Orland Thomas earned his B.S (1955) and his M.A. (1958) from the University of Alabama and took advanced graduate work at the University of Southern Mississippi. He is a 1950 graduate of Holt High School in Tuscaloosa County. He taught at Holt High School for nine years before moving to Mobile for a five-year stint at Davidson High School. He next assumed the position of Music Supervisor for the Mobile County Public School System, a job he held for the following 21 years. In this position, he was responsible for 32 school music programs. During this supervisory period Thomas also taught part-time at the University of South Alabama (14 years), Mobile College (7 years), and conducted the Mobile Student Symphony (15 years). He was chair of the Alabama Bandmasters Association (1967-68), was on the Mobile Arts Council Board of Directors, served on the board and was chairman (1987-88) of the University of Alabama Society for the Fine Arts, played trombone in the Mobile Symphony, the Mobile Opera Orchestra, and the City of Mobile Symphonic/Pops Band, was a mobile Jazz Festival Board member, and was Choir Director at St. Marks and Springhill Avenue United Methodist Churches. In 1983, Thomas was honored as the University of Alabama Music Department’s first Alumni Achievement Award recipient. He retains affiliation with the Music Educators National Conference (50+ years), the National Band Association, and the American School Band Directors Association. He continues to serve as a district band festival adjudicator, honor band festival conductor and solo and ensemble judge. Thomas is now retired and resides in Mobile, where he continues to participate in various church and community music activities.

Johnnie Vinson is Director of Bands and Professor of Music Emeritus at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama. He received bachelors and masters degrees in Music Education from Auburn, and a doctoral degree in Music Theory from the University of Mississippi.

Dr. Vinson retired from Auburn University several years ago after a long career with the Auburn Bands.  Prior to joining the Auburn faculty, he taught in the public schools of Columbus, Georgia, and worked as a graduate assistant with the bands at the University of Texas and University of Mississippi.  At Auburn, he supervised the overall band program, conducted the Symphonic Band, and taught conducting and band arranging.  He was also faculty sponsor to Auburn’s Theta Lambda Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma.

With over 500 published arrangements and compositions, Dr. Vinson is an internationally recognized writer of music for band.  His exclusive publisher is the Hal Leonard Corporation (www.halleonard.com), the world leader in the music print industry.  Six of his compositions and arrangements are included in the book Teaching Music Through Performance in Middle School Band, and his “Echoes of the Hollow Square” is featured in Vol. VI of Guides to Band Masterworks.  Other of his compositions, such as “Newcastle March” and “Three Czech Folk Songs,” have become standards in the young band repertoire.  He has served as an adjudicator and clinician throughout the United States and Canada.

Dr. Vinson has been active professionally as a member and officer in numerous organizations.  He has served as the National Vice President for Professional Relations for Tau Beta Sigma, is a Past President of the Alabama Music Educators Association, and is former Alabama State Chair of the College Band Directors National Association.  He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Band Association and served as NBA Representative to the North American Band Directors Coordinating Council.  He is a Past President of Rho Chapter of Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity and is also a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Kappa Kappa Psi, and ASCAP.

Dr. Vinson was elected to membership in the prestigious American Bandmasters Association in 1994, has served three terms on its Board of Directors, and is currently Vice Chair of the ABA Foundation.  He has been presented the Distinguished Service to Music Medal by Kappa Kappa Psi, the Citation of Excellence by the National Band Association, and the Outstanding Music Educator Award by the Alabama Music Educators Association.  He has also been presented the Paula Crider Award by Tau Beta Sigma and was the first recipient of the Johnnie Vinson Award, named in his honor by Tau Beta Sigma.  In 1998 he was elected to the Alabama Bandmasters Hall of Fame, and in January 2008, he was one of the inaugural class of twenty persons inducted into the Alabama Music Educators Hall of Fame.

He and his wife Nancy, a professional flutist, live in Auburn, Alabama. They have two adult sons, Lee and Ed, who are also professional musicians.

G. Truman Welch served as Vice-President and President of the Alabama Bandmasters Association, President and Vice-President of the Alabama Music Educators Association, and one term on the governing board of the National Band Association. He also served as President of the Alabama chapter of Phi Beta Mu. Mr. Welch taught woodwinds at Auburn and Alabama music camps, at Auburn University and at Huntington College. He played professionally for years in both symphonies and dance bands and was a member of the board of directors of the Montgomery Symphony for several years. In 1967, Mr. Welch was presented the Birmingham News Post “Herald Award” for 25 years of outstanding service to the youth of Alabama. He also was awarded the order of the “Silver Horn” in 1970 by the First Chair of America for outstanding achievement in the field of school music. The “Silver Horn” is awarded only to those whose accomplishments in the field of music are of the highest national standards. During World War II, Welch was director of the 13th Air Force Show Band. He was a member of Phi Beta Mu, National Band Association, American School Band Directors Association, Music Educators National Conference, College Band Directors National Association, and the Alabama Music Educators Association. Mr. Welch organized the Elmore County High School Band of Wetumpka and Eclectic, Alabama. He directed this band for 26 years. During this time, the Elmore County Band was a consistent winner at state contests and first place winner of the Virginia Beach Festival. The band was also selected to play at the Midwest National Clinic in Chicago in 1965, the All-South Clinic at Jekyl Island, Georgia in 1969, the Lion’s International in New York in 1959 and in Chicago in 1960, and the Southern Division of NAfME in Mobile in 1969. Mr. Welch and Edd Jones originated and organized the Studio Lab Band movement. He also organized the first annual Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic, which was held at Troy State University in January of 1974. He served as Executive Secretary of this organization. Mr. Welch was the flute clinician for Yamaha Musical Instrument Company throughout the Southeast, and was in great demand as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the country. He served as Woodwind Instructor at Troy State University, and was the Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the School of Fine Arts and Coordinator of Instrumental Music. He was inducted into the Phi Beta Mu Bandmasters Hall of Fame in 1978. He was elected mayor of Wetumpka in July 1980. Mr. Welch was the originator of the very popular Flute-A-Rama series. In his later years, Mr. Welch organized his own clinician service and woodwind studio, and conducted the Montgomery Civic Band.