Did you know that Milwaukee boasts the country’s longest running police department band?
That’s right, founded in 1898, the Milwaukee Police Band claims the title of "The Oldest Police Band in America."
You can see the ensemble in concert for free on Sunday, Aug. 19 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts’ Peck Pavilion, 929 N. Water St., at 2 p.m.
1898
The band got a rather unique start according to a history on the Milwaukee Police Band website ...
"In the fall of 1897, a number of officers who were rather proficient whistlers came together and started to practice at the old Second District Police Station located at South 6th Street and West Mineral Streets. This led Milwaukee Police Officer William Stupenagel, to organize several officers into a small band. Officer Stupenagel had a musical background and was appointed bandmaster by Chief John T. Janssen. The band grew in both stature and size to the point where it needed more space and moved to the abandoned morgue on Broadway Street. Chief Janssen gave the band the official status as the Milwaukee Police Band."
1940
The founding of the group earned a small notice in The New York Times on April 18.
The band – which rehearsed in the city’s abandoned morgue on Broadway – played its first public gig on May 19, 1898 at the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention, which was held in Milwaukee that year.
1956
About six weeks earlier the group tuned up with a performance for fellow officers, playing "El Capitan,", "Yankee Doodle," "The Girl I Left Behind Me," "St. Patrick’s Day," "The Star Spangled Banner" and other tunes, "which were reported to have been rendered ‘in the most creditable manner’."
It wasn’t long before folks took notice. A lengthy article in the Milwaukee Journal in August 1898, noted that the MPD’s "big brass band ... claimed to be the only one in the country" and said that despite "hard struggles for supremacy over the tubas and drums," the band was "now ready to meet all comers in the Bluecoat Line."
1970
Soon after, the band got its first formal director, violinist and bandmaster Herman A. Zeitz, a Prussian immigrant Marquette music professor who in addition to leading the MPD band, was also involved with the Marquette University band, orchestras that performed in numerous Downtown silent movie houses, the Muikverein singing society and other ensembles.
In 1922, the Milwaukee Police Department Band played a march with the man most associated with that genre of music.
At Disney World, 2003.
"John Philip Sousa has taken upon himself the role of sponsor for the Milwaukee Police Band," wrote the Journal on Oct. 8, 1922. "He wants it to be recognized as the greatest band of any police department in the country. Though members of the police band considered it a remarkable honor to play under the baton of Sousa, together with his own organization, the 'March King' sent on assurances that he held in high esteem the courtesy extended him by this offer of the local police officers.
"Members of the police band had long aspired to that point of perfection where their efforts would be compared with those of Sousa's, but they little dreamed that they would be so soon playing side by side with the highly trained Sousa musicians and under the direction of the celebrated bandmaster, John Philip Sousa himself. Now they would experience a new thrill of knowing just how it felt when Sousa leads the band."
2009
At the climax of the Saturday afternoon performance at the Auditorium (now the Miller High Life Theatre) Souza led his band of 80 AND the MPD band – now 67 members strong – in a performance of "Sabres and Spurs" and, afterward, Souza presented the Milwaukee group with a large, silk American flag.
Nowadays, the band is led by Ret. Lt. Karen Dubis, who served on MPD for 37 years and has been with the band for four decades.
The group plays a free annual concert at The Pabst Theater, which raises the money to support the band. No public money goes to fund the group, which serves as a goodwill ambassador, performing at events like the Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies, the Law Enforcement Mass of Blessing at the Basilica of St. Josaphat, and the mayor’s state of the city address.
The musicians all donate their time and talents to keep the country’s longest-serving police band going.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
