John Philip Sousa's America

This intimate portrait brings Sousa to life -- who he was, why he was driven to succeed, his love of country -- and explores his life and times through hundreds of photos, cartoons, short stories, news clippings, quotes, sheet music covers, and magazine ads collected from family scrapbooks, the Sousa Archive in the Library of Congress, and the U.S. Marines archives. This book reveals a quintessential American story: it is the story of being born to poor immigrant parents, and through immeasurable hard work, talent and motivation, succeeding beyond dreams. But it is also a very personal story of a man who saw great music ultimately as being from the heart and who sought to bring this music to the world. Also included is a bonus CD recording featuring "The March King's" most beloved works performed by his successors with "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band, as well as a rare archival track of Sousa's own voice introducing his band and playing his beloved The Stars and Stripes Forever.