'Fred' Fredrick Alton Jewell, Indiana March King

-"Fred" -

-legendary circus band leader -

-and march writer -

Indiana March King

28 May 1875-11 Feb 1936 -

Fred Jewel was born 28 May 1875 Worthington Greene, Indiana and died 11 Feb 1936 - Worthington Greene, Indiana the son of Dudley Jewell.

He began is career as a member of a family band led by his father at the age of twelve, playing the baritone/euphonium and included his brothers and sisters to supplement his parent's meager income.

When only sixteen, in 1891 Fred ran away from home and joined the Gentry Brother's Dog and Pony Show (circus) in Bloomington in 1899; as a euphonium player. He also played the calliope. He played his baritone horn in the band. It was while with Gentry's that he wrote "Gentry's Triumphal" ; for the show and remained there until 1901.

He was master of the baritone horn and cornet, but he was also proficient with violin and piano as well, clarinet, trombone, and calliope. - but as a performer he prefered to play the euphonium and was considered a virtuoso of the insrument.

Frederick Alton Jewell (born May 28, 1875 - died February 11, 1936 in Worthington, Indiana) became interested in music at a young age, learning a number of instruments, including cornet, violin, clarinet, trombone, piano, and calliope; but as a performer, he is best remembered as a virtuoso euphonium player.

In 1897 he joined the Wallace Circus as band master.

In 1899 he rejoined the Gentry Brother's Dog and Pony Show as band master of a 13-piece ensemble and the music played by the group was written by it's band master and shows the traits for the smaller bands.

Quitting the Gentry outfit in 1902 he then joined joined the Ringling Brothers Circus Band, staying through 1904. In 1905 he joined the Otto Floto Shows, as band master - which became become the Sells-Floto Show in 1906.

Newspaper marches were rampant at the turn of the century. One of the less well-known was penned in 1905 for The Denver Post. That it sounds like a jaunty circus parade tune is no coincidence. Fred Jewell, who wrote it, was music director for the Sells-Floto Circus, which the newspaper also owned. There are an estimated 450 marches dedicated to newspapers.

In 1907 and 1908 he was back with the Ringling Brothers Circus as becoming the euphonium soloist.

Then during 1909 and 1910 seasons he became the band master for the Barnum and Bailey Greatest show On Earth circus in Mexico and Central America. While there he wrote several Spanish dances and serenades. They included Romance Land, At Evening Time and At Break of Dawn.

In 1911 he became the director or maestro of the Long Beach Municipal Band. But sometime during the later part of the year found him back on the circus trail; this time with the John Robinson Show.

During a return visit in 1912 to Worthington he met and married Myrtle Gray ___ a young widow on _____.

Some say as early as 1910 found Jewell leading the Hagenback Wallace Circus continuing through the season of 1912. Others say the association was in 1915 which found him with the Hagenback Wallace Circus , where he remained through 1917 and in 1918 retired from touring with various circuses to become band director for the community of Fairfield and other sources state in 1917 and that he moved to Oskaloosa Iowa to assume the conductorship of the Iowa Brigade Band. But in the off-season he led various theatrical stock company bands, theater orchestras, and church ensembles near his Indiana hometown.

Iowa Brigade Band kept Fred busy for the ensuing years of 1919-1923 and on the move - and it is also stated that he led various adult bands first in Fairfield, Iowa and then Oskaloosa, Iowa where he also organized the first high school band in 1919.

Besides starting his own publishing company or house, in 1918 in Iowa which has been found listed as 'Fred Jewell Co'. and 'Jewell Music Co' which he moved to Worthington Indiana in 1923 when he moved back to his hometown.

When one closes their eyes while hearing his two gallops: Go and They're Off they can almost hear the horses galloping about the circus ring, the bareback riders performing their acts in rhythm. The clack of the steel rails in, 'Our Special' and also in, 'Call of the Road'.

John Philip Sousa and Fred Jewell were close friends. Sousa paid the highest tribute afforded another musician to Fred in Des Moines, Iowa in 1919. Sousa's band played an all Fred Jewell composition concert. And when 78 years of age Sousa visited with Fred at Worthington.

To the countless lesser musicians who knew him for many year he was never Mr. Jewell. He was a man who was about five feet, eleven inches all; medium build; who had a serene countenance.

In 1920 when the birth of Fred A. Jr. was about to occur he returned to Worthington, losing no time he was out locating a group with band instruments and opened a music store and he organized the Worthington High School band of seventy-five members and became its director. He composed School Colors for them.

At about the same time he also was conducting the band of the Masonic Home of Franklin, Indiana.

