Musical adventures of a man who has been at the beginning of most of our band organizations. Reminiscing about the "legends” of our profession such as Henry Fillmore, Dale Harris, Paul Lavalle, William Revelli and George Howard to name a few.
Al Wright, Col. John R. Bourgeois
- Biographical Information
Born in London in 1916, Al G. Wright came to the United States in 1923 and attended public schools in Michigan. He received a Masters degree in 1947 from the University of Miami, Florida, and an Honorary LLD Degree from Troy State University in 1981. From 1938-54, he served as Director of Music at Miami Senior High School. His nationally acclaimed high school groups performed at the 1951 Midwest Clinic. In 1954, he became a professor at Purdue University, serving as Director of Bands and conductor of the University Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Band until 1981. Active in many professional organizations, he is Chairman of the Board of the John Philip Sousa Foundation and the founding President and Honorary Life President of the National Band Association. The recipient of numerous professional awards, in 2007 he became Honorary Life President of the American Bandmasters Association.