W. Francis McBeth was born on March 9th, 1933.

An initiate of the Alpha Iota Chapter at the University of Texas, Brother William Francis McBeth remains one of the most performed American symphonic wind composers. His works, including such pieces as “Kaddish,” “Joyant Narrative,” and “Masque,” are considered to be standard repertoire for most wind ensembles.

McBeth was Professor of Music and Resident Composer at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, from 1957 until his retirement in 1996. As a conductor, he appeared in forty-eight states, three Canadian provinces, Japan, and Australia. He even conducted the Arkansas All-State Band, with future president Bill Clinton playing in the tenor saxophone section.

Up until his death in 2012 and even still, McBeth continues to be a prime musical influence on several American composers. In his lifetime he was honored with several awards including the Howard Hanson Prize at the Eastman School of Music, the ASCAP Special Award, Kappa Kappa Psi’s Distinguished Service to Music Medal, the John Philip Sousa Foundations Sudler Medal of Honor, and many others.

Brother McBeth became the Fraternity’s 15th “Man of Music” 1988.

J. Clifton Williams was born on March 26, 1923.

James Clifton Williams was initiated into the Beta Omega Chapter at Louisiana State University in 1946. He would graduate from the university a year later with his Bachelor’s of Music degree. In 1949, Williams earned a Master’s from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. While attending Eastman, he would study under Bernard Rogers and Brother Howard Hanson. It was being mentored under these men that set Williams on his composition career path.

In 1956 his concert band piece entitled “Fanfare and Allegro” won the inaugural American Bandmasters Association Ostwald Composition Prize. Williams spent most of the latter half of his career as the Chair of the Theory and Composition Department at the University of Miami School of Music and retained the position until his death in 1976.

Williams’ symphonic march, “The Sinfonians” was commissioned by Phi Mu Alpha. It is a piece that features motifs of prominent Fraternity songs and is widely performed by ensembles of all levels across the nation. The march was first premiered and conducted by Brother Williams at the Fraternity’s 36th National Convention in Cinncinatti, Ohio in 1960.

Sigmund G. Spaeth was born on April 10th, 1885.

Dr. Sigmund Spaeth was a charter member of the Iota Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha at Northwestern University in 1910. His name as a composer and musicologist was interwoven with American music for several decades from the early 1920s through the late 1940s. After attending Haverford College (where he would compose the alma mater) he earned a doctorate degree from Princeton University. Spaeth was a well-known music critic on several newspapers including the “New York Times” and “The Boston Evening Transcript.” He would also compose music for the movies “Show Boat” and “The Trespasser.”

Spaeth was the author of several books such as “A History of Popular Music in America” and “The Common Sense of Music.” These works helped show the ties between popular songs of the time and old American folk songs. His vast knowledge of musical heritages led to the premiere of his NBC programs “Keys to Happiness” and “The Tune Detective.” On many occasions, he was sought out as an expert witness in the courtroom testifying against musical plagiarism. As a passionate supporter of barbershop quartet singing, he would spend much time outside of his profession organizing musical groups for the blind and arranging to have records sent to servicemen overseas.

In 1958, Brother Spaeth was named Phi Mu Alpha’s 4th “Man of Music” at the 35th National Convention for his contributions to American art and culture as well as his study of the origins of American popular music.

Maynard Ferguson was born on May 4th, 1928.

An initiate of the Xi Chi Chapter at Tennessee Tech University, Brother Ferguson rose to national fame while a member of Stan Kenton’s orchestra and a Hollywood session musician. In 1956, just six years after a feature performance with Kenton’s band on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” Ferguson formed his own band, which he would lead for a decade. Perhaps most widely known hits like “Birdland” and “Gonna Fly Now” (the theme from the movie “Rocky,” nominated for a Grammy in 1977), Ferguson was a master of soaring above his band into the upper register with a tone and timbre uniquely his own.

Ferguson and his band would tour ceaselessly throughout the country and all over the world. He would even make an appearance during the closing ceremony of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada. When it came to his music, Maynard Ferguson had done it all, switching up his musical style throughout his career from big band swing, to cool jazz, to Latin, to jazz/rock and fusion and more.

Brother Ferguson became the 21st recipient of the Fraternity’s “Man of Music” Award at the 52nd National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio in 2006.