Mighty Sound of the South
Encyclopedia
The Mighty Sound of the South is the school band that belongs to the University of Memphis
in Memphis, TN.
The band performs at Memphis Tigers football
games as a marching band
and at Tigers basketball
games as a pep band
.
. Thomas C. Ferguson, in only his second year as band director, was a big basketball fan, and furnished a pep band for every home game, which was not a given as it is today. He decided that his pep band should go to New York City
, and he called the tournament committee for permission. They had to check into it, because a pep band had never before played for a basketball game in the Garden. They were given the green light to become the first.
Nineteen pep band members boarded a bus for New York City. They were determined to make a name for themselves - literally. Using markers and an old bed sheet, they fashioned a makeshift sign with the words "The Mighty Sound of the South" to humorously describe their modestly sized band. The basketball team went on to an impressive showing, and the name "The Mighty Sound of the South" is still used, in a more literal sense, for the 200+ member marching band.
A history of previous-thru-current directors / assistant directors of The Mighty Sound of The South is as follows:
1940 - ? Lawrence "Pat" Cooney
1950 - 1952 Gaston Taylor
1953 - 1956 Ralph Hale
1957 - 1959 Olin Blickensderfer
1962 - 1974 Dr. Tom Ferguson
1968 - 1970 James Richens
1972 - 1986 Art Theil
1975 - 2002 Dr. Sidney McKay
1987 - 1998 Dr. James "Marty" Courtney
1999 - 1999 Geoff Carlton
2000 - 2011 Dr. Nicholas Holland
2002 - 2011 Dr. Kraig Williams
2008 - present Dr. Albert Nguyen
2011 - present Mr. Quintus F. Wrighten, Jr.
The Mighty Sound of the South is officially charged with preserving the traditions of the Memphis Tigers
and for performing “Go! Tigers! Go!” the University of Memphis Tigers’ fight song
. The fight song was written by Tom Ferguson, former Director of Bands at Memphis State University during the 1960-1970s.
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
in Memphis, TN.
The band performs at Memphis Tigers football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
games as a marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
and at Tigers basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
games as a pep band
Pep band
A pep band is an ensemble of instrumentalists who play at functions or events with the purpose of entertaining and "pepping" up a crowd. Often members of a pep band are a subset of people from a larger ensemble such as a marching band or a concert band. Pep bands are generally associated with...
.
History
At the end of the 1962-1963 basketball season, the Tiger team had the distinction of being the only southern team to be invited to play in the National Invitational Tournament in Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. Thomas C. Ferguson, in only his second year as band director, was a big basketball fan, and furnished a pep band for every home game, which was not a given as it is today. He decided that his pep band should go to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and he called the tournament committee for permission. They had to check into it, because a pep band had never before played for a basketball game in the Garden. They were given the green light to become the first.
Nineteen pep band members boarded a bus for New York City. They were determined to make a name for themselves - literally. Using markers and an old bed sheet, they fashioned a makeshift sign with the words "The Mighty Sound of the South" to humorously describe their modestly sized band. The basketball team went on to an impressive showing, and the name "The Mighty Sound of the South" is still used, in a more literal sense, for the 200+ member marching band.
A history of previous-thru-current directors / assistant directors of The Mighty Sound of The South is as follows:
1940 - ? Lawrence "Pat" Cooney
1950 - 1952 Gaston Taylor
1953 - 1956 Ralph Hale
1957 - 1959 Olin Blickensderfer
1962 - 1974 Dr. Tom Ferguson
1968 - 1970 James Richens
1972 - 1986 Art Theil
1975 - 2002 Dr. Sidney McKay
1987 - 1998 Dr. James "Marty" Courtney
1999 - 1999 Geoff Carlton
2000 - 2011 Dr. Nicholas Holland
2002 - 2011 Dr. Kraig Williams
2008 - present Dr. Albert Nguyen
2011 - present Mr. Quintus F. Wrighten, Jr.
The Mighty Sound of the South is officially charged with preserving the traditions of the Memphis Tigers
Memphis Tigers
The Memphis Tigers represent the University of Memphis in Division I of the NCAA. They are members of C-USA and currently feature nine women's sports and nine men's sports...
and for performing “Go! Tigers! Go!” the University of Memphis Tigers’ fight song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
. The fight song was written by Tom Ferguson, former Director of Bands at Memphis State University during the 1960-1970s.