Page 12 Fayetteville State University Homecoming ‘96 Edition
The Community
BancJs ANd ChoiRS
Music has been an
important part of school life
at Fayetteville State. There
have been small concert
bands and jazz bands over
the years. For the most
part, these groups played at
assemblies, graduations, and
occasionally at pep rallies. In
the fall of 1958, Mr. Thomas
Bacote joined the FSU staff
for the purpose of teaching
music and solidifying the
music department. Beginning
with just a few students,
mainly from the concert bands, he built the Broncos into
an exciting show band that was highly competitive with
other bands in the CIAA, and thoughout the South. From
1958 until the early ‘80s, Mr. Bacote made the Marching
Band one of the most popular organizations on campus.
They traveled to most of the road games with the football team. People were just as anxious to see them march as to see the team
play. Mr. Bacote has been succeeded by several directors who have helped to keep the musical tradition alive.*
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Above: 1924 FSU Orchestra
Below: 1927 FSU Orchestra
Thomas Bacote
Thomas Bacote and the Concert Band
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1957 Orchestra with Director Thomas Gavin
1962 Concert Band
1965 Concert Band
Possibly the first organized music at
Fayetteville State were its choral groups.
Like most Black colleges, it had Jubilee
Singers around the turn of the century
(and probably before). These young people
presented music at assemblies and
performed at local churches. On occasion,
they traveled to other campuses to perform
and sometimes competed against other
singing groups.
Mrs. Mary Ethridge, the most famous
of the choir directors, wrote the school
alma mater. Old White & Blue.*
Jubilee Singers, 1927
1st row, l-r: Maijorie Wilson, Robert Davis,
Ethel L. Bordare; 2nd row, l-r: Marie Tucker,
Directress Mable A. Cloud, Sylvia Willis; 3rd
row, l-r: Mr. Williams, Lonnie Corbet,
Milton Gainey, Professor J.E. Coppage.
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Jubilee Singers, 1933
Glee Club, 1925
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College Choir
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FSU Memories — Class of 1926