Mississippi Alumni All-Star Band

Mississippi is home to some of the most notable and recognizable Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching bands in the nation. Featuring high school and college graduates, the Mississippi Alumni All-Star Band (MAAB) upholds the state’s legacy of HBCU marching band excellence and provides a platform for musicians to stay active in this singular Black tradition well beyond their school years.

Musician and composer W.C. Handy played a central role in creating the proud tradition of HBCU marching bands; he became Alabama A&M’s music director in 1900 and shifted the band curriculum away from European classical compositions by creating a distinctive mix of military band elements, Black popular music, syncopated rhythms, and call-and-response patterns. A few decades later, in the 1940s, Dr. William P. Foster of Florida A&M incorporated more popular music as well as high-energy choreography and dance routines, cementing the potent mix of sound, repertoire, and movement that HBCU marching bands are famous for today.

HBCU marching bands play an integral role in continuing Black southern culture and music as well as the traditions of campus life. These bands are known for their dynamic performances on the field during halftime at college football games; during celebrated “5th quarter performances” after the games have ended; and at parades, festivals, and other celebrations. Marching bands play a variety of genres ranging from Mississippi blues and gospel to contemporary hip hop and R&B songs. While they support the football team on gameday, their performances also stand alone as energetic, well-rehearsed, and expertly choreographed musical numbers that attract their own, often much larger, following off the field.

Established in 2011 by Travis Parks, Travis Prewitt, and the late Christopher Little, the MAAB is composed of staff and musicians coming out of high school and college bands around Mississippi as well as out of state. The three co-founders met while studying music education at Jackson State University (JSU) in the early 2000s. Travis Prewitt is the assistant band director at JSU, Christopher Little was the former Jim Hill High School Band Director in Jackson, and Travis Parks is the great-nephew of legendary civil rights activist Rosa Parks. Prewitt, Little, and Parks saw a desire among young graduates for a musical outlet after finishing school and created a platform to fill that need. Most of the band members, as well as the rest of the staff, have roots at the top three HBCUs in Mississippi: JSU’s Sonic Boom of the South, Alcorn State University’s Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite, and Mississippi Valley State University’s Mean Green Marching Machine. Since its founding, the MAAB has released five albums, performed on television multiple times, and hosted an annual “battle of the bands” event called “The Independence Showdown” in Jackson. At 150 members strong, the MAAB showcases the enduring legacy of HBCU marching band culture in Mississippi and beyond.

The Mississippi Alumni All-Star Band will lead the kick-off parade at the 83rd National Folk Festival in Downtown Jackson, featuring an extraordinary blend of tightly choreographed music, movement, and showmanship that honors and upholds one of the state’s signature traditions.