John Philip Sousa - composer, conductor, inventor
John Philip Sousa was born in Washington, D.C. in 1854
He was the 3rd of 10 children.
His father played trombone in the Marine Band.
When he was 13, he really wanted to join a circus band but his father enlisted John in the Marine Band instead.
Eventually, he became the conductor of the Marine Band under 5 different presidents.
He wrote so many marches (over 100), he was often called "The March King"
He invented a type of tuba that could be played standing up and marching.
It was named a Sousaphone - after John Philip Sousa.
Click here to listen to the Marine Band play The Stars and Stripe Forever and to learn a little more about Sousa.