Made up of former members of the University of Kentucky marching band, the UK Alumni Band will celebrate its 50th anniversary this month. Photo by Chuck Perry
Not everyone gets the chance to play on the field during a University of Kentucky football game.
Even fewer get the chance to do so for 50 years.
Some members of the UK Alumni Band will march to that milestone during the band’s 50th anniversary performance on Sept. 16 at Kroger Field, while the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Akron Zips.
The band includes Brian Gorrell, who has been part of the alumni band since 1973 as the drum major. Gorrell knows the importance of these annual performances — so much so that he’s only missed one. Open heart surgery was a decent enough excuse.
Even then, a life-sized sign adorned with Gorrell’s face ran across the field with the rest of the group.
“So I was there in spirit,” he said.
It’s spirit, for your school, friends or life, that got Gorrell hooked on band. He played for an “outstanding band” at Daviess County High School. When he joined the band at University of Kentucky in 1966, spirits were low.
The marching band, known as the “Marching 100,” had far less than 100 members. Quality was down, too, especially compared to others in the competitive Southeastern Conference.
In 1968, Harry Clarke was tapped as band director. At the time, he was a 30-year-old doctorate student at UK. His task? Turning the band onto a new tune.
“It was supposed to be for one year,” Clarke said. “That one-year appointment turned into 21 years.”
Clarke got busy recruiting new members, notably inviting women to join the traditionally all-male band for the first time, as musicians, majorettes and flag bearers. The size swelled beyond 300 members.
“The key in any kind of enterprise like this is success,” Clarke said. “And we had success. The band felt good about themselves. They felt they were part of something that was really successful.”
Soon enough, that feeling led to an idea. Why not keep this going after graduation?
“As the band grew and people were having great experiences, it seemed like it would be a good idea to have a way to keep reliving it,” Clarke said.
Other colleges, like Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama and LSU, had alumni bands. And now UK was in their league.
So in 1973 the alumni band officially began with a performance during a fall football game. At first the band held a reunion and performance at a football game every two years, but in 2018 they began to meet and perform yearly.
Many members of the alumni marching band will travel from across the country for the 50th anniversary performance. Photo by Chuck Perry
Gorrell was there each step of the way, and he’s been joined by new generations. A Facebook group for the UK Alumni Band shows more than 800 members.
“We come back because we still enjoy performing together,” Gorrell said. “I wasn’t in band with them, but I can relate to their stories. We have a lot in common.”
For many members, they met best friends or partners in the band. Gorrell, who has also served as band director at Henry Clay High School, and his wife played in the UK band in different decades but can now play together in the alumni band.
“Playing in the band, it’s blood, sweat and tears. Being able to perform and get the feeling that you’ve done everything you can to make it your best performance — you got that feeling whether you were in the band in 1940 or 2021,” Gorrell said.
Clarke, too, has returned to direct the alumni halftime performance, which includes a rendition of “On, On, U of K,” “My Old Kentucky Home” and a tune with the current UK marching band.
“It’s a tradition now,” he said. “Most reunions are a single class. With bands, it’s friends of all ages. You come back and see these people, you talk and party and have dinner. It’s a celebration.”
The 50th anniversary will likely mark an even bigger celebration.
As the alumni band marches across the field, Clarke said fans appreciate seeing the members of all ages. It’s a reminder of what the band adds to the games.
“All of it together makes an exciting atmosphere,” he said. “People come to the games because they like all the pageantry. They experience something different than they would anywhere else.”
That’s what keeps members of the alumni band coming back, too. Many will travel from across the country for the 50th anniversary performance.
“It’s a significant landmark,” Clarke said. “A lot of them will get the instrument out of the closet a couple weeks before and start practicing.”
For Gorrell and others, it will bring back happy memories.
“It’s fun to reminisce about the old days,” he said. “I get a kick out of it.”
While doing so, they’ll be making new memories, too.
University of Kentucky Alumni Band 50th Anniversary Celebration
Sept. 16 at Kroger Field
During the UK vs. Akron Football game
(7 p.m. game)
The alumni halftime performance will includes a rendition of “On, On, U of K,” “My Old Kentucky Home” and a tune with the current UK marching band. Photo furnished