2019 State Fair Classic 37 (GSU Tiger Marching Band)

GSU Tiger Marching Band, also known as the Tiger Marching Band is

Grambling State University Grambling State University (GSU, Grambling, or Grambling State) is a public historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African American Heritage ...

's marching band. It is often billed as the "World Famed Tiger Marching Band". The band was formed by

Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones Sr. (August 6, 1905 – April 9, 1982), known as Prez Jones, was an American educator and administrator. He served as the second president of Grambling State University, a historically black university in Grambling, Lou ...

in 1926.

Highlights

* In 1967 and 1968, the band performed in Super Bowls I and II, respectively, prior to the NFL championship game being officially called The Super Bowl. Grambling's 1967 performance has been named "One of the Top 10 Super Bowl Halftime Shows" by ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine. * In 1972, the marching Tigers played in Monrovia, Liberia, at the inauguration of Liberian President William R. Tolbert. * In 1976, the GSU band performed in the first-ever

Pioneer Bowl The Pioneer Bowl was the name of some December college football bowl games played in two different eras. Between 1971 and 1982, the game was contested 10 times in Texas as an NCAA College Division regional final, or as a playoff game for Divisio ...

in Tokyo, Japan. * In 1977, GSU World Famed Tiger Marching Band performed in Mirage Bowl, Tokyo, Japan. * In 1978, GSU World Famed Tiger Marching Band, pushed back at HalfTime, Bayou Classic, to introduce their first all female dance line "ORCHESIS" to the World, Lead by Artistic Director/Choreographer Virgie Broussard (Pradia). One Original member of "ORCHESIS" was Choreographer/Producer Deborah A Gibson (MC HAMMER Too Legit Tour), and Cousin to Erykah Badu/National Recording Artist * In 1978, GSU World Famed Tiger Marching Band were HalfTime Guest performers for

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

at the Original Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas where the showcased their Original 10 Members of GSU Orchesis Dance Line; GSU *In 1981, The band performed in the Hollywood films ''

Grambling's White Tiger ''Grambling's White Tiger'' (also released as ''White Tiger'' in Europe) is a 1981 TV movie about the true story of Jim Gregory (played by Caitlyn Jenner, credited as Bruce Jenner) the first white quarterback of the Grambling Tigers at Grambling ...

'' (1981). * Alum Director/Choreographer Virgie Broussard (Pradia); and Dancer Deborah A Gibson/1982 GSU Alum. * In 1999,

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

performed (on saxophone) with the band for a halftime show in Grambling, Louisiana. *In 1999, the Tiger Marching Band along with GSU's acclaimed dance troupe "The Orchesis Dance Company" was featured in a nationally televised commercial as part of Procter & Gamble's "Tampax Was There" marketing campaign. * In 1999, the band was featured in commercial bumpers for

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...

's "Cartoon Cartoon Fridays" block. They performed the main

Cartoon Cartoons Cartoon Cartoons is a collective name used by Cartoon Network for their original animated television series originally aired between 1995 and 2003 and produced in majority by Hanna-Barbera and/or Cartoon Network Studios. Beginning with its incepti ...

theme, as well as the theme songs for other Cartoon Network shows. *In 1998, the band was featured in

Super Bowl XXXII Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers (who were defending their Super Bowl XXXI championship) and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver B ...

, alongside

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...

, Martha Reeves and Smokey Robinson. *In 1981, the band appeared in "Marching Band/Coke Is It," an award-winning television commercial developed for

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

USA by Burrell Communications Group. *In 1982, Grambling State University World Famed Tiger Marching Band was Special Guest to the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his positio ...

, perform in Osaka, Japan and halftime performers at the Tokyo, Japan Mirage Bowl game. *In 2001, GSU World Famed Tiger Marching Band was included in the inaugural parade for U.S. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

. *In 2002, GSU World Famed performed in the motion picture ''

Drumline Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...

''. *The band recorded an album entitled "A Tribute To Motown" ''

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

'' (2005). *In 2006, "Season of the Tiger," a six-part docudrama aired, following members of the Grambling State University (LA) marching band and football team during the 2005-2006 football season. Produced by DAFT films and Black Entertainment Television (BET), "Season of the Tiger" was the second BET reality show to focus on life at a historically black institution (HBCU), and the first to highlight the competitive environment of marching bands at some HBCUs. * In 2006 The Band Was Featured In NCAA March Madness 2006 (Video Game) Soundtrack *In 2007, the band performed in the award-winning Denzel Washington film, ''

The Great Debators ''The Great Debaters'' is a 2007 American biographical drama film directed by and starring Denzel Washington. It is based on an article written about the Wiley College debate team by Tony Scherman for the spring 1997 issue of ''American Legacy''. ...

''. *In the 118th

Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

(2007), Grambling State's marching band was the marching band in the

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

Spectacular, in which all members were wearing Imperial officer uniforms. This was the band's second time in the Tournament of Roses Parade: 1980 being the first time an HBCU band was selected to march and lead in the Tournament of Roses Parade. * In 2009, GSU World Famed Tiger Marching Band was included in the inaugural parade for U.S. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

. * In 2010, the band's

drumline Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...

, "Chocolate Thunder", performed at halftime in the

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a ...

with artist

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...

. * In 2013, the band was included in the second inaugural parade for U.S. President

. *In 2015,

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

mentioned the band in his hit song "Used to" featuring

Lil' Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

on his ''

If You're Reading This It's Too Late ''If You're Reading This It's Too Late'' is a commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on February 13, 2015, without prior announcement, by OVO Sound, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. Th ...

'' mixtape. *In 2016,

Vice Media Vice Media Group LLC is an American-Canadian digital media and broadcasting company. , the Vice Media Group included five main business areas: VICE.com (digital content); VICE STUDIOS (film and TV production) VICE TV (also known as VICELAND); V ...

released a documentary covering the significance of GSU's marching band and the popularity of the annual battle against

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

Human Jukebox The Human Jukebox is the marching band representing Southern University and A&M College located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Band Profile T. Leroy Davis is credited with establishing Southern University's marching band and served as the band dire ...

in the

Mercedes-Benz Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

. *In 2019, select members from the band and Orchesis danceline were invited to perform for Beyonce and other guests at a private event in California during

Coachella Coachella may refer to: * Coachella, California * Coachella Canal, in California * Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California * "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind", a 2017 song by Lana del Rey See also

* Coachell ...

. *The Tiger Marching Band have an average of 160 students with a grade points average of 3.00 or higher each year. *In 2021, the Tiger Marching Band was one of the participants in the virtual inauguration event for U.S. President Joe Biden.

References

External links

GSU Tiger Marching Band website
{{Marching Bands of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Grambling State University Southwestern Athletic Conference marching bands 1926 establishments in Louisiana Musical groups established in 1926