History

Parkersburg High School Big Red Marching Band

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.

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 Band, wikipedia.com, as well as the archives of Parkersburg High School (2007 all rights reserved)