Biography

The Band of the Blues and Royals is an amalgamation of two marching bands associated with different branches of the British Army, both of which formed originally in 1661, the Royal Horse Guards (or Blues) and the 1st Royal Dragoons (or Royals). They were combined into a single band in 1969. (The band performs on horseback as well as marching.) In addition to accompanying the Army and giving concerts, the band has recorded on occasion, including such British-oriented efforts as the 2003 albums Forever England: A Musical Journey Around the Country and London: A Musical Journey Around the Capital. In August 2009, Silva Screen Records released High School Salute: A Tribute to American Marching Bands, on which the Blues and Royals took on the typical repertoire of American high-school marching bands, including everything from Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever" to Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," not to mention a medley from High School Musical. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi