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Old-Time Music Bands

Created on Nov 14, 2016 by Kathy Pinna

The Boy Scouts, Civil War units, all girls bands, fiddlers, and Army and Post Office bands - even a band from the 1900's which included guns.

Checkout this collection of historic musical bands and musical family photos from the 20th century.

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Musical family photos from the past

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Boy Scout Band, OK

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1917? The Scouts got a hand with the horn and drums.

The Arabian Knights 1929

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Not an electrified guitar in sight - bet they sounded great! (BTW - love the background curtains.)

1926 school band

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A whole row of violins - and they're all girls!

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1940, WPA

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It looks like these little darlings made their own instruments. SO cute!

Band at the Mayflower Mine

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1903 - hearing good music in the great outdoors. Always a treat.

A 1900 band

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With guns???? Guess you better have liked their music!

Children's home band, 1928

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They're not exactly smiling, and times must have been hard, but music must have picked up their spirits.

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Army band, 1919

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There's plenty to offend in this photo of the WWI band. That was entertainment in 1919.

French brass band

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I hear Sousa music when I look at them!

Coronet band, 1909

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Again with the Sousa! (Since it was NY, they probably did play some Sousa.)

Fiddle band, 1930's

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Pat Dunn
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shared on 02/17/2015

I still love the fiddle - maybe it's my Kentucky roots?

Post office band

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Jim Brooking
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shared on 10/01/2014

Not a very big band but with all of those drums, they must have made some noise!

1918?

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The description says 1915 but the banner says 1918 - they are a spiffy bunch!

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Family band, late 1910's

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Before radio became common in homes in the 1920's, families provided their own entertainment. The zither!

Civil War Drum Corps, 1863

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They may not have marched into battle like in the Revolutionary War, but they must have boosted morale.

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They look very relaxed in this photo.

Military band, 1923

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In contrast, this military band is "getting down"!

Christian Brothers band

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1932 - they look very impressive.

1926 Jazz band

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This school jazz band (from our hometown, San Jose) is so clean cut!

Did you know? It is thought that music may have been around for over 55,000 years! As Congreve said in the 17th century: "Musick has charms to soothe a savage breast" and it has probably been a source of comfort to many recently. While the human voice (singing, humming, whistling) may have been the first "instrument," ancient examples of flutes, made from mammoth ivory and bird bones, are the oldest human made instruments found to date. They are 40,000 years old.

Today, most bands have some electronic instruments but these photos show simply humans and their instruments - celebrating music as it has been played for thousands of years (before radio, tv, and the internet brought entertainment to you).

Click "next page" below to see photos more entertainers from the past.

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