CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Topics and polls that cover the overall marching band activity

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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by jghsdrummer14 » Thu Jan 28, 2010 12:44 am

In the early 70's there was the Bellflower Youth Band that Lee Mitchell directed. Wish I had some pics of that one. We wore tall fur hats that were faded red(pink) and the old Lakewood youth band unis,etc. After that band I then later went to LBJCB since Lee Mitchell had left and the Bellflower basically fell apart.

Phil[/quote]


Lee Mitchel was the director for The Norwalk All City Youth Band. He retired about four years ago.
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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by justinian » Thu Jan 28, 2010 8:25 am

Funny that posts about Bellflower bands would come up. I found a site on the Reeves Rangers Band, located in Bellflower, from the 50s. I loved reading the stories. One person mentions that the band director, Mr. Reeves, would actually have the band exit from a parade early depending on how they were treated (he mentions being disrespected by frat members who invaded their ranks) or how tired the band might be. They did this in the Rose Parade! The quote is as follows:

(Quote from Allen Johnson)
Most memorable for me was the train trip across country to Milwaukee, mentioned in other entries. I will never forget seeing Mr. Reeves walk away from the train station with Mrs. Reeves' baritone and returning without it - that was what paid for one of our dinners on the way home. I don't know whether the college kids breaking our ranks were Trojans or Bruins, but they were fraternity members ("Fijis" - Phi Gamma Delta, I think) in black face, bare chested and wielding spears. I remember thinking how cold they must be! Mr. Reeves and Jimmy got the crowd at the next corner to part, and he marched us out of the parade. That may have been in one of the many Santa Claus Lane parades that we performed in. He did the same thing for the only Rose Parade that I marched in, but that was because he had set some mileage limit in his head, and when we reached that in this very long parade, he decided that we were finished, so we marched off.
(end quote)

The site is here.

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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by Fillydog » Thu Jan 28, 2010 11:32 am

Fillydog wrote:In the early 70's there was the Bellflower Youth Band that Lee Mitchell directed. Wish I had some pics of that one. We wore tall fur hats that were faded red(pink) and the old Lakewood youth band unis,etc. After that band I then later went to LBJCB since Lee Mitchell had left and the Bellflower basically fell apart.

Phil
jghsdrummer14 wrote:Lee Mitchel was the director for The Norwalk All City Youth Band. He retired about four years ago.
Yep....I knew this. Instead of going into that new youth band I went to LBJCB instead since there were also two old buddies from Bellflower Youth Band there that brought me in. I also within a year or so brought about 6-9 EHS kids into LBJCB with me.

Phil

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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by Fillydog » Thu Jan 28, 2010 11:36 am

justinian wrote:Funny that posts about Bellflower bands would come up. I found a site on the Reeves Rangers Band, located in Bellflower, from the 50s. I loved reading the stories. One person mentions that the band director, Mr. Reeves, would actually have the band exit from a parade early depending on how they were treated (he mentions being disrespected by frat members who invaded their ranks) or how tired the band might be. They did this in the Rose Parade! The quote is as follows:

(Quote from Allen Johnson)
Most memorable for me was the train trip across country to Milwaukee, mentioned in other entries. I will never forget seeing Mr. Reeves walk away from the train station with Mrs. Reeves' baritone and returning without it - that was what paid for one of our dinners on the way home. I don't know whether the college kids breaking our ranks were Trojans or Bruins, but they were fraternity members ("Fijis" - Phi Gamma Delta, I think) in black face, bare chested and wielding spears. I remember thinking how cold they must be! Mr. Reeves and Jimmy got the crowd at the next corner to part, and he marched us out of the parade. That may have been in one of the many Santa Claus Lane parades that we performed in. He did the same thing for the only Rose Parade that I marched in, but that was because he had set some mileage limit in his head, and when we reached that in this very long parade, he decided that we were finished, so we marched off.
(end quote)

The site is here.

Wow....this is great!! Never knew about another band in Bellflower like this. Hey..."Them Basses" was also one of the many marches we played in Mitchell's new EHS band in Norwalk. Thanks for this link!!

Phil

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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by Nelia » Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:53 pm

I was a member of the Armijo SuperBand graduating in 1971. Does anyone know the whereabouts of Lindsay now? He has to be in his late 60s or early 70s now. I would love to contact him!

