John Philip Sousa

John Philip Sousa was born in Washington, D.C., the son of a Portuguese-born father who played trombone in the United States Marine Band. He studied violin and other instruments, and when at thirteen he tried to run away to join a circus band, his father enlisted him as an apprentice in the Marine Band. After leaving, he conducted theater orchestras. In 1880 he returned to lead the Marine Band, serving five presidents and making it the finest military band in the country. In 1892 he formed his own civilian band, which toured the United States and the world for nearly forty years, playing thousands of concerts. He wrote 136 marches, including Semper Fidelis, The Washington Post, The Liberty Bell and The Stars and Stripes Forever, which Congress made the national march of the United States in 1987. He also wrote operettas, novels and an autobiography. He helped develop the sousaphone, a large brass instrument that wraps around the player. During World War I he trained Navy bands at Great Lakes. He died in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1932, after rehearsing a band.

Faith: Faith not well documented. Source: Wikipedia