The first band, under the direction of Mr. C. F. Elton, was organized in the fall of 1949 with 45 members. The band did not present a regular half-time show that fall, but they did march at the homecoming game. After much hard work and progress throughout the year, the band presented the first annual spring concert on April 25, 1950. At that time Mr. Elton awarded band letters to 13 members. Through the years many Crossville students have benefited from
their participation in this outstanding band. The CHS band has continued
to grow and develop into a program with a reputation for excellence.
This has been due, in great part, to the leadership of many fine directors.
These directors and the drum majors who assisted them, listed by year,
are:
When the band was organized in 1949, they did not have uniforms nor a bandroom. The first few years, the lunchroom doubled as a bandroom in the afternoon. This lunchroom was on the second floor of a building situated beside the old gymnasium, and also had four classrooms on the first floor. The classes that were in those rooms during band rehearsals must have been very interesting! After the old gym burned and was rebuilt in the early fifties, the bandroom
was moved to the second floor of the new gym. Mr. Dewey Countryman
was band director at this time. This room served as the bandroom
for about 30 years. During that time, there were very few changes
Shortly after Mr. Ron Bearden became band director in 1978, it became
obvious that a new bandroom was desperately needed to accommodate the ever-growing
program. Growth in the school was not limited to the band, and the
need for additional classroom space led to the decision to build a new
bandroom. The second floor of the gym could then be converted into
In 1985, an old house located on the corner of the campus beside the stadium was moved to make room for the new bandroom, and construction began. Once the "shell" of the building was completed, Mr. Bearden and the Band Boosters took over. They provided the funding and many hours of work to complete the inside of the first bandroom the CHS program had ever had that was built especially for that purpose. This bandroom contains an office, a music library, an instrument storage room, a uniform room, three practice rooms, restrooms, and a 36ft. by 50ft. rehearsal area. It has been a welcome addition to the school and has provided a wonderful "second home" to many talented band students over the past fourteen years. The band got its first uniforms the second year it was organized, but they could not afford new ones. Etowah High School had just bought new uniforms, so Crossville purchased their old ones. Because of this, the first marching band at Crossville High School (pictured above) took the field in blue and gold uniforms. The community got involved the next year and, in the fall of 1951, helped purchase black double-breasted jackets with gold buttons and braid, gold pants, and military-style hats. The Crossville Band has represented the school proudly many times, including marching in four governor's inaugural parades. Mr. Dewey Countryman took the band to the first parade in 1955 when Jim Folsom was inaugurated. Later, the band marched in the parade for George Wallace in 1963 when Mr. Ed McCollough was band director, in the 1971 parade for Wallace under the direction of Mr. James Jordan, and in the 1991 parade for Guy Hunt with Mr. Ron Bearden as director. We congratulate the Crossville High School Band for reaching this milestone and wish them many more years of success. |
