Bonham Brothers Boys' Band

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LoyalTubist
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Bonham Brothers Boys' Band

Post by LoyalTubist » Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:55 am

Reading about the fate of the Santa Ana Winds had me to thinking about other youth bands. San Diego had a few, although all I can think of now are Ozzie's and Bonham Brothers.

I know a little bit about Ozzie's Boys Band. That group actually survived into the 1970s. They were sponsored by Ozzie's Music Store, which once had stores in several parts of San Diego County--now there is just the one in Poway. (I lived in San Diego 1961-62 and Oceanside 1962-66, but I was very young.) I remember seeing the young boys of the band at the Maytime Band Review in 1972 acting as ushers, wearing bright orange uniforms.

Bonham Brothers, I am learning, has a long, long history. Hollywood composer and arranger Frank Comstock joined the band as a trombone player in 1930 when he was only eight years old. He said the band gave him the only musical training he ever received (take it from those of us with the music degrees--talent gets work, not education!) Comstock wrote the themes for Emergency, McHale's Navy, and Happy Days.

It seems the history of the Bonham Brothers Band goes back even further than that. And who were the Bonham Brothers?

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I'll write my own darn book!

Post by PGOK » Fri Apr 27, 2007 8:48 am

I thought about waiting for The Book:rotf: , but I'm getting on in years. here's what I found:
Strike up the band
The Optimist Youth Band is a reincarnation of sorts of the Bonham Brothers Band, a youth marching band started in 1921 by the brothers who ran the Bonham Brothers Mortuary. The band stopped playing in the early 1970s when its conductor died. The Optimists took over, but things fell silent again in the early 1990s.
(as of 2002 the band was still in operation)

That was from a 2002 article on the San Diego Optimist Band. Here's the full article-
Optimist Band


From Balboa Park History:

San Diego Union, December 20, 1936. 19:1. 85 to graduate from Boy’s Band at park Tuesday; become members of Bonham Brother’s Senior Band.

September 4, 1940, San Diego Union, A-5:5. Bonham Brothers Boys Band to play benefit concert at Ford Bowl September 27.

September 26, 1940, San Diego Union, B-1:4. Bonham Brothers Boys’ Band concert in Ford Bowl tomorrow night to fete Tournament of Roses officials.

September 28, 1940, San Diego Union, A-2:7-8. Bonham Brothers Boys’ Band ("Tournament of Roses" band) acclaimed in Ford Bowl concert, by Sally Brown Moody.

March 21, 1948, San Diego Union, A-23:2-4. Bonham Brothers Boys’ Band to present Easter concert in park.
Instrumental and vocal specialty numbers will mark the 18th annual Easter concert by the 135-piece Bonham Brothers Band March 28 at 3:30 p.m. in the Ford Bowl, Balboa Park.

April 20, 1957, San Diego Union, A-6:4. The combined Junior and Senior Bonham Brothers Boys’ Bands will present a 90-number Easter concert at 3 p.m. tomorrow in Balboa Park Bowl.

March 30, 1959, San Diego Evening Tribune, A-3:5. Some 3,000 attended 29th annual Easter concert of Bonham Brothers Boys’ Band in Balboa Park Bowl yesterday afternoon.

March 12, 1962, San Diego Union, A-9:1-2, A-10:1. Last concert slated for Bonham Brothers Boys Band April 22 in Balboa Park Bowl; Bonham group will end 36 years here, by Michael O’Connor.


As I did my searches I found a bio for a person who was a member of the "Bonham Brothers Boys Band" AND the "Rogers Brothers Boys Band". I've never heard of that later band. Anyone know abything?
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Post by LoyalTubist » Fri Apr 27, 2007 6:31 pm

If you saw my thread about the 1957 Rose Parade, the Bonham Brothers Band was in that. There is a small picture of the band in front of the reviewing stand on Colorado Boulevard, although it's tiny and not very clear.

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Post by LoyalTubist » Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:50 pm

I hate to answer my own posts, but this is interesting:

When I lived in San Diego County (1961-66), I was 4-8 years old. I had a classmate die when I was in the first grade in Oceanside but my parents didn't think I was old enough to handle the emotion of the funeral (my children went to funerals of family members from the time they knew how to sit still in church!) So I never paid much attention to mortuaries.

Online I see that there are two Bonham Brothers Mortuaries (San Diego and Ramona--I might be wrong), so they are still in business, even though it doesn't seem that they are family-owned anymore.

I saw this on Bill Allred's website. It is from the biography of drummer Warren Sauer:
Bill Allred's website wrote: When he was nine, his father noticed a newspaper article recruiting musicians for a new band, no talent necessary. Bonham Brothers Mortuary had been supporting marching bands for thirty years under direction of Jules Jaques, former lead trumpet with John Phillip Sousa; this was to be the newest version. "No talent necessary," was indeed fortunate, since Warren had no musical experience at all up to this point. The only instruments left when he arrived were drums or tuba, and we know which he chose.
Inquiring minds want to know: Why didn't he choose tuba?

:cool:

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Re: Bonham Brothers Boys' Band

Post by PGOK » Tue Apr 21, 2009 6:53 pm

Sorry to dig up an old topic, but I found this postcard on a poster website.

Bonham Bros. won the Mayors Trophy at the Maytime Band Review in 1951 and 1952 as well as the Mayors Trophy at the All Western Band Review in 1941 and 1951.

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Easy question...

Post by dr » Tue Apr 21, 2009 8:57 pm

LoyalTubist wrote: Inquiring minds want to know: Why didn't he choose tuba?

:cool:
Because, unlike drums, tubas are damaged when you bang on them with sticks.

:mc2:

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