The Western Mustang Band has been providing music and entertainment at football and university events since 1923. Throughout its history, there have been many successes and struggles. Future doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers and philanthropists have all played loud and proud while wearing the iconic purple and white uniforms. The band has for decades been one of the most spirited groups on campus. The history of the band is full of legacies and tradition, which still exist to this day.

The Early Years, Don Wright and the USC: 1923-1945

The band can trace its history back to the fall of 1923, when a group of students led by Sidney Kingsmill began performing at university football games. They were hardly what you would think of as a marching band; they had no uniforms, cobbled together instruments, and walked with no real order. 

Success for the group came when the Canadian Officer Training Corps (COTC) took over in 1929. Under their direction, the band had access to money for uniforms and instruments. Wearing their blue serge tunics and brimmed caps, they marched and played at every home football event from 1929 until 1937. In 1937, the University Students’ Council organized the band to have more spirited uniforms, featuring the official purple and white colours. This new ‘Western Band’ was to play at football games as well as other university events and continued until all extra-curricular activities ceased in the fall of 1940 due to the Second World War.

Don Wright (1908-2006)

Don Wright played trumpet in the band during his undergraduate years and eventually took on the bandmaster role for the COTC Band in 1933. Under the USC, he became the first director of the new Western Band in 1937.

Wright was a proficient composer and arranger, and was responsible for all the arrangements the band played. One of his most significant changes was integrating jazz into the band’s repertoire. This was so popular among students that during halftime of one football game, players were booed off the field so that the band could perform an encore.

Entertaining the Masses: 1946-1969

After the war, the band resumed operations and continued Wright’s tradition of using popular music in their arrangements. The next major change came in 1959 when Ron Brown took over as bandmaster. He instituted daily practices and required a level of professionalism previously lacking. At the same time, his desire to have a traditional drum corps style band led to the exclusion of women musicians.

Brown led the band in visual field shows during every halftime at football games, and used themes from Broadway, Hammerstein and Disney. This showmanship was well-received and resulted in regular standing ovations. This success also brought more funding.

During the late 1960s, membership started to decline. Brown had left as director in 1968, and university marching bands across Canada became less popular. With budget cuts in 1968, the band began to suffer. At this point, they dwindled to around 22 members.

Women in the Band

Traditionally, marching bands were male-dominated organizations. While this held largely true for the early period of the Western Band, there were some notable exceptions. In 1937, Beth Forbes was commissioned as drum major, the first time in Canada a woman performed in this role. Majorettes were introduced in 1948 and quickly becoming a staple of the band’s image. These women would march at the front of the band twirling batons and later carrying flags and rifles.

By 1953, the band had its first woman musician, Jane Perkins, with several more following soon after. However, under Ron Brown’s direction in 1959, a policy of exclusion was implemented barring women musicians. This was reversed after his departure, but it was not until the 1970s that the band became more inclusive.

A More Modern Group: 1970-1990

With a burst of enthusiasm from the USC president in 1970, the band received much needed funding. New uniforms were purchased featuring a white Stetson hat, purple sweater with a Western crest, and white pants and shoes. However, by the mid-1970s the band began to decline once again due to inadequate funding and decreasing membership.

There was a brief resurgence under the leadership of Brad Masters, brought on as director in 1981. Masters secured funding from various organizations, allowing for the purchase of new instruments and uniforms. By the mid-1980s, membership again dwindled, and a series of articles criticizing the band’s unprofessional atmosphere began appearing in the Western Gazette. The band languished throughout this era, and would not regain their professional form until the mid-2000s

Athletic Events

While the band has its roots in football, basketball games became a part of the band’s attendance in 1957 and quickly became a favourite. With the short timeouts and quick play, the band would sit in the stands and interject short snippets of songs to energize the crowd.

This success led to the idea of playing at men’s hockey games in 1972. Sitting up high in the seats, the band would play loud and utilize the echo formed in the arena. As a result, the band began performing year-round as opposed to the previous fall-only activities.