[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 148 (Thursday, September 29, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ARISTOCRAT OF BANDS MARCHING 
 BAND AND THE SOPHISTICATED LADIES MAJORETTES FOR THEIR PERFORMANCE AT 
  THE WHITE HOUSE RECEPTION FOR THE GRAND OPENING OF THE SMITHSONIAN 
        NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 28, 2016

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the men and women 
of the Tennessee State University (TSU) Aristocrat of Bands marching 
band and the Sophisticated Ladies majorettes for their performance at 
the White House reception for the grand opening ceremony of the 
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 
TSU has an over 100-year-long history as a historically black 
university and, as the first historically black university band to 
appear on national television and the first to march in an Inaugural 
Parade for President John F. Kennedy, it was fitting for the Aristocrat 
of Bands to perform in Washington, DC during this historic event in our 
nation's history.
   The TSU Aristocrat of Bands began in 1946 as a 100-piece ensemble. 
Since that time, the band has become world-renowned for its 
performances across the country. During the late 1940s, the marching 
band performed twice in Washington, DC in the Washington Classic, a 
national competition for top historical black colleges and 
universities. Under the direction of Frank T. Greer, the marching band 
became the first historically black university band to appear on 
television when it performed during the half-time show of a Chicago 
Bears and Los Angeles Rams football game. The band went on to perform 
during nine half-time shows between 1956 and 1978, including the New 
York Giants vs. the Chicago Bears National Championship in 1963 at 
Wrigley Field.
   Between 1979 and 2014, the band was directed by Edward L. Graves--a 
former Aristocrat under Director Greer who marched during the 1961 
inauguration of President Kennedy. Under his tutelage, the band 
continued to perform for half-time shows, had a spot in the 1981 CBS 
television movie The Concrete Cowboy, recorded for television ads and 
traveled abroad to perform in Tokyo, Japan. In 1993, the Aristocrat of 
Bands returned to Washington, DC to march in President Bill Clinton's 
Inaugural Parade.
   The Aristocrat of Bands performed several songs for the Smithsonian 
National Museum of African American History and Culture opening 
reception, including No Problems by Chance the Rapper, Signed Sealed 
Delivered I'm Yours by Stevie Wonder, Gin and Juice by Snoop Dogg and 
TSU's fight song, I'm So Proud. The Aristocrat of Bands and the 
Sophisticated Ladies represented TSU well and, like TSU students who 
are proud of their school and marching band, I was proud to watch the 
band perform on the South Lawn of the White House. I congratulate 
Director Dr. Reginald McDonald, the men and women of the Aristocrat of 
Bands, and the Sophisticated Ladies for being selected for this honor 
and putting on a performance worthy of the school's legacy.

                          ____________________