St. Augustine - Stand By Me 1986 - Marching Band Videos

AUGNATION87 February 25, 2010 at 8:50pm

no they aren't

bruce davenport jr September 6, 2009 at 9:58pm

half the band from bell

DaOtherPurpleOne February 20, 2009 at 1:04am

Hey js619,
Yes I remember hearing about many of those bands and witnessing some. My mother went to Kohn & Nicholls and my dad went to Bell & Carver. Many of my uncles also went to Bell and St. Aug. So I was surrounded by the stories and the school pride from those schools by my various family members. I went to Karr in the mid 80's when it was a Jr High and I remember a lot of those Jr High Bands that used to give it to us good. But no band at that level stood out to me like Bell did. I will never forget their impact they had on me personally. Sometimes it seemed unfair that we had to play against them at that time. But to get back to your point, I realize that there were many great directors and bands other than St Aug in the 70's & 80's. I do respect what Fortier, McD. 35, John Mac, Landry (especially since I grew up in Algiers) and many others have brought to the table in the N.O. in the past years. The reason why I used Kennedy as an example compared to St. Aug is because my wife, brother in law, sister in law, uncle in law, father in law and various cousins in laws participated in many Kennedy programs like the band, cheerleaders, etc. in the 80's and 90's and they won't let me forget about it! (lol) You can imagine what it's like for me to be surrounded and outnumbered by that type of pride all day. I happen to be the wrong cougar to them since I went to Karr, even though it was a Jr High and we didn't even compete against them then. So, I meant no disregards to those other schools. It's just that Kennedy was more convenient to use as an example since they come to mind quicker to me as a result of hearing about them darn near everyday! (lol) Hopefully you can understand my position and have some sympathy for me considering the situation. (lol) You can also imagine what family functions must be like for me when my St Aug uncles and my Kennedy in laws get together! (lol) Keep in touch brother and thanks for your reply!
-DaOtherPurpleOne

js619 February 19, 2009 at 11:04pm

hey DaOtherPurpleOne,

True words..

But even before Kennedy came on the radar,Mc#35 was battling AUG immediatley upon Harris'arrival n the 1970s...

So u had Mc# 35 n the '70s,'80s<><><.> Fortier w/their unique style after Brimmer got there n the last of the '70s <><><> John Mac with Sanders had their funky and own style(although they sometimes were smaller) n the '70s and '80s..

i dont know if ur old enuff to remember but ST MARYS ACADEMY, LANDRY,COHEN,BT WASHINGTON,CLARK then NICHOLLS AND KENNEDY WERE ALSO VERY COMPETITIVE,TALENTED BANDS N THE 1970s !!!

ALL w/their OWN STYLE AND WERE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE GREAT MUSIC TEACHERS/BAND DIRECTORS/MUSICIANS that pushed NOLA to the TOP OF THE HS MUSIC WORLD(marching/jazz/concert).

ALL the GREATS WERE MAKING THEIR MARKS N THE '60s & '70s!!!

Remember ALL the junior high schools/middle schools/elementary schools HAD MARCHING AND CONCERT BANDS N THE 1970s!!!

The best of the best: Bell(led by Meathead Richardson),,Woodson(led by Harris BEFORE HE WENT TO KENNEDY),Lawless led by HARRIS(BEFORE HE WENT TO MC#35),,McGowan @ Kohn and Carver Middle use to deal w/out-of-town bands during parade season !!!

If there was alot of film from the late 1960s and the 1970s ,it'd would be the highest rated ,most viewed on the internet..

b cool

DaOtherPurpleOne February 19, 2009 at 5:11pm

What a sound! Nice baritones especially. I will always respect St. Augustine for what that institution represents. Being the first to accomplish so many great things. Being the first all black high school marching band to knock down barriers. To set and raise the bar. To create the traditions. I admit that I lean more towards St. Aug because of their rich tradition and history. They were doing great things way before many of us knew what great things were. A lot of us have always tried to catch up to them. Many of us had judged our own bands based on what St. Aug sounded like or presented themselves as. Even the anti-St Aug bandmembers who attended other schools may have disliked them but that was because they were so good. But even they had to respect them. The standards here show what could be done if we approach music and brotherhood with respect and sincerity, pure drive and determination. The fact that a lot of these previous St Aug bands accomplished all of these things at a time when we were still considered to be inferior colored savages is all the more impressive. It just shows the character of our people when we commit to excellence and work together as a people. I truly respect other bands of our city's legacy like Kennedy for their unique style and powerful sound for example. They were truly great and no doubt St. Aug's main rival and true competition. They did make St. Aug sweat at times. But as for history, consistancy, being the trendsetters and making the sacrifices in the beginning, I rank them no.1 and I will always tip my hat to Mr. Hampton and his staff and respect the Marching 100 year in and year out no matter how young and inexperienced their kids may be these days. This program have earned that right!
-DaOtherPurpleOne

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