The drum major of the Spirit of Troy wears a more elaborate uniform and conducts the band with a sword.The Spirit of Troy drum line at Navy Pier in Chicago, October 14, 2005The Spirit of Troy giving a traditional post-game concert, this time celebrating the defeat of the University of Arkansas in Razorback Stadium (2006)The Spirit of Troy take the field at Stanford Stadium (2006)The Spirit of Troy's Tunnel Run
The USC Trojan Marching Band, also known as the Spirit of Troy and nicknamed The Greatest Marching Band in the History of the Universe, Ever (TGMBITHOTUE), represents the University of Southern California (USC) at various collegiate sports, broadcast, popular music recording, and national public appearance functions.
A contingent of the band has performed at every USC football game, home and away, since 1987. It also makes an international trip at least every other year.
The Trojan Shrine, the symbol of USC and popularly known as "Tommy Trojan", was originally supposed to be named "The Spirit of Troy".[3]
History
The TMB's first recorded performance was in November 1918 when, at the end of World War I, members of the TMB led a victory parade of America's returning servicemen in New York City. "Fight On", the fight song of the university was composed in 1922 and became a part of the TMB tradition. In 1923, the school's alma mater, "All Hail", was composed by a member of the TMB, Al Wesson. The TMB gave its first national radio concert on CBS on April 19, 1929. The band participated in the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, forming the Olympic Braid in the opening ceremonies in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (coincidentally USC's home stadium).[3]
After wearing various uniforms over the years, particularly those with a military style, the band began using basic, unadorned Trojan-style helmets and uniforms in 1950. Three years later, the TMB adopted "Conquest", a song composed by Alfred Newman for the film Captain from Castile as a victory march. The TMB made its first trip outside of California in 1954, traveling to Portland, Oregon to play a USC-Oregon game that the Trojans would win, 24–14. During the Grammy Awards of 1966, TMB trumpet alumnus Herb Alpert won three Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year. Arthur C. Bartner took over the program in 1970, and began shaping the band into its current form. Women were allowed to join the band in 1972.[3]
After several more uniform changes, the TMB began using more elaborate Trojan helmets with brushes, visors, and ear flaps in 1972. In 1973 the TMB began its tradition of sending the full band to games at USC-Notre Dame rivalry games at Notre Dame Stadium.[3]
In 1979, the TMB was invited by Fleetwood Mac to perform and record "Tusk", the title song for the album Tusk. The album went double-platinum and was adopted as a part of the TMB's traditional selections.[3][5] Additionally, the band later played on another multi-platinum Fleetwood Mac album, The Dance (1997).[6]
During the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Bartner directed an 800-member All American College Marching Band, 125 of whom were members of the TMB. The year 1987 featured several significant moments for the band: the TMB trumpets performed the fanfare for Pope John Paul II in his visit to Los Angeles, the band performed during Super Bowl XXI in Pasadena, and the band began its current streak of attending all USC home and away football games. In 1988, the TMB performed again at Super Bowl XXII in San Diego, and at the Expo '88World's Fair held in Brisbane, Australia, during that nation's bicentennial[3]
In 2003, the TMB performed during the Chinese New Year celebration in Hong Kong, a year later it also played at the Great Wall of China, Xi'an, Shanghai as well as returning to Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year. The TMB participated in Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan, while also performing in Tokyo and Kyoto. In 2006 the TMB went to Italy and performed in Venice, Florence and in front of the Colosseum of Rome.[3] In 2010, the band traveled to Shanghai, China, once again to play for United States National Day at the 2010 World Expo and in 2014 for the grand opening of the first Old Navy flagship store in China.[7] In 2016 the band became the first American performing group invited to participate in Macau's Chinese new year parade.[8]
At the end of the 2016 season, the TMB appeared in the 103rd Rose Bowl. This marked the 34th time USC has played in the "Granddaddy of Them All".
In 2014, the Spirit of Troy was declared the best marching band in college football by USA Today's "College Football Fan Index."[9]
The Spirit of Troy also appeared at Expo 2015 in Milan, Italy to perform as part of the American Pavilion's Fourth of July celebration. This was the band's fifth appearance at a World Expo.
In 2019, the Spirit of Troy elected its first female drum major.[10]
On November 22, 2019, an announcement was made on the USC website that Saturday (November 23, 2019) will be Bartner's last appearance as band director at a home football game in his career. "Bartner will then return for the 2020 football season in a reduced role in order to ensure an orderly transition to the new director. Bartner will officially retire on Jan. 1, 2021."[11]
Ties to the entertainment industry
The Spirit of Troy has appeared in several movies and television shows, including:
The University of Southern California is a private research university in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1880 by Robert Maclay Widney, it is the oldest private research university in California. The university is composed of one liberal arts school, the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and 22 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, enrolling roughly 21,000 undergraduate and 28,500 post-graduate students from all fifty U.S. states and more than 115 countries. It is a member of the Association of American Universities, which it joined in 1969.
Ozomatli is an American rock band, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and incorporating a wide array of musical styles – including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop, and others. The group formed in 1995 and has since released seven studio albums. The group is also known for advocating for farm-workers' rights and immigration reform. The band has performed in various countries all over the world, including China, Tunisia, Jordan, Cuba, and Burma. Although the band has had many member changes over the years and has sometimes had as many as ten members, the current six members have been in the band since its debut album.
