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It is no secret that football is the most popular sport in the United States. Fans attend games across the country on a weekly basis to see exciting action, great athletes and spectacular plays. While the on-the-field action is a big draw, the atmosphere surrounding that action is also of the upmost importance and a big part of that atmosphere often involves the bands of each institution.
One on those entities, the
Aristocrat of Bands, has been entertaining fans at Tennessee State University athletic contests and countless national events since the 1940s. They have a long and storied history of musical achievement and fan entertainment.
In the fall of 1946, after six weeks of practice, a 100-piece marching band took to the field at Tennessee State University and a tradition of excellence was born.
The band would soon be performing in parades, half-time shows, music videos, movies, and television commercials.
The band was the first historically black college or university band to appear on national television with the 1955 halftime performance at the Chicago Bears versus the Los Angeles Rams professional football game. The internationally known marching band was also the first historically black college or university band to perform in a Presidential Inaugural Parade.
In 1961 the Aristocrat of Bands performed for President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural parade followed by the 1993 and 1997 inaugural parades of President Bill Clinton.
The band has appeared in the Mirage Bowl in Tokyo, Japan, the Orange Blossom Classic in Miami, and the inaugural Silver Dollar Classic in Las Vegas.
In 2014 the Ohio Valley Conference served as host of the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Aristocrat of Bands performed during halftime of the UConn and Standford semifinal game during that event. The nearly 10-minute performance had fans dancing in the stands and cheering as the band impressed the crowd with their high energy, flawless sound and synchronicity into various formations.