John Philip Sousa

John Philip Sousa (1854–1932) was born in Washington, D.C., the son of a Portuguese immigrant trombonist in the U.S. Marine Band, and enlisted as a Marine Band apprentice himself at thirteen. He led the Marine Band from 1880 to 1892, then formed his own touring Sousa Band, for which he wrote most of the marches — The Washington Post (1889), Semper Fidelis (1888), The Stars and Stripes Forever (1896) — that earned him the title "The March King" and remain American concert and ceremonial standards. He also designed the modern marching tuba that bears his name, the sousaphone, and wrote three novels alongside his musical career: The Fifth String (1902), Pipetown Sandy (1905) and The Transit of Venus (1920). He died in Reading, Pennsylvania, while on tour.