Perspective From the Marine Band
Colonel John R. Bourgeois, USMC (Ret.), was 25th Director of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. His acclaimed career spanned nine presidential administrations, from Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower to Bill Clinton. He was appointed Director of the Marine Band in 1979, and remained there until his retirement from active duty in 1996. Seems he has a story or two to tell.
Poetrooper sends.
A lesson in humility and meritocracy, Marine style
By Ed Timperlake
Col. John R. Bourgeois, USMC (ret.) has just had his autobiography published: Play On! A Marine’s Musical Journey from the Bayou to the White House. Colonel Bourgeois was the twenty-fifth director of the Marine band, known as the President’s Own. Since its founding with the birth of our country, there have been only twenty-eight directors, including the legendary John Phillip Sousa. As he points out in his autobiography, the Marine Band is the oldest musical organization of any type in the United States and “[t]he Director of the Marine Band is the music advisor to the White House[.] … He is the authority regarding proper ceremonial music and protocol for state occasions and other ‘in house’ activities.”
As former Marine commandant Charles Krulak said with a profound grasp of history, “[o]nly two names stand alone as the epitome of professionalism, musical acumen, creativity, and leadership: John Phillip Sousa and John R. Bourgeois.”
As the title says, John Bourgeois made his was from a wonderful part of America alive with all kinds of music; New Orleans and southern Louisiana, to enlist in the United States Marine Corps during the Eisenhower Presidency. The reason why this book is so significant in today’s revisionist virtue-posturing cancel culture, enforced by many lesser lights writing in our current American arts and letters forums, is that with grace insight and dignity John Bourgeois’s journey as Director brought him into direct contact with many presidents. There is a very powerful uniquely American historical legacy captured by his life’s journey.
The good Colonel deserves an award for serving in the White House during the Clinton years, and that’s all I’ll say. Read the rest of he article here: The American Thinker
Thanks, Poe.
Category: Guest Link, Historical, Marines
Read the original article through to the end for a bit of musical/political history that has relevance today, an anecdote I’m sure KoB is already familiar with.
Yes I am Brother Poe. Was typing my below comment while you were posting this one. Y’all know me too well. “Lee mighta had to surrender but we didn’t” “they made my horse surrender, he’s pullin’ a wagon up in Kansas by now.”
Best I could find on the cheese and rice youse guys tube, audio only, no video, of The President’s Own. There is one out there of the Armory Guard, in period clothing, playing Dixie. Another one of the USMA playing, video, and another of USMA playing it for Fitzhugh Lee at a Graduation of Kay-Dettes.
Dixie..a lively tune that Elvis turned into a Funeral Dirge.
You know that the composer of this tune was a New Yorker, right?
🤣
Nope, don’t know that at all–from Wikipedia:
Most sources credit Ohio-born Daniel Decatur Emmett with the song’s composition, although other people have claimed credit, even during Emmett’s lifetime. Compounding the problem are Emmett’s own confused accounts of its writing and his tardiness in registering its copyright. The latest challenge has been made on behalf of the Snowden Family Band of Knox County, Ohio, who may have been the source of Emmett’s “Dixie”.
Ok, Poe. However, my point still stands that the song was not composed by a Southerner. Last time I checked, Ohio was a Union state. 🙃
Yep, but Ohioans are more like Southerners than New Yorkers…😜
Noo Yawkers LIKE Southerners; SiL, upstate Noo Yawk, former Tea Kettle Operator on a Boomer; currently a lawer, stole my Baby Girl’s Heart and dragged her even further South.
Ohioans LIKE to drive the heel of the despot into the soft underbelly and make war on defenceless Women and Children; See Sherman, William T.
Full disclosure, one of my very best Compatriots way back yonder was a troop from Bucyrus, Ohio. RIP Bulb!
Also, not Dixie, but here you go:
https://youtu.be/Jy6AOGRsR80
You’re welcome.
🍻
BZ and Semper Fi Colonel John Bourgeois! Thank You for your service and the entertainment you brought to all of us in the Great Country of ours!
Wonder when was the last time that the Marine Band played “Dixie”? I doubt if they will ever play it again.
Thanks Poe and ‘Ed. Good story on this Marine.
The “President’s Own” Band Members are allowed to wear the uniform, but they aren’t truly Marines.
Unlike Marines who are in the 10 other bands in the Corps, the President’s own often have masters degrees. They Audition for the band, just like professional musicians audition for a symphony.
They Do Not attend recruit training, they sign on begining at the rank of SSgt ( E-6) and go through classes on how to wear their uniform, etc/.
Similar to “Pershing’s Own” and FDC.
Eisenhower?
That’s one old ass Colonel.
I was at Loyola, New Orleans in 1990-1993. I got to see the Presidents Own play there in 91 or 92. THEY WERE FANTASTIC. Apparently, the Colonel was a conducting class (and perhaps some others) away from graduating but had, for whatever reason, gone to do the Marine thing. The Loyola School of Music faculty decided it was time to give him his diploma since, well. . . there’s not many who would say he hadn’t pretty much earned it by that point. The concert was done when they presented it to him.