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, United States. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African ...

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

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, Lo ...

founded the band in 1926.

History

In 1978, the Tiger Marching Band introduced their first all-female dance line, Orchesis, at halftime of the

Bayou Classic The Bayou Classic is an annual college football classic rivalry game between the Grambling State University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars, first held under that name in 1974 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, although the series ...

, led by artistic director/choreographer Virgie Broussard (Pradia).

Performances

* 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

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, at the inauguration of Liberian President William R. Tolbert. * In September 1976, the GSU band performed in the first-ever college football game played in Tokyo, Japan, as Grambling State defeated Morgan State, 42–16. * In 1977, the Tiger Marching Band performed in the first Mirage Bowl in Tokyo, Japan. *In 1981, the band performed in the Hollywood film ''

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 Grambl ...

''. *Also 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 cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

USA by Burrell Communications Group. * In 1982, the Tiger Marching Band was a special guest to the

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

, performing in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

and were halftime performers at the Mirage Bowl in Tokyo. * 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. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

performed (on saxophone) with the band for a halftime show in Grambling, Louisiana. *In 1999, the band was featured in commercial bumpers for

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

'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 from July 14, 1997, to June 14, 2004, and produced primarily by Hanna-Barbera and later Cartoon Network Studios. The first Cartoon Cartoon ...

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 and defending Super Bowl XXXI champion Green Bay Packers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide t ...

, alongside

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...

, Martha Reeves and Smokey Robinson. *In 2001, the 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 and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

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

Drumline Marching percussion instruments are percussion instruments (usually drums, such as snare, bass, and tenor drums) specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier ...

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

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

'' (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 2007, the band performed in the award-winning Denzel Washington film, ''

The Great Debators ''The Great Debaters'' is a 2007 American historical drama film directed by Denzel Washington from a screenplay by Robert Eisele and based on a 1997 article for '' American Legacy'' by Tony Scherman. The film follows the trials and tribulations o ...

''. *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

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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 was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

. * In 2010, the band's

drumline Marching percussion instruments are percussion instruments (usually drums, such as snare, bass, and tenor drums) specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier ...

, "Chocolate Thunder", performed at halftime in the

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is the annual all-star game hosted each February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's All-star, star players. Since 2022, it was held on the third Sunday of ...

with Colombian singer

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

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

. *In 2015,

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

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

Lil' Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

on his ''

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'' mixtape. *In 2016,

Vice Media Vice Media Group LLC is a Canadian-American digital media and broadcasting company. Vice Media encompasses four main business areas: Vice Studios Group (film and TV production); Vice TV (a joint venture with A&E Networks, also known as Vicelan ...

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 university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. It i ...

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 Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome), commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium in the southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home st ...

. *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 (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...

. *In 2021, the Tiger Marching Band was one of the participants in the virtual inauguration event for U.S. President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

. * In 2022, the band performed at halftime of the inaugural HBCU Legacy Bowl, the February 2022 edition. *In 2023 it was announced Grambling's Orchesis Dance Company is featured in a docu-series on

ESPN+ ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...

entitled "Why Not Us: Grambling Dance". The show shares the triumphs and challenges of the fall 2022 season with the band for the Orchesis Dance Company.https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2023/09/27/espn-andscape-why-not-us-grambling-state-dance-team.aspx

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