1923/1926 - he returned to Indianapolis to direct the Murat Shrine Band and did so until his death in 1936 and the Sahara Grotto Band. He also taught music at Worthington, Greene, Indiana and Martinsville, Morgan, Ind. Besides he continued to compose music for bands.

1927 - Fred Jewel was hired to direct the Tampa Band for the winter Season - and traveled to Tampa to lead its municipal band for a brief period. He was able to attract musicians from major symphonies to leave for three months and join his ensembles.

Prior to 1930 he had conducted the Murat Temple Band for several years and at a Sunday morning rehearsal of the big concert of Murat Temple he was presented with a gold coronet which bore the engraved insignia along with the inscription: "Presented to director Fred Jewell by the Murat Band, 1930". Lifting it to his lips he played a composition that was always close to his heart - Iowa Brigade.

The years of the circus and glitter was beginning to dim. The bands with their brass din were fading away to those that "sweet talked" on the woods and reeds; the World War I boys were becoming to old to do their long marches.

1928 - he wrote the 'Checkered Flag' for the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.

In 1932 he was elected into the membership of the 'American Bandmasters Association' by his peers, at the time he was listed as director of the Murat Shrine Band.

1933 - he wrote the 'Pageant of Progress' for the Chicago World's Fair.

His health began to fail, as if he even had an arrangement for that made too.

On 11 February 1936 at his home in Worthington, Greene, Indiana he died; - it is said after a long illness.

Final tribute to him was paid by the Murat Temple Shrine of Indianapolis who took charge of the services that began in the Christian Church, the following Friday , which ended with his burial in the Worthington Cemetery.

At some time after his death the department of music at Purdue University at Lafayette, Indiana purchased more than 100 of his musical works.

It is said in the musical field that Fred is ranked right with the great John Philip Sousa - not as almost or a little better but equal. With his passing Greene county lost a great composer and bandmaster.

Sometime in July of each year is the annual - Fred Jewell Festival in Worthington, Indiana includes bands and a picnic put on by the volunteer fire department. It is unknown if this festival still exists or not (2009).

He has left a lasting legacy of outstanding marches to be valued for generations to come! Depending what source you read it states that he was as a composer of over 100, 130, 140, 170, nearly 200 band compositions, mostly marches which were published.

Fred Jewell's Compositions (probably not all of them)
A Jolly Rover
Armistice Day Parade
At Break of Dawn
At Evening Time
Banner Bearer
Battle Royal (1909)
Boy Scouts March
Cadet Days
Call of the Road
Checkered Flag, The
Crimson Petal Waltz, The
Circusdom
Cloth of Gold
Denver Post (1905)
Director General, The (1911)
E Pluribus Unum (1917)
Floto's Triumphal (1906)
Go Gallop
"GARY OWEN" MARCH
Gentry's Triumphal (1910)
Golden Days
Globe Trotter, The
Hail to Old Glory (1918)
High and Mighty
Imp O' Luck
Imperial Council
In Line of March
Iowa Brigade
Lawsy Masy
Lead On
Legion of Honor
New Friendship
Neola Waltz
Old Circus Band March, The (1923)
On The Air
Our Favorite
Our Special
Pageant of Progress
Pumpkin Center Cornet Band, The
QUALITY PLUS (1913)
Radio Waves
Revelry
Romance Land
School Colors
SCREAMER MARCH , The (1906/1921)
Shrine of Liberty
Supreme Triumph (1920)
They're Off
Trombone Blues (1918)
Trombone Smear ?Trombone Blues?
Trooping of the Colors
Trumpets of Victory
Washington Winds, The
Westerner, The
Whirlwind Galop

Fred Jewell Historical Marker
Located at the intersecting roads of US 231 and SR 157, inFountain Triangle Park, Worthington Greene County Indiana
N 39° 07.134 W 086° 58.574
16S E 502054 N 4329971

Erected 1998 Indiana Historical Bureau , Matthew Huber, Director of Bands, Jackson Township Community Band, and Brazil Concert Band.
ID# : 28.1998.2

Born in Worthington 1875. Left home at sixteen and became performer, composer, and bandmaster for several circuses, including Ringling Brothers (1902-1904, 1907) and Barnum and Bailey (1908-1910). Brought his publishing company to Worthington 1923; died 1936. Nationally recognized as "Indiana's March King." Many of his marches are still performed.