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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by trombonik » Tue Oct 26, 2010 6:13 pm

Hey Socal band dudes+dudettes from the 60's,70's+80's!
Wow-time warp time, great to see familiar band names here in print. I was a proud member of the San Fernando Valley Youth Band (previously the Sepulveda Youth Band, Claude Lakey directing) from 1959-1966. Ended up 1st bone and right guide in 1st row-cool gig! Someone mentioned our dancing tubas-tune was a western square dance, not the can-can (watch those meds!) What a time-played in the Hollywood Bowl+ Shrine Auditorium (Massed bands with conductors like Meredith Wilson, Ferde Grofe, John Scott Trotter,+Henry Mancini) LA Coleseum (Rams and USC halftimes) Dodger and Charger Games, 1st USA/USSR track and field meet, and the 1960 Democratic National Convention (JFK nominated). Alway had lots of competition with the Robin Hood Band, Whittier Elks, West Valley Youth Band, South Gate Youth Band, Los Cabelleros, James E. Son's Long Beach Band and several others.
Don't think this kind of experience will happen again-just something else! Anybody from these bands - please reply and jog my memory some more (need all the help I can get now!)

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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by clarinetking » Wed Oct 27, 2010 7:30 pm

Yep....during that time period I was firstly in the Downey City Youth Band and then the Whittier Elks Cavaliers. I remember Shrine Auditorium and all the rest. GOOD TIMES...and you are right. I think there was at one time 40 bands in the Youth Band Council. I think there is maybe one band left? The glory days of the youth bands are over. But as for me....they influenced my career as a band director more than you can possibly imagine.

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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by Fillydog » Wed Oct 27, 2010 8:59 pm

trombonik wrote:Hey Socal band dudes+dudettes from the 60's,70's+80's!
Wow-time warp time, great to see familiar band names here in print. I was a proud member of the San Fernando Valley Youth Band (previously the Sepulveda Youth Band, Claude Lakey directing) from 1959-1966. Ended up 1st bone and right guide in 1st row-cool gig! Someone mentioned our dancing tubas-tune was a western square dance, not the can-can (watch those meds!) What a time-played in the Hollywood Bowl+ Shrine Auditorium (Massed bands with conductors like Meredith Wilson, Ferde Grofe, John Scott Trotter,+Henry Mancini) LA Coleseum (Rams and USC halftimes) Dodger and Charger Games, 1st USA/USSR track and field meet, and the 1960 Democratic National Convention (JFK nominated). Alway had lots of competition with the Robin Hood Band, Whittier Elks, West Valley Youth Band, South Gate Youth Band, Los Cabelleros, James E. Son's Long Beach Band and several others.
Don't think this kind of experience will happen again-just something else! Anybody from these bands - please reply and jog my memory some more (need all the help I can get now!)

Hey was the Lakewood youth band around during your time. We in the Bellflower Youth Band inherited their uniforms in 1972 or so.

Also I woulda thought Sun's band would've been gone by the 60's? He had broke away from Marvin Marker(or vice-versa?) and I'd heard there were TWO Long Beach Junior Concert Bands at one time. Markers lasted the test of time tho. 8-)

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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by clarinetking » Thu Oct 28, 2010 7:51 am

I kind of remember a Lakewood Youth Band.

The story I was told about the long beach bands was this. Jimmy Sons was the first one....he was, I believe, a WWI vet. When I met him he was VERY old. My understanding is that Marvin Marker was a member of the band but for some reason was not happy with the way Jimmy was running the band and he took it away from him. Jimmy started another band called "The Original Long Beach Jr. Concert Band". I don't remember ever seeing them.

Anyways...thats what I was told. Don't know how much truth there is in that.
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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by Fillydog » Thu Oct 28, 2010 11:07 am

clarinetking wrote:I kind of remember a Lakewood Youth Band.

The story I was told about the long beach bands was this. Jimmy Sons was the first one....he was, I believe, a WWI vet. When I met him he was VERY old. My understanding is that Marvin Marker was a member of the band but for some reason was not happy with the way Jimmy was running the band and he took it away from him. Jimmy started another band called "The Original Long Beach Jr. Concert Band". I don't remember ever seeing them.

Anyways...thats what I was told. Don't know how much truth there is in that.

Yeah...the Lakewood uniforms were black and I guess they were sponsored by the Elks. Mom's had to remove BPOE from the round arm patches,etc.

Actually....James Sun at one time was in Souza's band. I get foggy on the history too a bit. Schaafsma on here knows it better. Marvin was in the old "Long Beach Youth Band" which I think folded. In 1952 he started LBJCB and I think was having Sun help with the music or something. Again...Dave knows better. I keep forgetting what really happened to cause two youth bands appearing with the same name,etc.

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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by trombonik » Thu Oct 28, 2010 8:55 pm

Hi again-wow-quick replies and cool memories. i remember James E Sons band as totally mindblowing! He was a (brief)member of John Phillip Sousa's band-baritone sax?. He seemed old as dirt when I saw him, had to be assisted up a small ladder to direct, then, watch out! His Long Beach Band (I do remember 2) put on an amazing marching performance of a great tune(cant remember name) at the Shrine Auditorium in mid 60's - one of the most impressive band experiences I remember! More soon - gotta get the band back to finish up the football game.

