Event Type : Birthday

William C. Warfield was born January 22nd,  1920.

Brother Warfield was an honorary initiate of the Delta Lambda Chapter at Ball State University in 1961.

A celebrated concert artist and actor, Warfield was named the Fraternity’s 11th “Man of Music” in 1976. He was considered to be one of the world’s experts on Negro spirituals and German Lieder, and held the title of “America’s Musical Ambassador.”

Long recognized as a master performer, most people remember him for his roles as Joe in the 1951 film Showboat. Warfield also appeared as Porgy in the 1952 productions of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, as well as De Lawd in the TV show Green Pastures.

William Revelli was born on February 12th, 1902.

William D. Revelli, an alumnus of the Alpha Lambda Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha at Illinois Wesleyan University, was awarded the Charles E. Lutton “Man of Music” Award in 1994.

Brother Revelli served as the director of the University of Michigan Marching Band from 1935 to 1971. During his term he reinvented the way the university band played and performed, elevating the standard for collegiate marching bands. He was a dedicated, albeit strict director who believed the best way to coach a band was like coaching a football team. He moved college marching bands away from rigid military formations and was the first to make college marching bands synchronize music and movement. Revelli’s method gained him international acclaim for this new style of precision.

Price A. Doyle was born February 21st, 1896.

Price Doyle was an initiate of the Gamma Delta Chapter at Murray State University and served as former Executive Secretary. He was awarded the “Man of Music” Award posthumously in 1967.

Doyle was also a professor and the head of the School of Music at Murray State from 1930 to 1957, leaving a lasting impression on his Alma Mater. In addition to being an alumnus, the fine arts building at the university was dedicated to him years after its completion, naming it the “Price Doyle Fine Arts Center” on December 5, 1971. Doyle also served as the president of the National Association of Schools of Music. Formed in 1924, it established national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees at music schools.

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.

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.