Articles etc. on Fred Jewell -

Fred Jewell - musical genius (31 Oct. 1975) Linton Daily Citizen -

http://www.dolmetsch.com/cdefsj.htm -[information supplied by Charles Conrad; Fred Jewell dissertation by Charles Conrad; Ball State Univ. 1994]

Tuba-Euphonium Blog http://www.dwerden.com/blog3/display_blog.cfm?bid=F7118565-FBA9-5510-D7E3811048784791

Euphonia magazine, April, 1980, publisher, Glenn Call EUPHONIUM AND BARITONE PLAYERS OF THE PAST LENN D. BRIDGES

Classical Composers Database http://www.classical-composers.org/comp/jewell

C. L. Barnhouse Company = http://www.barnhouse.com/composers.php?id=-102

Wikipedia

http://www.barryekopetz.com/works/archive/screamer.htm

http://www.usafband.af.mil/shared/media/...//USAFB_OnDressParade.pdf Battle Royal 1

The Wind Repertory Project http://www.windrep.org/Fred_Jewell

Classical Composers Database http://www.classical-composers.org/comp/jewell

Band Leaders of the Old Days with Gentry Brothers - Written for The Bandwagon by Charlie Duble, old Circus Trouper. Hobby Bandwagon, Vol. 4, No. 5 (June), 1949, pp. 6-7. Fred Jewell …

Circus Songs 1999 By William E. Studwell, Bruce R. Schueneman, Charles P. Conrad pg. 32 Trombone Blues

Indiana Book of records, first, and Interesting facts (1985) Fred D. Cavinder pg. 126

http://www.masonmusic.org/marchwrite.html

THE AMERICAN BANDMASTERS ASSOCIATION LEST WE FORGET http://americanbandmasters.org/forget/Lest_We_Forget_2009.doc

http://www.in.gov/history/markers/380.htm

Circus Fanfare Vol 7 No 4 1977 Indiana's March King- Fred Jewell Rick Johnson,Indianapolis Star

The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis - 1994 by David J. Bodenhamer, Robert Graham Barrows Pg. 468 -

Find-a-grave http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8900

http://www.circusinamerica.org/public/music Circus In America - Music

http://sajun.org/index.php/Fred_Jewell

http://www.skyways.org/orgs/mcb/Library/M0054.htm

The Detroit Concert Band Newsletter Winter 1985-86, article "Indiana's March King, Fred Jewell" -

It is my understanding that this is the most definitive study on Fred Jewell:

Title FRED JEWELL (1875-1936): HIS LIFE AS COMPOSER OF CIRCUS AND BAND MUSIC, BANDMASTER, AND PUBLISHER Author CONRAD, CHARLES PHILLIP, Doctoral Dissertation Year 1994 (v, 540 leaves : ill., music ; 28 cm.) Standard # Abstract Fred Jewell was one of the leading composers of band and circus music of the early twentieth century. Born in Worthington, Indiana in 1875, he started his musical career at age sixteen as a baritone player in a circus band. He rose to the position of bandmaster for the Barnum and Bailey, Gentry Brothers, Hagenbeck-Wallace, and Sells-Floto Circuses. He wrote dozens of marches and other pieces of music for the circus. Upon returning to Indiana, he began to concentrate on the concert band, writing music in several genre for that ensemble.He relocated to Iowa from 1918-1923, where he established his publishing company and directed the Iowa Brigade Band. He returned to Worthington in 1923, where he became director at the local high school and the President of the Town Council. His publishing business grew during the 1920s, and he was named director of the Indianapolis Murat Temple Shrine Band, one of the nation's leading Masonic ensembles. Frequently in demand as a guest conductor, he joined the American Bandmasters Association and wrote many marches for the educational market. He guided his publishing company through the depression years until his death in 1936.It is as a composer of marches that Jewell is remembered decades after his death. Several of his marches, including "E Pluribus Unum," "Gentry's Triumphal," "The Screamer," and "Quality-plus" have remained in the repertoire of concert bands. Following Jewell's biography, this study includes a chronological discussion of his works, with each piece of music analyzed briefly as to instrumentation, form, and facts of publication. Jewell's scoring styles and his publishing career are also discussed.An increased interest in the influence of American bands during Jewell's lifetime has stimulated researchers in that area. Jewell, as one of the leading figures of the time, can be thought of as a model typical of enterprising musicians and composers whose careers spanned a wide spectrum, both geographically and in versatility. Their impact on the artistic development of America is just beginning to be recognized. Link UMI: 9434411 Link Type []PDF []HTML []Purchase Citation: Fred Jewell (1875-1936): His life as composer of circus and band music, bandmaster, and publisher. Conrad, Charles Phillip, DA. BALL STATE UNIVERSITY, 1994. 550 pp. Advisor: Pohly, Linda In Library Yes

Last updated 22.10.2009