The Dance is a live album by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 19 August 1997. It hailed the return of the band's most successful lineup of Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Stevie Nicks, who had not released an album together since 1987's Tango in the Night, a decade earlier. It was the first Fleetwood Mac release to top the U.S. album charts since 1982's Mirage.
The Solid Gold Sound of the UCLA Bruin Marching Band represents the university at major athletic and extracurricular events. During the fall marching season, this 250-member band performs at the Rose Bowl for UCLA Bruin home football games. Pregame shows by the band aim to build crowd energy and enthusiasm with traditional UCLA songs like "Strike Up the Band for UCLA", "Bruin Warriors", and "The Mighty Bruins". Throughout the game, the band performs custom-arranged rock and pop songs, as well as the traditional fight songs and cheers of the university. The UCLA Varsity Band appears at basketball games and other athletic contests in Pauley Pavilion. In 2018, the Bruin Marching Band was featured on the Muse album "Simulation Theory" performing the Super Deluxe version of the song "Pressure."
The USC Trojans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy. The program participates in the Pac-12 Conference and has won 136 team national championships, 112 of which are National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships. USC's official colors are cardinal and gold. The Trojans have a cross-town rivalry in several sports with UCLA. However, USC's football rivalry with Notre Dame predates the UCLA rivalry by three years. The Notre Dame rivalry stems mainly from the annual football game played between these two universities and is considered the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football. The Trojans also enjoy a rivalry with the Stanford Cardinal. The USC Trojans are considered one of the most successful college athletic programs of all time.
"Tusk" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP of the same name. The song peaked at number eight in the United States for three weeks, reached number six in the United Kingdom, number five in Canada, and number three in Australia. Lindsey Buckingham wrote the song and is the lead singer on the track.
The Victory Bell is the trophy that is awarded to the winner of the UCLA–USC football rivalry game. The game is an American college football rivalry between the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans, part of the overall UCLA–USC rivalry.
The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American collegiate athletics rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and USC Trojans teams of the University of Southern California (USC).
Haruki Rocky Seto often referred to as Rocky Seto, is a former American football coach; he last served as the assistant head coach for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.
The 2007 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, winning a share of the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) championship and winning the 2008 Rose Bowl. The team was coached by Pete Carroll and played its home games at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
The 1940 Rose Bowl was the 26th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, January 1.
Art of Chaos is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California. Art of Chaos has toured extensively throughout California, headlining shows up and down the coast. The band took part in the southwest leg of Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution tour after winning MTV2's "L.A. Battle Projekt" competition. The band was also voted “Modern Rock Band of Year” and “Performer of the Year” at the 2007 Los Angeles Music Awards.
In the University of Southern California athletics scandal, the University of Southern California (USC) was investigated and punished for NCAA rules violations in the Trojan football, men's basketball and women's tennis programs.
The 1931 USC Trojans football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1931 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Howard Jones, the Trojans lost the opening game to Saint Mary's and then won the remaining ten games of the season. They finished the season with a 10–1 record, shut out six of eleven opponents, outscored all opponents by a total of 363 to 52, and won the PCC and national championships.
The Los Angeles Laker Band is a subset of the USC Trojan Marching Band that plays at Lakers home games. Created in 1979 at the request of Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, this brass and rhythm ensemble performs at every Laker home game, including the playoffs, finals and regularly performs the national anthem before the game on the Crypto.com Arena court. The group is the only one of its kind in the NBA: a dedicated band that performs at every game in its own section. The band sits and performs in section 308. The Laker Band comprises nine trumpets, six or seven trombones, a bass guitar, and a drum set.
"Tribute to Troy" is an epic fanfare most frequently associated with the University of Southern California (USC), whose fans use it as a fight song. It was composed in 1965 by Ronald Broadwell, the director of USC's Spirit of Troy marching band. Variously described as "an incessant stanza of pounding drums and blaring horns," and "reminiscent of rallying the citizenry to guard the perimeter of the ancient Troy city-state," it is traditionally performed at USC Trojan football games following each USC defensive stop. A count in 2011 found that the song was played nearly 600 times over the course of that year's football season.
The 2018 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and competed as members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Clay Helton.
Robert W. Jensen was a painter, singer and dancer known for his career as an entertainer, recording work as Jerry Madison and later success as an impressionist artist.
Arthur Charles Bartner is an American musician best known as the director of Spirit of Troy, the marching band for the University of Southern California, a position he held from 1970 to 2020. During this time he has become closely identified with USC Trojans football and has been credited with establishing the Spirit of Troy as "one of the most-famous bands in America." In addition to his longtime work directing the USC marching band, Bartner also served as director of bands at Davison High School in Davison, Michigan, and as director of the band of the 1984 Summer Olympics.
The 2021 USC Trojans football team represents the University of Southern California in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They play their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and compete as members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. They were led by sixth-year head coach Clay Helton in the first two games; Helton was fired on September 13 following the team's 28–42 loss to Stanford. Associate head coach Donte Williams took over as the team's interim head coach.
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