pool-366970@N21/.

DigitalCavalry. “About The Sonic Boom of the South.” Sonic Boom of the South | About The Sonic Boom of the South, websites.one.jsums.edu/sonicboom/?page_id=515.

“History of African-American Marching Bands.” The Birmingham Times, 18 Aug. 2016, www.birminghamtimes.com/2016/08/history-of-african-american-marching-bands/.

Katzman, Christine Ngeo. “The Art and Technique of HBCU.” Halftime Magazine, 7 Sept. 2015, www.halftimemag.com/features/the-art-and-technique-of-hbcu.html.

LEWIS, WILLIAM, and CHARLES REAGAN WILSON. “Marching Bands, HBCU.” The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 16: Sports and Recreation, edited by HARVEY H. JACKSON, University of North Carolina Press, 2011, pp. 145–147. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5149/9781469616766_jackson.45.

Malone, Jacqui. “The FAMU Marching 100.” The Black Perspective in Music, vol. 18, no. 1/2, 1990, pp. 59–80. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1214858.

“Marching band.” New World Encyclopedia, . 17 Sep 2014, 15:50 UTC. 18 Apr 2018, 14:13 <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Marching_band&oldid=984436>.

“Military band.” New World Encyclopedia, . 27 Oct 2014, 15:39 UTC. 18 Apr 2018, 14:15 <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Military_band&oldid=985035>.

James Reese Europe, -1919. Online Text. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200038842/>.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=232&v=TW8Xk6ZCdW8