Fred Jewell
Frederick Alton Jewell was born May 28, 1875, in Worthington, Indiana. He became interested in music at a young age, learning a number of instruments, including cornet, violin, clarinet, trombone, piano, and calliope; but as a performer, he is best remembered as a virtuoso euphonium player. Much of his career was spent playing in or conducting traveling circus bands, including the Gentry Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros. Circus., Sells-Floto Circus, Barnum and Bailey Circus, and Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. In the off-season he led various theatrical stock company bands, theater orchestras, and church ensembles near his Indiana hometown. From 1917 to 1923 he lived in Iowa and led various adult bands; first in Fairfield, and then Oskaloosa, where he also organized the first high school band in 1919.
Jewell’s first composition was published in 1897; he eventually started his own publishing company (1920) and in total, composer over 100 marches, along with several overtures, waltzes, novelties, and other works. Returning to Indiana in 1923, he led the Murat Temple Shrine Band of Indianapolis, traveled to Tampa to lead its municipal band for a brief period, and spent the balance of his career leading bands in Indiana and composing music. Highly esteemed by his peers, Jewell was elected to membership in the American Bandmasters Association. He died in Worthington on February 11, 1936.
Publications by Fred Jewell
Concert Band
Young Band
Band
- Airy Fairy
- The American Leader
- The Banner Bearer
- Battle Royal
- Booster Boys
- The Boy Scouts
- The Carnival Queen
- Cavaletta
- The Coast Defenders
- Collegian
- Counterpoint
- Crawley's
- The Crimson Petal
- The Denver Post
- The Director General
- E Pluribus Unum
- Easy Walker
- El Campo
- Explorer
- Floto's Triumph
- The Fritz
- Gentry's Triumphal
- Go!
- The Guy
- Hail to Old Glory
- The Huston
- In the Lead
- Intercolonial
- A Jolly Rover
- The Kick Off
- La Linea
- The Last Call
- Lawsy Massy
- Little Traveler
- Magnet
- March to Mecca
- Myrtle
- The New Arrival
- Officer of the Guard
- Old Home Guards
- On the Firing Line
- Our Mascot
- Our Special
- The Outlook
- Pass It Along
- Path of Honor
- The Progressive American
- Quality Plus
- The Request
- Revelry
- Rosemary
- Roses of Memory
- Scoutmaster
- The Screamer
- Skidoo
- Some Band Rag
- Spick and Span
- Tecumseh
- They're Off
- Tramp - March
- Trombone Blues
- The Undertow
- Whirlwind
- Young Love
- Yours Truly

