Music Department:

An Inventory of Its Records, 1948-1995 and undated, at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library

Biographical Sketch

Made up of twenty-five members, Texas Tech's band made it's first official appearance at the Tech vs. McMurry football game in 1925. The band got it's first official uniform in 1926 and by 1955, had grown to include 135 members. The decade of the 1960s marked the Tech Band's appearances in several major bowl games from which the band received the nickname " The Goin' Band from Raiderland."

Texas Tech has offered musical courses since 1925, but not until 1952 was a Bachelor of Music made a degree option. By the academic year 1954-1955, there were nine full-time staff members and 3 part-time. The band's increasing membership caused numerous moves for the department around campus until a music building was finally constructed in 1951.

The band has had the distinction of having noted directors. W. Waghorn, head of the Music Department, was the first band director. Harry LeMaire, a former Army director, served as director for the Tech band from 1926-1934 and rewrote the Matador Song which came to serve as the school's official Alma Mater. Director of the famous Cowboy Band at Hardin-Simmons (then called Simmons College) for 13 years, Dewey O. Wiley came to Texas Tech in 1934 and came to be known as the "Father of Texas Bands." Other band directors included Dean Killion, who was noted for the Goin' Band's impressive and innovative half-time performances; from 1981-1997, James Sudduth directed the band, as well as the Symphonic Band which performed at Carnegie Hall in 1993; Keith Bearden, who was the first Tech alumnus to serve as Director of Band and led the band to perform overseas as well as the 1995 Cotton Bowl; and Dr. John Cody Birdwell, whose leadership helped the Symphonic Wind Ensemble be chosen to perform at the regional conference of the College Band Director's National Association.

Scope and Content

The collection is comprised mostly of materials related to various summer camps, such as All-State Choir, Band, Band/Orchestra, and Orchestra, that are held on an annual basis for secondary school students. Musical scores, like Symphony #2 Finale, and its various instrumental parts figure prominently in the collection. Miscellaneous performances in the music department are highlighted, such as a 1993 trip to Carnegie Hall, the annual Madrigal Dinners on campus, Lubbock Summer Repertory, and the University Sing. Also included are 568 prints, 218 contact sheets, 43 negatives and 65 slides.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open for research

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Music Department Records, 1948-1995 and undated, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

Collection Accession #(s):
1999-0284-B; 1999-0304-B; 1999-0342-B; 2000-0100-B; 2000-0110-B; 2000-0167-A; 2000-0196-B; 2000-0249-B; 2000-0300-B; 2001-0265-B; 2002-0129-A

Gifts, 1999-2002

Processed by

Charla Booth, Sandhya Madireddy, Justin McDonald, and Nok Pongsmas, 2003

Collection Inventory