University Southern California Trojans
TROJAN MARCHING BAND
The Trojan Marching Band is one of the most dynamic and innovative collegiate band in the nation. Twice named the best marching band in the country by USA Today, the band is one of USC’s most visible public relations tools and provides tireless support of USC athletic teams.
The band – established in 1880 and regarded as “Hollywood’s Band” – has played for nine U.S. Presidents and appeared in numerous movies (including Forrest Gump and The Naked Gun), TV shows (including three times at the Academy Awards and with OutKast’s André 3000 at the 2004 Grammy Awards and Radiohead at the 2009 Grammys), plus on The Masked Singer, The Voice, Glee, Carpool Karaoke, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon), commercials, and music videos. In 2013 It recorded a song for the animated movie, The Croods. The band earned two platinum albums recording the title track of Fleetwood Mac’s 1979 album, “Tusk,” and was on the group’s live 1997 reunion album, “The Dance.” It has played five times at the Coachella music festival and has produced numerous albums of its own music (featuring the well-known “Tribute to Troy,” “Conquest” and “Fight On”).
Among the musicians who played in the band as students were Herb Alpert of the Tijuana Brass (in the cornet section) and composers Richard Sherman and Mark Watters. Appearing with the band as guest artists have been John Phillip Sousa (in 1924), Henry Mancini, John Williams, Quincy Jones, Chuck Mangione, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers, Tower of Power, George Clinton, KC & The Sunshine Band, System of a Down, Slash, Olivia Rodrigo, Jason Derulo, Gwen Stefani, and The Offspring’s Dexter Holland.
The band performs a new halftime show with precision drills, speciallyarranged music, and dance routines at each home game. A typical football halftime show takes more than 100 hours to prepare. The band marches about 90 miles a year while traveling across the land supporting every USC team. In fact, it hasn’t missed a Trojan football game, at home or away, since 1987. The band appears at more than 300 engagements each year, including at pro sporting events and major corporate and special events throughout Southern California.
Approximately 10 percent of its members are music majors, with almost every school and department represented among the balance. Now 250- plus members strong, the Trojan Marching Band has tripled in size since Dr. Arthur C. Bartner became its director in 1970. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Bartner brought with him a creative approach and the unique, contemporary “drive-it” style of marching. Bartner, a member of USC’s Athletic Hall of Fame, celebrated his 50th football season at USC in 2019.
Dr. Jacob Vogel, who spent the previous four years as the band’s associate director and arranger, took over as director in 2021.
Bartner directed the 800-member 1984 Olympic All-American College Marching Band (with 125 USC band members) at the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies. It was the second time the band was involved with the Olympics, as it formed the 10th Olympic Band for the 1932 Los Angeles Games. The band has also performed at three Super Bowls, three World Series, the 1994 World Cup, NASCAR’s Clash at the Coliseum, and the 2002 NHL All Star Weekend.
During its summer vacations, the band stays busy traveling the world as goodwill ambassadors for the university. The TMB performed for the 50th Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France; at a private reception in 2002 for First Lady Laura Bush in Prague; on the Great Wall of China in 2004; in front of the Roman Colosseum in 2006; and on Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema Beach in 2008. In 2023 the band visited Central Europe, performing in Salzburg, Vienna, and Prague. The band has also had the privilege of performing at seven World Expositions in the last 40 years: Brisbane 1988, Seville 1992, Lisbon 1998, Aichi 2005, Shanghai 2010, Milan 2015 and, most recently, Osaka’s Expo 2025 this past summer. The Trojan Marching Band is complemented by the USC Silks (tall flags) and twirler, plus the world-famous USC Song Leaders – who were ranked No. 1 in the nation by Sports Illustrated – and the Spirit Leaders.
In 2009, ESPN.com named the band as the nation’s best: “Nothing says ‘glamour school’ more than the ubiquitous presence of the USC Song Girls and the Trojan Marching Band. The Spirit of Troy brings one of the most stirring sounds in college football, while the USC Song Girls give Trojan games ones of the sport’s most indelible sights.”
Fight Songs
"Fight On"
Fight On for ol' SCOur men Fight On to victory.
Our Alma Mater dear,
looks up to you
Fight On and win
For ol' SC
Fight On to victory
Fight On!
This song is usually played after first downs and touchdowns. The music for USC's fight song, "Fight On," was composed in 1922 by USC dental student Milo Sweet (with lyrics by Sweet and Glen Grant) as an entry in a Trojan spirit contest. In addition to inspiring generations of Trojan fans and players, the song has been used in numerous recordings and movies. Legend has it that during World War II in the Pacific, an American task force attacked an island held by the Japanese. As the Americans stormed the beach, "Fight On' blared from the deck of one of the transports. The U.S. men let out a tremendous roar and eventually won the island.
"All Hail"
All hail to Alma Mater,To thy glory we sing;
All hail to Southern California,
Loud let thy praises ring;
Where Western sky meets Western sea
Our college stands in majesty.
Sing our love to Alma Mater,
Hail, all hail to thee.
The words and music to USC's alma mater, "All Hail," were composed in the early 1920s by Al Wesson, Troy's longtime sports information director. He wrote the song as a student member of the Trojan Marching Band for the finale of a 1923 campus show.
"Conquest"
Another famous USC song is the regal processional march, "Conquest," by Alfred Newman. It is usually played after every USC score and victory. This stirring battle cry, from Newman's score to the 1947 motion picture classic "Captain from Castile," has become synonymous with the championship tradition of USC since the Trojans adopted it in 1954 during a basketball game against Oregon State. Newman, a legendary composer of film music, was the musical director of Twentieth Century-Fox Studios.Other Songs
- "Tribute To Troy," the incessant stanza of pounding drums and blaring horns, is played after every defensive stop.
- "Fanfare" is the introduction to "Tribute To Troy" and is played when the band takes the field.
- “All I Do Is Win” is played at kickoff.
- “All Right Now” is played after USC gets a turnover.
- “Another One Bites the Dust” is played after USC gets a sack.
- The “William Tell Overture” is played at the start of the fourth quarter accompanying Traveler’s run around the stadium.
Tommy Walker
The trumpet "Charge," heard often at athletic contests, was composed by a post-World War II USC student named Tommy Walker. As a member of the Trojan Marching Band, he was known as "Tommy Trojan," and as a USC football player, he would shed his band uniform, come down from the stands, and kick extra points (he lettered in 1947). Upon graduation in 1948, he was hired as the band's director. He later was the first entertainment director at Disneyland and then went into business as one of the world's leading creators of show business spectacles (including Super Bowl halftimes and Olympic opening and closing ceremonies). He died in 1986.Bowls | Crosstown Cup | Facilities | George Tirebiter | Honda Winners | Jeweled Shillelagh | Olympians | National Titles | Sports Illustrated Covers | Sullivan Award Winners | Spirit | Tommy Trojan | Traveler | "Trojans" Nickname | USC Hall Of Fame | Victory Bell
Heisman Trophy Winners
Mike Garrett | O.J. Simpson | Charles White | Marcus Allen | Carson Palmer | Matt Leinart
