DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Old Gray Mare Band out of Brown County. Now settle in, because this one's got a mare, a uniform that'd stop traffic, and a governor who knew a good band when he heard one. The story starts in the first World War, when the 142nd Infantry Band of the 36th Division of the U.S.
Army first came together. War has a way of forging something lasting, and this band was no exception. When the fighting was done, band leader R.
Wright Armstrong gathered the group back up and reformed them in Brownwood in November of 1921. And from that moment, something bigger than a military band was taking shape. These men played American Legion Conventions in New Orleans and in San Francisco — coast to coast, you might say.
But the moment that really set them apart came in 1923, when they played the inauguration of Governor Pat Neff. Now Pat Neff didn't just clap politely and move on. He proclaimed them the official band of Texas.
The official band. Of Texas. Let that land for a second.
And they looked the part, too. We're talking red silk shirts, yellow bandanas, patent leather boots, and sombreros. You could see these men coming from three counties over.
But here's the touch that made the Old Gray Mare Band truly legendary — they marched behind an actual mare and rider. Into hotels. Into state capitol buildings.
Into the Democratic Party National Conventions in Houston in 1928 and Chicago in 1932. A real, live horse, leading a band dressed like the dream version of Texas, right through the front door. The marker doesn't say anybody complained.
The Old Gray Mare Band spread the spirit of Texas across the state and across the nation, one red silk shirt and one set of patent leather boots at a time. And somewhere out there, that old mare is still leading the way.
What the marker says
The 142nd Infantry Band of the 36th division of the U. S. Army began during the first World War. Band leader R. Wright Armstrong reformed the group in Brownwood in Nov. 1921. They played at such notable events as American Legion Conventions in New Orleans and San Francisco and the 1923 inauguration of Gov. Pat Neff, who proclaimed them the official band of Texas. The band marched behind an actual mare and rider into hotels, state capitol buildings and democratic party national conventions in Houston (1928) and Chicago (1932). Wearing distinctive red silk shirts, yellow bandanas, patent leather boots and sombreros, the Old Gray Mare Band spread the spirit of Texas across the state and nation. 175 Years of Texas Independence * 1836 - 2011