in Vietnam during the holiday season in late December 1970 The United States Army Band was established on 25 January 1922 by
General of the Armies John J. Pershing,
Army Chief of Staff in emulation of European military bands he heard during World War I. In its early years, the band was featured on
RCA,
CBS, the
Mutual Broadcasting Network, and other networks. The band also completed four national tours between 1928 and 1931 and was noted for its professionalism during a trip to Spain for the
Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. In June 1943, the United States Army Band was called overseas to perform in North Africa and in Europe during World War II. The band received a
campaign streamer for their efforts during the
Rhineland Campaign. This period also saw the band perform with numerous well-known artists and composers, many as part of the very successful Freedom Sings concert series that started in 1950 and continued for several years. Notable musicians included
Metropolitan Opera bass
Jerome Hines, composers
Paul Hindemith and
Percy Grainger, and the pianist duo Whittmore and Lowe. Similarly, several well-known entertainers and recording artists were band members during this period.
Eddie Fisher, Robert Dini, and
Steve Lawrence were very popular during the 1950s, as were harpist
Lloyd Lindroth, future Metropolitan Opera tenor
George Shirley, and announcer
Charles Osgood. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the United States Army Band continued to perform and serve with distinction. In 1963, the band participated in the
state funeral of John F. Kennedy with Army Band Bugler Keith Clark performing "
Taps" during final interment at
Arlington National Cemetery. Brucker Hall, the band's training and performance facility, was constructed in the mid-1970s. Also during this era, the Army Blues, the Army Brass Quintet, the Army Chorale (now operating as 'Downrange'), and the Army Brass Band were officially established as regular performing ensembles. An official Coat of Arms and distinctive uniforms were approved to reflect the band's increasing visibility at events of national significance, including the visit of
Emperor Hirohito to
Alaska with President
Richard Nixon, the
United States Bicentennial in 1976, the
Lake Placid Winter Olympics 1980, the return of hostages during the
Iran Hostage Crisis, the
1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the
1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The United States Army Band has performed in Canada, Japan, and Australia as well as in several of the nation's prominent concert halls, such as
Carnegie Hall,
Radio City Music Hall, and the Guggenheim Band Shell at
Lincoln Center in New York City, the
Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and the
Hatch Shell in Boston. In 1984, the band recorded and participated in the filming of
Francis Ford Coppola's movie
Gardens of Stone. Under the leadership of Colonel L. Bryan Shelburne, leader and commander (1990–2000), the band continued with performances at the 1990 Economic Summit in Houston, the
Desert Storm Victory Parade in New York City, and
Reba McEntire's Christmas Special in Nashville. Col. Shelburne also led the band in performances in Sweden, the Netherlands, Turkey,
Nova Scotia, Scotland, and a concert of International Goodwill with the Soviet Union's Navy Band in Stockholm. In November 1997, the United States Army Band put on a grand concert at
Carnegie Hall in New York City. Guest artists included
Walter Cronkite,
Charles Osgood, and Metropolitan Opera stars
Roberta Peters and
John Cheek. In December 2002, a ten-piece pop group from the band, dubbed "Downrange", accompanied country musician
Darryl Worley, comedian
Kathy Griffin, actress
Karri Turner, pro wrestler
Bradshaw, and two cheerleaders from the
Jacksonville Jaguars to Uzbekistan, Kuwait, and Afghanistan as part of a pre-Christmas
USO tour in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom. This was the first time since 1945 that members of the band performed in a theater of foreign operations. Since the commencement of
Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, the tour has been repeated annually under the title "Hope and Freedom", with a larger ensemble and additional stops at military positions in Iraq. Other celebrities that have accompanied recent tours include country singer
Mark Wills, comedian
Al Franken, and cheerleaders from the
Washington Redskins. Colonel Lamb retired in June 2005 and was succeeded by Colonel Thomas Rotondi Jr., whose previous assignment was Commander/Conductor of the United States Military Academy Band in West Point, New York. The United States Army Band is headquartered at
Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, and annually hosts The United States Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Conference in January and
Eastern Trombone Workshop in March. ==Leaders==