Seventeen students. That's all Marvin Griffin had when he took over as director of bands at A.H. Parker High School in 2020. Six years later, more than 100 students march under his direction, and the Thundering Herd's revived sound has turned heads across Birmingham's historic Smithfield neighborhood and beyond.
The Alabama Music Hall of Fame describes Birmingham Industrial High School educator John Tuggle “Fess” Whatley's work as emphasizing strict discipline and sight-reading proficiency.
A Legacy Built on Discipline and Sound
Whatley's program became a premier incubator for 20th-century big band musicians, producing graduates like jazz trumpeter and bandleader Erskine Hawkins, who composed the 1939 swing standard “Tuxedo Junction,” and innovative jazz pioneer Sun Ra, born Herman Blount, both of whom studied under him, per the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Whatley was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.
The band's growth has roots in Parker's own identity. A.H. Parker High School opened in 1900 with 19 students and one teacher, according to the Birmingham Public Library. The school was later named for longtime educator A.H. Parker, per the same account.
Students Feel the Weight of History
Richard Jordan is a Parker alumnus and a sophomore business management major who plays with Alabama State University's band.
Jordan summed up the band's guiding principle simply: the best band is the most disciplined band. Griffin said students understand they are part of a tradition that alumni and community members care deeply about, and that expectation motivates them to perform at a high level.
Griffin also works to build confidence and leadership beyond the music itself. Band leaders and drum majors participate in leadership training each summer, learning to guide their peers and serve the community through music, the outlet reports.
Superior Ratings and a Grand Champion Title
In March 2026, the Parker band earned a Superior rating — the highest honor available — at the Alabama Bandmasters Association's District 4 Music Performance Assessment at Thompson High School, according to Birmingham City Schools, which said four of the ten participating Birmingham City Schools bands earned Superior ratings, including Booker T. Washington K–8 School.
WBRC FOX 6 selected the Mighty Marching Bison as its “Sideline Band of the Week” in September, according to WBRC 6 News.
Alumni Keep the Program Running
Parker alumni help sustain the band in ways that go beyond cheering from the stands. Alumni assist with transportation, instrument repairs and other needs, and members of the class of 1971 donate more than 60 cases of water to the program every year, per the article. That kind of support has helped carry the band through its rebuild from 17 members to more than 100.
Parker joined Carver, Huffman, Jackson-Olin, Ramsay, Wenonah and Woodlawn in the district-wide 2026 All-City Marching Band Festival, which Birmingham City Schools organized to showcase musicianship and discipline across all seven district high schools.
Griffin himself served as a guest conductor for the Alabama State University honor band in February 2026, and alumni like Jordan frequently go on to join collegiate ensembles such as ASU's Mighty Marching Hornets.
During the 1963 Children's Crusade, students marched in Birmingham, according to Wikipedia's account of the Birmingham campaign, which notes that police used attack dogs on children and adult bystanders.
