Celebrities in Band?

[poomshanka]

Of course, Thomas F. Wilson, aka "Biff Tannen" of Back to the Future. Played sousaphone in his standup act on Carson...

http://www.daveamason.com/tuba/tomwilson.mov

Still keeping pretty busy as an actor...

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001855/

And appears to be a pretty talented visual artist as well...

http://www.tomwilsonusa.com/

Unless I'm mistaken, he went to school with Dave Kirk.

...D

[LoyalTubist]

The Late Jean Shepherd played sousaphone in the Hammond (IN) High School marching band:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Shepherd

That fact has been edited out of Shep's biography. Maybe it's not true. On one of the fan sites for Shep, someone wrote that Shep was the narrator and star of the old General Electric Carousel of Progress at Disneyland. That was wrong--it was Rex Allen. They don't even sound alike.

Steve Allen, whom I knew personally, played sousaphone for his high school band in Chicago. He said he started on trumpet but he had problems reading. With the tuba, he said, he could create his own parts and everyone thought he was a great player.

Incidentally, Steve Allen never learned how to read music!

[Bill Troiano]

I lived in a house, when I was at Eastman, with Al Vizzuti. We played in the Eastman Wind Ens., Philharmonia, and jazz ensemble togehter. Does that count?

[Teubonium]

Denver Bronco running back Mike Anderson did NOT play football in high school, he was a drummer in the marching band.

I played in high school (and college) bands with Gordon Hallberg, who played bass trombone with Boston Symphony for 14 years prior to Doug Yeo.

Drummer Louie Bellson went to my high school (though several years ahead of me). We still used some snappy drum cadences in marching band that he wrote. His parents owned the music store in town, Bellson Music.

[UDELBR]

Of course, Thomas F. Wilson, aka "Biff Tannen" of Back to the Future. Played sousaphone in his standup act on Carson...

Funny little audio snippet on tubas on his site: http://www.tomwilsonusa.com/music/Tuba_Tom.wma

[Chuck(G)]

That fact has been edited out of Shep's biography. Maybe it's not true.

Shep claimed playing sousaphone at HHS several times in his WOR broadcasts. He sure knew enough about them, if you listen to "Halftime Sousaphone" or read "In God We Trust..." e.g:

73863. The Jean Shepherd Show. February 12, 1973. WOR, New York. How old was Abraham Lincoln? A politcal event in Lincoln's time. Memories of a Sousaphone recital at Hammond High School...followed by an appearance by Abe Lincoln himself! Abe is drunk! A good show. Jean Shepherd, Lester Smith (announcer). 42:34. .

I'll do some more digging for evidence.

[LoyalTubist]

I know those books well, as well as the references. He probably did play tuba in high school.

[Chuck(G)]

I know those books well, as well as the references. He probably did play tuba in high school.

Maybe ex-HS band players aren't proud of it. For example, I know that David Ogden Stiers went to North Eugene High and graduated in 1960 and that he later played horn in the Juilliard orchestra while studying drama there. One doesn't pick up the horn overnight, but there's no mention of his HS experience anywhere.

BTW, does anyone notice that the people at Juilliard can't spell? See:

http://www.juilliard.edu/utilities/sitemap.html

and look at the URL heading displayed.

[Dylan King]

I attended The Hamilton High School Academy of Music in Los Angeles, which is sort of the "Fame" of public schools here in L.A. I know of at least a few people who have come out of that school to become well known.

I believe the band "Fishbone" is mostly comprised of Hamilton people, as are "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy" and "Phantom Planet". By the way, Flea from the Chili Peppers did play trumpet at Fairfax High and still pulls out the horn at Chili Pepper shows.

Fiona Apple also went to Hamilton. I believe she was a freshman when i was a senior. I bet she hung out with the druggie-goth crowd.

Others I can think of off the top of my head are Trevor Lawrence, who drums for L.L. Cool J. and many other top rap artists, and Mike Elizondo, who plays bass and co-writes with Eminem and Dr. Dre. I know there are a few actors as well, but I can't think of any of them now.

