As a Graduate Student at the University of Arizona in 1967, James H. Johnson composed and arranged the entire musical score for the first ever Super Bowl Halftime Show. Now retired and living in Roanoke, Johnson shares his extraordinary memory from those heady days.
“The Last Minute Halftime Stars of Super Bowl I”
Upon returning from our church service on New Year’s Day 1967, I hurriedly unlocked the front door to answer the telephone. The excited but rather desperate caller was University of Arizona Band Director, Jack Lee. “Jim, the UA band has been invited to perform at the first annual Super Bowl football game. Will you score some special band arrangements for the halftime show?”
Though the opportunity was intriguing, at the time I was under a good deal of pressure to complete my Doctor of Musical Arts degree program on schedule. I was also teaching courses at the UA School of Music on a graduate teaching scholarship and did not want to jeopardize my position. But after some reflection, I was able to clear the way in my mind and I accepted the challenge.
Lee had received the bowl invitation on Dec 23rd and went to Los Angeles the day after Christmas to confer with Tommy Walker, producer of the pre-game and half-time shows. Four days after returning to Tucson the show was ready to present to Walker – minus the actual musical arrangements.
On January 5th, the bowl officials approved Lee’s halftime plans, leaving only 10 days to prepare a show that could possibly attract the largest television audience and become the most widely viewed sporting event in history. It would leave me only a few days (and nights) to prepare the scores and extract parts for the 203 piece marching band!
Rehearsals got into gear, formations and drills charted and many other arrangements attended to – including some very long practice sessions. Before the band departed for Los Angeles, Walker flew to Tucson to preview a rehearsal of the show. As former Director of the University of Southern California and head of entertainment at Disney Land for 10 years, Walker said he wanted a show that was both “super and national in character.” Thankfully he was happy with the results!
On Wednesday afternoon, January 11th five bus loads of UA band students and other official personnel left for Los Angeles and would up checking into the Bel-Air Sands Motel at 3 a.m. For two days before the game the band rehearsed non-stop on the UCLA practice field and on the afternoon of the 14th, a dress rehearsal was staged in the Los Angeles Coliseum where the show would be presented the next day. Later that afternoon the band performed at Disneyland and returned to the motel that evening in near exhaustion.
The next day on January 15th, 1967 the clash between the National Football League champion Green Bay Packers and American Football League champion Kansas City Chiefs was played before a capacity crowd of nearly 100,000. In addition it was estimated that the game was seen by over 90 million people on both the CBS and NBC networks.
During both the pre-game and half-time ceremonies, our UA Wildcat Band gave a sensational performance. Additional entertainment was provided by the UCLA men’s choir, the high-stepping Grambling College (LA) Band and Bell Laboratories who provided two jet pack equipped astronauts who flew high above the crowds before landing in the middle of the stadium.
My contributions to the musical spectacular consisted of the entrance music, “Entree, Fanfare, Salute” and the Al Hirt Showcase featuring the famous New Orleans jazz trumpeter himself. Forty-five UA trumpet players and the rest of the UA band joined in and then formed a huge trumpet on the field in support of Hirt. Two numbers, “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” and “when the Saints Go Marching In” symbolized the development of jazz in the Crescent City.
After the game (and a BIG meal) the parade of UA buses headed home. They rolled up to the Tucson campus just after dawn with some very weary but proud musicians. Despite the ten hectic days of rehearsals and many sleepless nights, the super star last-minute band performers could enjoy a lifetime of memories from their performance at Super Bowl I.
Oh! Who won the game? The Packers!
(Publishers Note: Might be wise to bet on them again!)
