Parkersburg High School Big Red Marching Band

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History of the Big Red Band

For a look at some of the archives, click here

The Big Red Band of Parkersburg High School was not originally a marching band, but just performed concerts. In the early 1920s, it switched to marching in support of the football team, and marched its first half-time show in 1924.  Included among the first 80 years of it's existence was a performance for Queen Marie of Romania on Friday, November 19, 1926.

Its first director was a man of small stature but large expectations: George Dietz. His expectations were fulfilled; he took the band to several national championships, including back-to-back winnings in 1937 and 1938.

Originating from Dietz's masterful direction, the band continues in high-class fashion through many different directors. The band has been invited to perform at many different festivals and receives honors for performance yearly at regional and national band competitions. In 2005, the concert and jazz bands captured gold medal ratings at the Heritage Music Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana. The concert band received a first place while its jazz ensemble took second place honors. As a result, the band has been invited to perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2006.

For a listing of many of the awards won by the Big Red Band, click here.

The band has often been invited to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and has been invited to the Circleville, Ohio, Pumpkin Festival, the (Kentucky) Derby Parade in Louisville, Kentucky, the 1982 World's Fair, and the 1998 Peach Bowl parade and halftime show. The Big Red Band marches in all area homecoming and seasonal parades and performs for a variety of local activities, including playing for the late President Ronald Reagan's visit to Parkersburg. Members of the band joined other high school musicians to play for several recent visits of President George W. Bush.

The Big Red Band has had a long tradition as a military band, and is the only band in West Virginia that continues to honor that style while adapting to the modern world of marching bands. The Big Red Band is, above all, a music-making organization, and strives to create the best possible sound whether marching or playing in a concert setting.


Concerning the name "Band" vs. "Marching Band"

Recently, we have received a number of communications to the website staff, concerning the use of the phrase "Marching Band" instead of just "Big Red Band."  As we are going to great efforts to get it right, we did some substantial research into this.  Going back into records of the Parkersburg High School band program, we can establish that before 1924 there is no record of any marching activity of the band.  George Dietz formed the first marching unit.  Whether or not he or the school intended for the name "Band" or "Marching Band" to be applied we cannot determine.  We can, however, find in records as far back as the early 30's the use of the term "Marching Band" when the band was performing halftime shows, or in parade.  As late as the early 1990's, we can track the term "Marching Band" in both official business of the school, as well as local publications.  Since the policy of Parkersburg High School to this day is to allow certain students who participate in fall athletics, or are physically unable to march in formation, the ability to perform in concert only, and make such a distinction in their official class description, we have used the term "Marching Band" for those students who make the total commitment year-round to the program; marching in parade as well as halftime shows and competitive performances.  Please understand that we are not trying to set precedence, or fly in the fact of time honored tradition, but are simply working to keep those traditions of PHS alive.  We apologize if we have offended anyone.

Webmaster, phs-bigredband.com


 Directors of the PHS Big Red Marching Band

C. O. Chapman

George Dietz 1924-48

Charles Shackelford 1949-50

Frank Shroeder 1950-64

James Hoy 1964-72

Edward McKown 1972-77

Kent (1977-86) and Felice Jorgeson (1980-86)

David Burton (1987- 1996)

Rockland "Rocky" Wiseman (1996-2004)

Earl Corrothers (2004-2006)

Daniel B. White (1st alumnus to become Big Red Band Director) 2006-present

Can  you help us to better define the history of the Big Red Band?  If you have historic information, corrections, or photos you'd like to share, please email them to the webmaster HERE.  We appreciate all help in getting it right!


This web page is based on the history of the PHS Big Red Band, as found in information from Booster organization archives, local news sources, former members of the Big Red Marching Band, wikipedia.com, as well as the archives of Parkersburg High School (2007 all rights reserved)