For 100 years, the Big Red Marching Band has done more than perform halftime shows — it’s marched through generations, carrying a legacy of sound, spirit and community. Its one of the the largest college marching bands in Kentucky, with approximately 250 members. The band regularly performs at WKU events and participates in various other appearances throughout the year.
The BRMB began in 1925 as a student organization led by student director Joyce Felts. The WKU Bands have thrived under a series of influential directors who expanded membership and elevated the program’s reputation.
David Livingston led record-sized bands and introduced the all-female jazz band, Gemini 15, as early as 1967 according to WKU Libraries, leading the band until 1969, according to WKU’s website. His leadership set the stage for future growth and innovation within the program.
“His musical talent is nothing short of genius,” Marshall Scott, who played with Livingston, told the Herald when Livingston was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame in 2014. “His ability to improvise, in a jazz sense, is just uncanny.”
Kent Campbell served as director from 1972-1993 according to a BRMB timeline on WKU’s website and oversaw the program’s largest participation to that point, with the marching band reaching up to 170 members. His two-decade tenure remains the longest in WKU Bands history and marked a period of strong musical excellence and campus presence.
Under John C. Carmichael, who was with the band from 1993–2007, the Wind Ensemble, Southern Kentucky Concert Band and PRISM showcase concert, including the WKU Jazz Band, Steel Drum Band, the Wind Ensemble and more were established, according to WKU Music. These additions created more opportunities for student musicians.
During the era of Gary Schallert and Jeff Bright, the bands gained national prominence through performances at major conferences and international tours. Shallart was hired as Carmiachael’s sucessor in 2008 and Bright was hired as the director of the BRMB in 2007. The BRMB grew to 280 members under their direction.
Matthew McCurry assumed leadership in 2020. In 2024, the marching Band surpassed 300 members, the largest in program history.
“It’s so special to be a part of the 100th edition of this band,” said senior drum major and music education major Shaylee Baxter.
At the beginning of this year, the BRMB took a trip to march in the London New Year’s Day Parade to ring in its 100th year. Former drum majors Allison Schimmel and Ashton Hoelscher described the parade as a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“McCurry is the one who made London possible and the Big Red Marching Band owes him a lot,” said former drum major Aaliyah Henry.
This marching season, the band has built its halftime show around 100 years of music. Baxter said the show starts with a 1920s and 1930s big band sound to pay tribute to the BRMB’s establishment in the 1920s.
“It’s almost like (Taylor Swift’s) The Eras Tour of the BRMB,” Baxter said.
The performance transitions into a medley of two Elvis Presley songs: “Jailhouse Rock” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” for the ‘50s and ‘60s. The show currently ends with ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” featuring the Topperettes, the dance team at WKU, to represent the 70s disco era.
“One thing that I love about marching in college is we get to perform music that people know and enjoy,” Delehanty said. “That’s why I think everyone loves this year’s show so much.”
Delehanty said that the BRMB usually prepares two different shows for the marching season, but this year, they have put all of the effort into one show for the 100th anniversary.
Baxter said the band is working on a Madonna and Nirvana song to represent the ‘80s and ‘90s for the alumni band performance on Nov. 15. The BRMB is also adding a 2000s song for the alumni to perform at the halftime show.
“I think we have around 200 alumni coming back to perform with us, which I think shows how strong this community is,” Baxter said.
The alumni performance will be a part of the halftime show at the last home football game of the season against Middle Tennessee State University. The alumni and band will begin the day rehearsing in the new Tim and Sarah Ford Fieldhouse, making them one of the first groups to see and use the new facility.
Baxter explained that tradition is something that the BRMB values highly. She said it is special that the drum majors’ pregame performance is passed down by word of mouth. She detailed how this year one former drum major returned to teach this year’s group the routine.
“I think we do a great job of respecting the traditions of the bands before us,” Delehanty said. “Our pregame show is full of Western traditions, and it’s a nice nod to the bands before us.”
Both Baxter and Delehanty said this year feels very surreal, considering there’s been 100 bands before them.
“I hope everyone continues to serve and provide for the community because that’s what has kept this going so strong for 100 years,” Baxter said.
