All photographs courtesy CBHS except as indicated.
Christian Brothers Band, Memphis, with music from Carl Fischer march book, circa 1890.
Want to win a bar bet? Ask a local-music know-it-all to name the oldest band still playing in Memphis. Nope, it’s not the Bar–Kays or Hi Rhythm. Wrong century, by two. Here’s a hint: One of their leaders is said to have played at Ford’s Theatre the night of Lincoln’s assassination. One member died during the yellow fever epidemic. That was in 1878. Give up?
The Christian Brothers Band was founded in 1872, which gives it the distinction of being the oldest still-playing school band in the entire country. Over that 145-year period, the CBHS band has existed in several forms and contributed to the musical dimension of Memphis’ civic life. Its band leaders and alumni literally built the musical foundation of the city, and the band continues to represent Memphis at such places as the Kennedy Center, the Lincoln Memorial, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall.
More Memphians might know of Manassas High’s Jimmie Lunceford, who led his students — known as the Chickasaw Syncopators — to the heights of twentieth-century jazz fame. (See sidebar on page 30.) That group played the Cotton Club in Harlem alongside Duke Ellington’s band. That may well be the greatest achievement ever by a local high-school band. But that was 50 years after the CBHS band was founded.
Christian Brothers College was founded in Memphis in 1871 by Brother Maurelian following the closing of the Lasallian order’s Chicago school in the wake of the Chicago Fire of 1871. At the time, the school educated boys from age 8 through college at the original campus at 612 Adams, across the street from the current Shelby County Juvenile Court. The band was founded in 1872. In the intervening years, the band has produced alumni who went on to find great success in commerce, law, medicine, and athletics in this city.
A Master’s Thesis
Brother Maurelian, circa 1872
Current band director Patrick Bolton (class of 1995) wrote a master’s thesis in 2011 on the history of the band from its inception through 1947. Bolton turned his thesis into a book, The Christian Brothers Band 1872 – 1947: The First 75 Years, published in 2013. The onus of carrying on such a tradition in an inherently musical city is a burden he enthusiastically bears. I recently snuck into his classroom during the summer band camp, where both boys and girls begin their musical adventures. His passion is evident, and his book is an excellent piece of Memphis history.
One outstanding example of the band’s rich heritage is provided by the band’s second director, Professor Paul Schneider, who immigrated from Prussia in 1862. Schneider took over band duties from the school’s founder, Brother Maurelian, in 1882. The former Union army bugler is said to have played at Ford’s Theatre the night that Lincoln was assassinated. Under his guidance, the band performed for President Grover Cleveland when his Goodwill Tour stopped here in 1887. A Harper’s magazine engraving shows Cleveland aboard the steamer Kate Adams before a massive crowd at the Memphis landing.
The CBHS band has operated under several formats over the decades, under a long list of directors. Current director Bolton, an easy going, 40-year-old native Memphian, who doesn’t seem like he’s been teaching for 18 years, mines this rich historical background as a guide for the current incarnation.
“We’re a very traditional concert band at this point. We play concerts; that’s our bread and butter,” he says. “We also have the pep band that existed when I got here. Now we have a concert band. We also have a historical program that is like a Civil War brass band, very similar in makeup and design to those original pictures of the band. In the fall, instead of a big field-show band, that’s what we do instead. We haven’t missed the Veterans Day parade in 18 years. That’s our ceremonial group. We also have a jazz band called Walnut Groove, that’s led by Bill McKee [class of 1965].”
Ed Sullivan Show, circa 1965
In his CBHS band thesis, Bolton explains, “I believe there are two major reasons the band was founded so early in Memphis and that it was able to prosper. First, we find that the Christian Brothers were strong supporters of bands and orchestras in their schools nationwide. Memphis was no exception. Brother Maurelian saw a need for a band not only to improve campus life, but to promote the school in civic parades and concerts.
“Second, Brother Maurelian was supported by the many musicians who seemed to be drawn into Memphis because of the Musicians’ Protective Union,” he continues. “All of the band directors from Paul Schneider to Frank Steuterman played important roles in this organization that helped musicians secure work in the area.”
While the legacy of the band is important, the day-to-day opportunity of teaching the discipline of music to kids is what matters. In his 18 years teaching at CBHS, Bolton has been a good and faithful servant, managing the talents that are entrusted with him every day.
James Richens (at piano) with Alan Balter and James Hyter, circa 1988
“These guys that come in, a lot of them are beginners,” Bolton says. “They don’t know anybody here on the campus. We pull a lot of kids from all over the city; they come and get a home. More than just being a musician, it gives them a family to be a part of. And then when they get here to Christian Brothers, we can see them develop as styled musicians. They graduate and go on to college and get scholarships if they seek them.
“And, you know, being a musician is something you keep for the rest of your life,” he continues. “A lot of these guys go on and start bands themselves and become musicians here in town. I didn’t know anybody and took on the clarinet. I’m still playing clarinet for bands here in town. So it’s definitely one of those things that can change your life.”
The Christian Brothers Band will perform a concert on December 10th at 4 p.m. at thecampus on Walnut Grove.
Joe Boone is a former music editor for the Memphis Flyer.
