| The Human Jukebox | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname | The Jukebox |
| School | Southern University and A&M College |
| Location | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Conference | SWAC |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Director | Dr. Kedric D Taylor |
| Members | 270 |
| Website | Official Human Jukebox website |
The Human Jukebox is themarching band representingSouthern University and A&M College located inBaton Rouge, Louisiana.
T. Leroy Davis is credited with establishing Southern University's marching band and served as the band director between 1947 and 1964. He also helped organize the first Southern University Band Festival and Band Day and was well-known for his contributions and achievements in music. Davis was given the title of Professor Emeritus for his many years of service to the university in 1989.[1]
The band is anchored by the Isaac Greggs Band Hall on campus. Dr. Isaac Greggs (Doc) was an award-winning band director and alumnus of Southern University that led the band for 36 years (1969 - 2005). Under his leadership, the band grew in popularity and established a distinctive identity. In addition to having the band hall renamed in his honor, he was inducted into the Louisiana Black History Hall of Fame in 2013 and had a display case dedicated in his honor at theNational Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016.[2][3]
The Human Jukebox has been recognized as among the best marching bands in the nation by theNCAA.[4] The band is highly regarded for its powerful, high-volume sound, soulful arrangements, extensive song catalog, and entertaining showmanship.
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Since 1969, the Human Jukebox has been often accompanied byThe Fabulous Dancing Dolls. Gracie Perkins co-founded the Dolls with Dr. Greggs. The Dolls are best known for their beauty standards, stylish dance uniforms, and graceful choreography.[5] A notable highlight in Dolls' history is when they were invited to perform with world pop-starMadonna for her live Super Bowl halftime performance in 2012.[6] In 2019, the Dolls were shown in Beyonce's Netflix documentary "HΘMΣCΘMING: A film by Beyonce".[7] In 2022, the Dolls starred in an eight-episodedocu-series executive produced by NBA playerChris Paul onESPN+ entitled "Why Not Us: Southern Dance".[8]
One of the most anticipated traditions of the Human Jukebox is the Friday night "Battle of the Bands" versus Grambling's"World Famed" Tiger Marching Band duringBayou Classic weekend in theMercedes-Benz Superdome. The annual event draws tens of thousands of alumni, fans, and spectators. Clips of it is aired onNBC's nationally televised broadcast of Saturday's football game. AYouTube video of the Human Jukebox's soulful rendition of Adele's hit single"Hello" from the 2015 Bayou Classic Battle of the Bands wentviral which resulted in the band garnering overwhelmingly positive press both nationally and internationally. The video received over 1 million views in less than two weeks and was one of the nation's top trending topics onsocial media the week of its release.[9][10] In 2019,Vice Media released adocumentary detailing the historical and cultural significance of the Human Jukebox and their annual band battle against Grambling's "World Famed" Tiger Marching band in New Orleans.[11]
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In October 2017,Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers (Baton Rouge-based national restaurant corporation) announced a partnership with The Southern University Human Jukebox, making Raising Cane's the "Official Chicken of the SU Human Jukebox." At the 2017 Bayou Classic Battle of the Bands, State Representative Ted James & J Morgan & Associates unveiled the official Human Jukebox state license plate for the citizens of Louisiana, making The Human Jukebox the first marching band in the nation with a license plate.[12]
The Human Jukebox has performed at theSuper Bowl six times as of 2020 and has a long-standing reputation of making appearances at many types of highly visible events.[13] For example, in 1997, the Human Jukebox performed at theinaugural parade for President Bill Clinton.[14] In 2015, the Human Jukebox performed for the grand introduction of Floyd Mayweather in theMGM Grand Arena of Las Vegas for "his bout with Manny Pacquiao".[15]Lizzo featured the Human Jukebox and Fabulous Dancing Dolls in her 2019 music video "Good as Hell".[16] The Human Jukebox and Fabulous Dancing Dolls traveled to Pasadena, California in December 2019 to participate in the 131stRose Parade. This was the marching band's second appearance in the parade, with the first occurring 40 years ago in 1980.[17]
The Human Jukebox is a highly watched and followed collegiate marching band with over 200,000 followers on Facebook, over 100,000 subscribers on YouTube, over 100,000 followers on Instagram, and severalsocial media videos reaching over 1 million views.[18][19][20]
The Human Jukebox primaryrepertoire includes the following:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Director | Dr. Kedric D. Taylor |
| Associate Director of Bands | William J. Young |
| Assistant Director | Cedric Todd |
| Assistant Director | Kenneth Collins |
| Percussion Instructor | Lorenzo Hart |
| Business Manager | Sandra Byrd |
| Program Manager | Myrikle J. Rosette |
| Fabulous Dancing Dolls Sponsor | Traci Greene |
| Announcer | Darren Bedell |
| Human Jukebox Media Director | Garrett Edgerson |
| Drum Major ('24-'26) | Demarcus Hill |
| Fabulous Dancing Dolls captain ('24 - '26) | Herbreyana Daniels |
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