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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by Bandmaster » Sat Oct 30, 2010 2:35 pm

Yes, there were two Long Beach Junior Concert Band's for a while in the late 50's and early 60"s. James E. Son and Marvin Marker split in the late 50's after a disagreement and Son had made a bad decision in front of all the members and parents. The band shut down for a few months and Marvin eventually restarted it, but Son declined to be part of it. After Son saw that the band continued without him, he started up another band and called it the "Original Long Beach Junior Concert Band." He got about 15% of the old members to go with him, but to my knowledge, never surpassed Marvin's group in membership. Plus all the while, the old Long Beach Youth Band, of which Marvin Marker was a member growing up, was still in operation as well. By the time I joined LBJCB in the fall of 1969 both Son's band and the Long Beach Youth Band were gone. Below is the quote about the founding of LBJCB that I posted back on page 6 of this thread.

I found a video of LBJCB's performance in the 1975 Southern California Youth Band Council's Shine Show. At the end of the video it has the massed band performance conducted by James Christensen of Disney fame.

http://vimeo.com/8868379
The Long Beach Junior Concert Band was formed after a financial scandal occured in the old Long Beach Youth Band in 1952. Many of the older members quit out of disgust, but got bored. So they talked Marvin into organizing something. He made the arrangements for the basement rehearsal room at Wilson High School and he invited James E. Son, a former member of world famous John Phillip Sousa Band, to come down to rehearse the new band. They had about 40 kids the first rehearsal and Son enjoyed it, so he signed on to be the musical director while Marvin became the executive director. About 1955 or so there was a falling out between James Son and Marvin and the band closed down for a month or so. Finally Marvin called a rehearsal again and invitied Son to return as musical director, but he was a no show at the rehearsal. It was at that point Marvin became the full director of the band and stepped onto the podium. After seeing that the band was continuing without him, Son formed another band and called it the "Original Long Beach Junior Concert Band". The two bands competed against eachother on many occations. At the same time the old Long Beach Youth Band was still in existance, so for a while there were really THREE youth bands in Long Beach at the same time. The Long Beach Youth Band disbanded in the late 1950's and James E. Son's Original Long Beach Junior Concert Band continued until the early 1960's. As we all know, the real LBJCB continues to perform to this day.
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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by Fillydog » Sun Oct 31, 2010 10:27 pm

Thanks Dave!! Hey I'm IN that 75 video! Too bad the white balance on the film wasn't set right eh? I kept forgetting when to step off in the middle of Cal Poly Fanfare and Nannette DeMassi in the rank behind "reminded me" by pushing me in the small of my back LOL. She was a doll too, heh. :yeah:

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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by Bandmaster » Mon Nov 01, 2010 2:53 am

OK, I found out some more information on the background of James E. Son. During WWI he was a member of the United States Army Band and then spent three years with the John Philip Sousa Band playing baritone saxophone. He began playing with the Long Beach Municiple Band in 1924 shortly after his fellow Sousa band mate, Herbet L. Clarke, became the band's director. In 1942 Son became the band's Assistant Director. He was appointed acting director of the band when Clarke retired for health reasons in November 1943, until a replacement could be found. He remained their assistant director under directors B.A. Rolfe (1943-45), J.J. Richards (1945-50), and Eugene LaBarre (1950-?? & another former Sousa cornetist). James also composed music and wrote arrangements for the Municiple Band. Son was invited to become the musical director of the Long Beach Junior Concert Band in 1952.

Image
James E. Son - circa 1955
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Re: CALIFORNIA MARCHING YOUTH BANDS FROM THE 70'S AND 80'S

Post by Fillydog » Mon Nov 01, 2010 1:48 pm

Bandmaster wrote:OK, I found out some more information on the background of James E. Son. During WWI he was a member of the United States Army Band and then spent three years with the John Philip Sousa Band playing baritone saxophone. He began playing with the Long Beach Municiple Band in 1924 shortly after his fellow Sousa band mate, Herbet L. Clarke, became the band's director. In 1942 Son became the band's Assistant Director. He was appointed acting director of the band when Clarke retired for health reasons in November 1943, until a replacement could be found. He remained their assistant director under directors B.A. Rolfe (1943-45), J.J. Richards (1945-50), and Eugene LaBarre (1950-?? & another former Sousa cornetist). James also composed music and wrote arrangements for the Municiple Band. Son was invited to become the musical director of the Long Beach Junior Concert Band in 1952.

Image
James E. Son - circa 1955
So I guess he may have been part of Souza's "civilian" band eh? Being an Army musician,etc.

Herbert Clarke too, taught Claude Gordon I believe after he moved to Long Beach,etc. Claude studied with two main teachers, Clarke and Louis Maggio and put the two systems together, Clarke being the technical facility(tonguing, phrasing,etc.) and Maggio being the chop strength doctor.(range, embouchure, endurance,etc.)
Last edited by Fillydog on Sun Mar 08, 2015 12:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

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