Bands at the World's Fair in Buffalo

As I continue to research John W. "Jack" Richardson, who ended up playing Sousaphone for a combined 22 years in John Philip Sousa's famous band, I'm learning more about his earliest years as a professional musician. In 1900, he moved from Newark, NJ, to Buffalo, NY, where he played with various groups, including the 65th Regiment Band (shown above - and that may be Richardson with the helicon bass directly behind John Powell, the band leader).

In 1901, from May 1 to November 2, Buffalo hosted the Pan-American Exposition, and many of the best bands in the country were featured for this World's Fair, including this hometown ensemble. But the headliners were Brooke, Innes, and especially Sousa, who had just toured Europe for the first time the previous year. Shortly after the Exposition, Richardson was recruited by Brooke to play in his Chicago Marine Band, and two years later, after the tubist had returned to Buffalo, Sousa plucked him up to fill the band's iconic Sousaphone post that had recently been vacated by Herman Conrad.

I have a sneaking suspicion that both Brooke and Sousa heard about, or perhaps literally heard, Richardson performing with the 65th Regiment Band at the Exposition, leading them to entice this outstanding bass player to join their bands when they needed a top player.

Here are the relevant pages from a little booklet published in 1901 to help people get excited about the great music they would hear if they made their way to the Exposition (images courtesy of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation):