Scorpio – Kashmere Stage Band

Kashmere Stage Band’s Ill rendition of Dennis Coffey’s Funky Bboy Classic!

The Kashmere Stage Band is the subject of a recent documentary, which we advise peeping. The preview:

In case you don’t already know about Kashmere Stage Band, peep this background from the Thunder Soul Movie website:

In Houston, Texas in the late 1960s, musician and composer Conrad O. Johnson, widely known as “Prof”, took a job as Music Director at the predominantly black Kashmere High School where he would go on to transform the school’s struggling jazz band into a full-fledged funk powerhouse. The Kashmere High School Stage Band and their dynamic leader would soon become legendary and world-renowned.

In the early 1970s, national High School Stage Band competitions were fiercely competitive, strictly conservative, and almost entirely white. Not only did Prof break the color barrier and get his kids into these competitions, he flipped the status quo by rearranging all of his band’s music into elaborate funk arrangements. He changed the band’s look, encouraging them to embrace their own inimitable style. He then introduced the element of showmanship, with each section choreographing slick moves with their instruments—unprecedented at the time. Finally, he unleashed his band on the competition scene, where, against tremendous odds, they would go on to triumph again and again.

From 1968 to 1977, the Kashmere Stage Band won a record number of titles around the nation and was invited to perform in Europe and Japan. Prof and the band made history when they won Most Outstanding Stage Band in the Nation at the highly prestigious All-American High School Stage Band Festival in Mobile, Alabama, in 1972 – the very same year that state’s segregationist Governor George Wallace would announce a run for the presidency.

Some background on Kashmere Stage Band leader and Houston Legend Prof. Conrad O. Johnson from pbmalpha.org:

Johnson has made music ranging from the relatively simple, old style blues of L. C. Williams to the most complex orchestrations of the form, and he still delights in experiencing the full spectrum of creative possibilities. And those creative possibilities are evident in his special program. For this is more than a program on music. It is a program about reaching our children, about helping them to become successful and productive citizens.
This program also attempts to address the many problems that plague our young people (i.e., drug abuse, negative peer pressure, teen pregnancy, school drop-out, etc.). Rather than just saying “no” to these negative influences, this program gives the student the opportunity of fulfillment to “not even think about it.”
It also attempts to connect our older generation with our young people who are hungry for knowledge and wisdom. Our elderly have knowledge, wisdom, fortitude and endurance. Each helps to meet the need of the other. That is why the program’s theme is “sharing our legacy of music through the generations.”
Conrad says there are so many ways to help our children. This program’s method of choice to help young people attain their goals is Music, for music is the key to the soul. The creative approach is for living well with stress reduction. When one has peace of mind, a restful

Tune In to Funky Bboy Classics #NowPlaying @ RadioBboy.com!