Yesterday, many members of the FAMU Marching 100 family celebrated the ceremonial 73rd birthday of the band. Though the Florida A&M band traces it roots back to 1892. June 1, represents the official date that in 1946 that William Patrick Foster joined the staff of then Florida A&M College as Director of Bands. Foster came to Florida A&M after having served as Director of Bands at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
Foster arrived at FAMU with a vision to develop a 100 piece band that was as fine as any in the nation or world. “I wanted to see 100 bandsmen: proud, uniformed, marching like drum majors or a drill team and playing to the highest musical standard anywhere,” Foster said in a 1986 interview with the Afro American.
Foster believed that Black students were smart enough to perform tough classical pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven and also dance to James Brown. He founded the Marching 100 to showcase the high academic quality of FAMU’s students.
Upon his arrival, the band had 16 members and a few banged up instruments. By his second year, the band had grown to nearly 75 members. By 1950, the band had 110 members and had picked up the nickname "Marching 100".
And, as they say, the rest is history. So, happy belated "birthday" to the FAMU Marching 100.