Two things I can say I have done in my life that most people can’t are performing for a president and in Neyland Stadium, and each were separate events. By most people, I’m speaking globally and nationally. It is not a unique claim for anyone around these parts who played in their high school marching band, especially if they went on to march with The Pride of the Southland (I did not).
I was one of many local high school students who made up a huge band for the opening ceremonies of the 1982 World’s Fair attended by President Ronald Reagan. I did not give a solo command performance crashing my cymbals. I have no idea how we pulled it off. Each school rehearsed individually, and we never had a run through with the entire group before actually performing. We had to be there extra early to go through Secret Service (inspection of the sousaphones and bass drums was entertaining) and then bake in the sun all day until time to perform. From the best I could tell, we sounded pretty good. You’re welcome, Mr. President, I’m sunburnt and dehydrated and would like to go home now.
The performance at Neyland was along with the other 100+ members of the Knoxville Central High School Bobcat Band. There used to be a high school marching band competition at Neyland Stadium. It’s mighty difficult to scrounge up information on the now defunct event. But it was called the UT Marching Festival or something to that effect, and it was no doubt a good time for director of UT bands W.J. “Doc” Julian to scout new prospects for The Pride.
My memory is we only did that competition once during my years in the band. Our final salute at the end of the performance was a trick because the judges were all the way up in the press box. I don’t know what year that competition came to an end, but Julian retired in 1993 and the astroturf was replaced with grass the following year, which likely had something to do with it. But there’s a bunch of folks around who never marched with The Pride who got to perform at Neyland before Michael Jackson and his brothers arrived for the Victory tour in 1984.
As to The Pride, the reason I didn’t march once I got to UT is quite simple: I wasn’t good enough. I was a moonlighter in the percussion section when I was in high school. I was an oboist, and double reed instruments (oboes, bassoons and all their cousins) don’t march. The stated reasons are lack of outdoor sound projection, the instruments are fragile and expensive, and the reeds temperamental outdoors. My reason is there’s no mouthpiece, and if you trip that reed could pierce the soft palate. The clarinet I started out on at Sterchi Elementary (when we still, properly, had band before middle school) had been taken over by my little sister, so I couldn’t revert back to it for marching season. And no one needed me to be twirling a flag and tossing it around and trying to act coordinated with it. So, percussion section it was.
Freshman year at Central, band was basically just marking time. Very late in my eighth-grade year it was announced that junior highs would become middle schools starting with 6th grade, and 9th grade would move back to high schools. All of this was in preparation for Knoxville City Schools going out of business and being absorbed by Knox County. Central band director at the time, Norman Woodall, wasn’t sure if he could accommodate all the incoming band freshman (my senior year, the band was in the ballpark of 150 strong). It eventually sorted itself out, but my class didn’t fully integrate into the band until our sophomore year.
So, I spent two years clanging my cymbals or holding high-hats (my knuckles remember, Robert Davis) and rides for the snare drummers. The primary directive was do not mess up the crashes on The Star-Spangled Banner. By my senior year, I had moved up to playing the triple toms. I would say I advanced to solid with those things, but nowhere near good enough to march with The Pride. But those experiences with the Bobcat band were some of the best of my youth.
Beth Kinnane writes a history feature for KnoxTNToday.com. It’s published each Tuesday and is one of our best-read features.
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