Huntington Park Youth Band

The unique and famous Huntington Park Youth Band, as early as 1947 led the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade and for ten years more, playing halftime intermissions at Rams football games, opening day at Disneyland, where they returned regularly. They were seen in motion pictures and television car commercials as well being featured on Steve Allen's show from Vine Street in Hollywood. The band made several tours north to Banff and Calgary, Canada Stampede celebration where they performed before the Queen of England, and traveling as far as Washington D.C. performing at the Worlds Fair and Yankee Stadium. Band leader Phillip P. Moore founded the organization and their fame came not only from their excellent playing, but mainly from Moore's unique idea of having his band do dance steps as they played to such tunes as "Jada", "Darktown Strutter's Ball", and "The Irish Washer Woman". The band members also played in The Ambassadors Dance Band and German Band playing polka music, with the ever present splinter group of a hot Dixieland quartet they called The Gages Rages, often playing at the end of parades atop hay wagons, bringing up the rear. Over the years many have gone on performing as professional musicians, as Bob Edmondson trombonist with Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass and "Saxist Jack" Schaeffer recorded on DECCA Records with The Forte Four also in Las Vegas, The Royale Monarchs on Bob Eubanks, Cinnamon Cinder television show and with AnExchange in the Bay Area.