About Morehouse College

Founded in 1867, the College enrolls approximately 3,000 students and confers bachelor’s degrees on more black men than any other institution in the world. Morehouse offers a number of programs and activities to enhance its challenging liberal arts curriculum through the Leadership Center at Morehouse College, Morehouse Research Institute, and Andrew Young Center for International Affairs. Morehouse is one of only two Historically Black Colleges or Universities to produce two Rhodes Scholars.

Ranked twice as the number one college in the nation for educating African American students by Black Enterprise magazine, Morehouse College is the nation’s largest, private liberal arts college for African-American men.


Band History

The Morehouse College Band Program was first organized in the 1920's under the direction of Dr. Kemper Herald, chairman of the music department, for the original purpose of accompanying the ROTC programs. In the 1950's under the very capable leadership of the late Dr. Wendell P. Whalum (1931-1987), the Music Department would begin a “Legacy of Excellence” that would later become the cornerstone in which the Department of Music itself is built. This type of progressive leadership has continued for decades under the direction of Cornelius Troupe (1965-1968), Dr. Ted McDaniel (1968-1977), Dr. Uzee Brown (1977-1980). During the fall of 1976, Roderick Smith was hired by Dr. William Ted McDaniel as assistant band director and later assumed the position as head Band Director until 1990. Following Mr. Smith's departure, the position as Director of Bands was assumed by Mr. Blake Gaines (1990-1995), Bill McGhee (1995), and Dr. Timothy Turner (1996-2004) all who during their tenure, continued expanding the musical horizons of the instrumental studies division. During the Fall of 2004, the faculty of the Department of Music was joined by Mr. Melvin M. Jones, who wishes to help bridge the gap between the music of yesterday and the music of today.


The Marching Band
The "House of Funk" performs various repertoire ranging from contemporary popular music to rap, swing and various traditional marching band literature. Great emphasis is placed on providing innovative drill as visual effect with modern arrangements of today’s most popular compositions. The 110 member band is historically a volunteer-based organization, and the group currently serves as a source of extracurricular pride. Known for its innovative half-time performances, the band also features the eye-catching troupe of dancing girls dubbed "Mahogany in Motion" and the mezmerizing colorguard performers named "Maroon Mystique."

The band has had quality exposure in recent years: Selected to perform at the Super Bowl, the Anheuser Busch National Sales Convention, Coca-Cola's VIP Ball, Good Day Atlanta Show, Bryant Gumbel's Today Show, the Annual Gold Coast Classic in San Diego, CA, 1st Annual Honda Battle of the Bands, the Internationally Syndicated Southern Sports Awards Program, Atlanta Hawks Game, The Cartoon Network's "Fridays" series, the Atlanta Falcons Game, and various parades and classics.


The Concert Band
The Morehouse College Concert Band is a unique concert ensemble comprised of some of the finest musicians in the country. Under the leadership of various directors, the ensemble performs symphonic concerts annually in the Atlanta area. One of the characteristics that make this ensemble unique is the collaborative merger which was formed between the wind ensembles of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges.

The Concert Band performs a wide variety of music ranging from traditional concert band repertoire to contemporary works by African American composers. The collaboration between Morehouse and Spelman has proven to be very beneficial for the overall concert band program by increasing the number of accessible quality woodwind and brass players and elevating the variety and challenge of repertoire played by the ensemble. The band regularly performes one concert each semester of the academic year. In the fall semester, because of the extensive activities of the Marching Band, the focus of the ensemble is on smaller scale chamber works for winds.


The Jazz Ensemble
The Morehouse College Jazz Ensemble has been acclaimed as one of the finest College Jazz Ensembles in the country. The jazz program was first formed in 1971 under the leadership of Dr. Ted McDaniel, a Morehouse College graduate. With a membership of 15, the ensemble began a "Tradition of Excellence" that has now become the foundation of the group itself. Under the chain of Directors, the ensemble continued performing annual concerts in the Atlanta area and abroad as well as touring the East Coast, Mid-West and Southern regions of the United States. A highlight of the band's travels includes the 1998 tour through Europe, appearing as the feature performers of the Easter in Maastrict, Holland Festival.

Under the direction of Dr. Tim Turner, the Jazz Ensemble held it's first annual Jazz Festival in the Spring of 1999, which has since become an increasingly, successful staple in the campus-wide lineup of events. The event continues to draw the talents and support of such outstanding musical icons as Clark Terry, Jon Faddis, Mulgrew Miller, Slide Hampton, Jimmy Heath, Sean Jones, Billy Pierce, Antonio Hart, and the late-great Ray Charles, who was so impressed with the efforts of the ensemble that he made a $1 million dollar donation. (which subsuquently spearheaded the campaign for the building of a new fine arts complex)


Morehouse College Bands
830 Westview Drive SW
Atlanta, GA 30314-3773
office: (404)215-2693
fax: (404) 215-3479
info@morehousebands.com