| The "Cardinal" Marching Band | |
|---|---|
| School | University of Louisville |
| Location | Louisville, KY |
| Conference | Big East |
| Founded | 1932 |
| Director | Dr. Amy I. Acklin |
| Assistant director | Hiroshi Fukuoka; Timothy Doyle |
| Members | 150-250 on average |
| Fight song | Fight U of L |
| Uniform | Jackets are white with a section of red, a black collar, a cardinal head on the chest, and other red and black trim. Pants and shoes are black. Shakos are red with a white section in the front that has "UL" printed on it, a black brim, and a gold-colored chain above the brim. Plumes are white. |
| Website | http://www.cardinalmarchingband.com/ |
The University of Louisville "Cardinal" Marching Band is the official marching band of the University of Louisville (a.k.a. U of L or UofL) in Louisville, Kentucky. It is considered the Music Ambassador for U of L. The band plays at all home football games at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (PJCS), all postseason bowl games, and occasionally a regular season away football game. It also plays at the annual Spring Scrimmage Game which pits the Cardinal Offense against the Cardinal Defense. The band is run as a Major Ensemble course at the UofL School of Music[1] and is perhaps best known for its nationally televised performances of My Old Kentucky Home every year at the Kentucky Derby.
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During the University's Fall semester, the band rehearses from 4:30pm to 6:30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Membership normally ranges from 150 to 250, which includes the players, twirlers, colorguard, and drum majors. It is composed of students at the University (music majors and non-music majors alike) as well as a select few students of other nearby colleges that don't have a marching band program of their own. Members receive both a college credit and a scholarship for participation. The band has performed on MTV and has had musical greats join them in performance such as world renowned trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis. The group was chosen to perform for the Captain's Celebration of the 2008 Ryder Cup[2] at the Valhalla Golf Club. The group has also been featured and/or written about on ESPN,[3] FOX Sports, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson, Inside Edition, and ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.[4]
The marching band adopted the nickname "RED RAGE!" from Fall 2007 to Spring 2011. The nickname was featured on various band apparel. The nickname was chosen in homage to a piece of the Louisville football team's history. Vince Gibson (Louisville football coach from 1975 to 1979) coined the name for his football team during their success. When the band was being announced during pregame and halftime shows, the band was called the "RED RAGE!" Marching Band.
Certain members of the Cardinal Marching Band rush for the co-educational national honorary band sorority known as Tau Beta Sigma (TBS). The University of Louisville is home to the Theta Psi chapter of TBS. The chapter serves as the backbone of the band, doing the behind-the-scenes dirty work that a regular band member will almost never see. Among their duties includes uniform fitting/distribution, clean up of the field after rehearsals, and more. TBS takes care of the band and has been known to provide snacks for the entire band on on game day. When a visiting marching band travels with their football team to Louisville, TBS has also made little bags full of snacks for them sometimes. This is the caring organization that, for years, has made the marching band the success that it is.
During the Kentucky Derby Festival, the band has two events that it participates in annually. The first of which is the Pegasus Parade,[5] held in downtown Louisville two days before the Kentucky Derby. It is one of the largest parades in the United States. The band marches the parade among all the other floats and attractions while playing fight songs, both representing the University of Louisville and the city of Louisville itself.
The second of these events is the Kentucky Derby[6] itself at historic Churchill Downs. The band routinely plays in between the various races held on Derby day, usually alternating play times with a military band. Its greatest honor every year takes place minutes before the big race—the playing of the Stephen Foster classic "My Old Kentucky Home" near the Derby Winner's Circle for all those in attendance and for those that watch on television. The tradition began sometime in the early to mid 1930s,[7] by which time it was established as the music played while the horses are led to the post parade. In 2002, World Renowned Trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis, joined the band for this honor. In 1998, Dr. Frederick A. Speck (the UofL director of bands and a composer in his own right) wrote an arrangement of My Old Kentucky Home that the marching band has since played for this and many other occasions.[8]
For years, the UofL Marching Band has carried a relationship with the Louisville Orchestra.[9] The first concert of the Orchestra's season is called Fanfara -- held at at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts in September every year. The marching band is featured as the opening act, usually entering and exiting to a drum cadence but stopping to play The Star-Spangled Banner while on stage. The playing of the American national anthem appropriately kicks off the Orchestra's season of wonderful live music.
Since 2007, when the competition returned to Louisville after a long drought without it, band members have assisted the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) in hosting the semi-finals and finals of Kentucky State Marching Band Championships at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium. Band members take on various jobs for the day, from being a band guide to being a press box assistant and more. At the end of the competition, the UofL Drumline (ULD) plays a series a cadences as all of the finalist bands reenter the stadium for the trophy ceremony.
(subject to changing and adding dates)
In 2006, at the suggestion of then Louisville marching band director, Dr. Greg Byrne, trumpeter Patrick Henry Hughes joined the marching band. The significance in this is that Patrick was a young man who had been born without eyes and, furthermore, was bound to a wheelchair, unable to walk. Patrick would play trumpet while his father pushed him in his wheelchair through the marching drill and routines. This visible commitment attracted increasing crowd and media attention throughout the fall football season, and the pair of Patricks were featured in a variety of television and newspaper coverage.[10]
In November 2007, at the suggestion of a member of the marching band, ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came to Louisville to remake Patrick Henry Hughes' family home.[11] As part of a community project that the show routinely does at the suggestion of the recipient of the home makeover, the band's practice field was given a makeover. The show filmed at two band rehearsals—one rehearsal on the old field and one rehearsal at the unveiling of the new field. New lights and a new sound system were installed for better practice conditions. Other additions to the new field include a new shed for the storage of both instruments and equipment, a roofed sitting area to escape the sun's heat, and water fountains to hydrate the band members. The new field is fenced off and has a tall gate that displays the name of the field: Patrick Henry Hughes Field.
In recent years, the marching band has released one CD of music played: 2007 Highlights. The CD was engineered and recorded by Christopher Jones and Tim Haertel. It was produced by TNT Productions, Inc. The track listing is found below.
| # | Title | Time | Composer/arranger | Notes |
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| 1 | At the Post Fanfare | 1:19 | Dr. Frederick Speck |
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| 2 | Fight U of L | 0:43 | Robert Griffith, arr. Robert W. Smith |
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| 3 | Troopers Battlehymn | 0:45 | Traditional, arr. Gary P. Gilroy |
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| 4 | Poe the Dog Drum Cadence | 2:22 | Jeff Grant |
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| 5 | Spain | 1:52 | Chick Corea, arr. Robert W. Smith |
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| 6 | Big Noise from Winnetka | 1:47 | Ray Bauduc, Robert Haggart, arr. Robert W. Smith |
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| 7 | Malagueña | 2:12 | Ernesto Lecuona, arr. Robert W. Smith |
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| 8 | Get Ready | 1:30 | Smokey Robinson, arr. Robert W. Smith |
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| 9 | THNKS FR TH MMRS (Thanks for the Memories) | 2:05 | Fall Out Boy, arr. Robert W. Smith |
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| 10 | Street Groove | 1:04 | Traditional |
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| 11 | My Old Kentucky Home | 1:35 | Stephen Foster, arr. Dr. Frederick Speck |
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| 12 | CARDS | 0:22 | Traditional |
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