Event Type : Birthday

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.

Thor M. Johnson was born on June 10th, 1913.

Thor Johnson was a 1932 initiate of the Alpha Rho Chapter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1947, he was appointed conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and was the youngest American born conductor of a major American orchestra at that time.

In 1952, Brother Johnson became the first recipient of the Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award at the 32nd National Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. During his time at the CSO, he helped premier over 120 American and European compositions, half of which he commissioned. In addition to his music advocacy efforts, Johnson also founded the Peninsula Music Festival, established in 1952.

Carlisle Floyd was born on June 11th, 1926.

Brother Floyd was initiated into the Epsilon Iota Chapter at Florida State University in 1957. Today, he is one of the most admired and widely performed opera composers and librettists of the last century.

Known as the “Father of American Opera,” Floyd is credited with helping to create an American idiom in opera. His most famous work, Susannah, has become one of the most performed American operas in history. The opera, having debuted in 1956, in 1957, won the New York Music Critic’s Circle Award and subsequently was chosen to be America’s official operatic entry at the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Susannah has gone to achieve fame both in the United States and internationally. Other well-known works by Floyd include Of Mice and Men and Cold Sassy Tree.

In 2012, Brother Floyd became Phi Mu Alpha’s 23rd “Man of Music” at the 54th National Convention in Orlando, Florida.

Dave Grusin was born on June 26th, 1934.

Grusin was a 1953 initiate of the Beta Chi Chapter at the University of Colorado Boulder and named Phi Mu Alpha’s 16th Man of Music in 1991. Brother Grusin has been awarded several Grammys and an Academy Awards for his work as a film score composer.

Dave Grusin is well known for compositions in featured films like “The Milagro Beanfield War,” “The Champ,” “The Goonies,” and “The Fabulous Baker Boys.” He has also claimed fame as a talented jazz recording artist and has seen success as a producer/label owner at GRP Records. GRP was named the top contemporary/traditional jazz label of the 1990s by Billboard Magazine.

Frederick Fennel was born on July 2nd, 1914.

Brother Fennell was initiated into the Alpha Nu Chapter at the Eastman School of Music in 1934. As an internationally recognized conductor, Fennell was one of the prominent figures who promoted the legitimacy of the wind ensemble as a major performing group. During World War II, Fennell would serve as the National Musical Advisor for the United Service Organizations (USO).

Throughout his career, Fennel had been the director of several notable orchestras including the Tokyo Kosei Symphony Orchestra. Noted as one of America’s most-recorded conductors, he made several recordings with prominent wind ensembles such as the Cleveland Symphonic Winds and Dallas Wind Symphony.

For his immeasurable contributions to American music and tireless promotion of musical programs, Brother Fennell was awarded the Charles E. Lutton Man of Music award at the 51st National Convention in Washington D.C., in 2003.

Van Cliburn was born on July 12th, 1934

Van Cliburn was initiated into the Alpha Chi Chapter at the University of Tula in 1958. During the same year, he participated in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Russia. In an event designed to demonstrate the technological superiority of the USSR during the Cold War, Cliburn would win first prize. The win propelled him to international fame, earning him the nickname “The Texan Who Conquered Russia” on the cover of the New York Times Magazine. For the power of his musical diplomacy and his influence on the world through the arts, Brother Cliburn was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bush in 2003 and the National Medal of the Arts by President Obama in 2010. Today, his legacy lives on through the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition held once every four years at venues around the globe.

For his contributions to American music and his endeavors in the arts and humanity, Cliburn was awarded the Phi Mu Alpha’s “Man of Music” award at the 1962 National Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cliburn would follow his acceptance of the award with a speech and exceptional performance for the Sinfonian Brothers in attendance, displaying his gratitude through song.

When speaking on the joy of sharing music, Brother Cliburn said, “Its always there, it will be there after you and I and everyone we know today are dead. That music will still be alive.”

Jamey Aebersold was born on July 21st, 1939.

Brother Aebersold was initiated into the Gamma Omega Chapter at Indiana State University in 1976 and is a renowned American jazz saxophonist, educator, and publisher.

In 1967, Aebersold released the first book in his “Play-A-Long” series, a world-renowned series of jazz instructional books that are considered standard for most jazz educators. In his books, he touches on techniques that are regarded as essential building blocks for most jazz musicians. In addition to his series of instructional books, Brother Aebersold has taught musical improvisation at the University of Louisville, where he also hosts a summer jazz workshop that he has led for over fifty years now. At his camp, young jazz students are exposed to master classes, ear-training sessions, jazz theory, and concerts put on by the faculty and the nation’s leading artists. With his years of experience in leading workshops and teaching all levels – from novice to pro, it is clear to see why Aebersold is the world leader in jazz education.

For his dedication to the art form and tireless promotion of American music, Jamey Aebersold was awarded Phi Mu Alpha’s “Man of Music” award at the 54th National Convention in Orlando, Florida in 2009.