John Philip Sousa, composer
The Black Horse Troop was first played in 1925 by the Sousa Band in
The legendary band conductor Frederick Fennell was there and wrote,
"I had not been to such as this; I remember that as Sousa’s march was being
played, Troop A rode onto the stage and stood behind the band to the
tumultuous cheering of all."
Sousa enjoyed a long relationship with Cleveland’s Ohio National Guard
Cavalry, known as Troop A, and was himself a devoted horseman.