Publisher Desc.  Alton Augustus Adams, born in the Virgin Islands in 1889, remains an iconic figure there. When the United States took over the islands in 1917, the new governor appointed Adams Chief Musician. The band that Adams assembled entered the U.S. Navy as a unit, making Adams the first black bandmaster to serve in the U.S. Navy. Governor's Own was written for Naval Governor Joseph W. Oman and was included in the first American bicentennial series on American music. Adams also was a prolific music journalist. He died in 1987.