I think there are many more cats over the years that went to Hami High that I just can't think of now. Oh well.

The other three people I know are famous from my High School are Norm Pattiz, owner of Westwood One Radio Networks, Robert Shapiro of OJ Simpson Lawyer fame, and the great Warren Moon, quarterback for the Houston Oilers.

I haven't done so bad myself, but nobody knows me, and I like it that way.

-MSM

Here's a picture from the 50's...



If anyone remembers the show "Parker Lewis Can't Lose", they filmed it there while I was in school back in the early 90s.

[NickJones]

Arthur Emyr - Welsh Rugby international
Robin McBryde - Welsh Rugby International
Stuart Roy - Welsh Rugby International..Mmmm maybe a pattern emerging here
Charlie Maynard - Bass Trombone London sessions
Matthew Maynard - England and Wales Cricketer ( bit sporty at Ysgol David Hughes)
Aled Jones - Singer and boy soprano famous for the Howard Blake Song ( were walking in the air from the film "The Snowman")
Alan Derbyshire - Oboe London Orchestra's - Soloist at Sapporo winter music festival , Japan
Other famous north Walians are Joshua Yale founder of Yale University , USA.

[circusboy]

Aimee Mann was in the chorus at my H.S. -- and played one of the teachers in the school's production of "Up the Down Staircase." I think she may have been in "Mame" too.

[Bandmaster]

Well, my high school didn't produce many stars, but there is one actor that I know of that came out of the band when I was there. His name is Tony Pierce and he played sax at Paramont High School (SoCal) in the early 70's. He is apparently buddies with Kevin Costner since he palyed the character "Lt. Spivey", the red headed smart *** solder, in Dances with Wolfes and also played the frizzy red headed fan that stocked Whitney Houston in Bodyguard.

Another star is Ewan McGregor of Obi-Wan Kenobi fame. His bio says he attended London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he played the french horn as well as studing acting. I'd say it helped him play his role in the movie Brassed Off!.

[oldbandnerd]

Another star is Ewan McGregor of Obi-Wan Kenobi fame. His bio says he attended London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he played the french horn as well as studing acting. I'd say it helped him play his role in the movie Brassed Off!.

I have seen video of him playing . It was for a show on the BBC showcasing young performers .He looked to be about 16 or so .He played very well too .

[Chuck(G)]

Here's a picture from the 50's...

<img src="http://www.lilesnet.com/us/images/hamilton_hs.jpg" width=300>

Looks like the standard WPA-built high school. I wonder if they were all built from a more-or-less standard plan? I went to school in one of these.

[pierso20]

It made it on YouTube. Very fun to watch!

Nice to see a celebrity embrace their roots...too bad we don't see it as often anymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR_hh8ong_k" target="_blank

[imperialbari]

viewtopic.php?p=443327#p443327

[Michael Bush]

Way to bring back an old thread!

Since I haven't seen it before, I'll contribute. Andy and Frank Bowers of Montgomery Gentry were a class behind me and a class or two ahead of me in high school. This link is as good as any:

http://www.tv.com/shows/the-late-late-s ... y-1131983/" target="_blank

[David Richoux]

My High School marching band and pep band (Harry Ells and later JFK in Richmond, CA) had a trombone player who was good on bone, but much better on harmonica - after graduation he became known as Norton Buffalo and recorded with many groups including The Steve Miller Band, lead his own band for many years, and also was in "The Rose" with Bette Midler.

He was a good friend!

pj and me.jpg

Others in my class went on to some fame in film, TV and legal/political worlds, but they were either in Orchestra or not in Band.

[TMurphy]

Here's a list:

http://bit.ly/rfVPFF" target="_blank

[taylorbeaty]

Bill Murray learned how to play tuba for Charlie's Angels. There's even a pic of he and Tommy Johnson together with sousaphones! I'm guessing he only played it for the movie and not much else. I saw Andy Griffith brought up earlier, I think he played trombone and tuba. I heard he was planning on being a band director but went into acting. He was also a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.