Alabama’s Million Dollar Band is kicking off its centennial celebration this summer with a trip to Italy. After 100 years of being part of the Crimson Tide tradition, the band will be doing a 10-day tour of Italy beginning May 8.
“Italy is certainly one of the art capitals of the world,” said Kenneth Ozzello, the director of the Million Dollar Band. “On top of that, the food is outstanding. Walking through Italy is like walking through a history book.”
The wind ensemble and part of the marching band will be participating in the trip and will play concerts in some of the famous concert halls in Italy.
Twenty-five thousand people have participated in band over the years, and its history goes all the way back to 1912, when the University was still a military organization.
“The function of the band was somewhat dual-purposed,” Ozzello said. “It was ceremonial, but also practical for the moving and training of troops. Essentially, the function of the band mirrored the changes in the University.”
As the University progressed and courses in the fine arts developed, the band moved to a totally ceremonial function.
Now, Ozzello said, the function has changed again to training students in the band to be musicians. The band began playing for football games in the 1920s and the name “Million Dollar Band” was given to the marching band in 1922 by W. C. “Champ” Pickens, an Alabama alumnus and football manager in 1896.
Accounts of how the name evolved vary, but according to the 1948 Alabama football media guide, the band got its name during a Georgia Tech game, won by the Yellow Jackets 33-7.
An Atlanta sportswriter commented to Pickens, “You don’t have much of a team, what do you have at Alabama?” Pickens replied, “A Million Dollar Band.”
According to the media guide, Pickens chose the name based on the band’s fundraising proficiency. During that time, it was necessary for them to solicit funds from merchants to be able to travel to games.
The name stuck, and the Million Dollar Band has since gone on to win numerous awards. The band is comprised of 400 students. “It represents a very large and diverse group of students,” Ozzello said.
For senior Grayson Martin, band was a way for him to get involved in a community of people.
“A lot of people do frats or sororities to meet new people in college,” Martin said. “I was not in a frat, so for me, this was what I did to get to know people. It has been a lifelong experience that most people are not a part of. It is just a great experience with 400 of your closest friends.”
Martin, who plays the alto saxophone, said he has enjoyed getting to experience things like being on the field for games and going to different stadiums across the country. He plans to go on the trip to Italy this summer.
“I’ve never gotten to travel internationally before,” he said. “Italy was somewhere I always wanted to go. It’s the 100-year anniversary and my last season, which adds to the memories and makes for a special last year.”
Martin said the band was hoping to perform at a soccer game, but it is not guaranteed.
“Soccer is like their football, if not more intense,” he said. “They will have to see how good the team is first. If they aren’t doing well, the band will not be able to play because it could potentially be dangerous.”
The Million Dollar Band also has a lot planned for the fall after they have returned.
According to Ozzello, they will be doing concerts incorporating alumni and former directors. They are also hoping to have the largest alumni band ever on the field at one of the football games in the fall.
“We are looking forward to having all our alumni back on campus,” he said.
