'Fred'Fredrick Alton Jewell, Indiana March King

When only sixteen, in 1891 Fred ran away from home and joined the Gentry Brother's Dog and Pony Show in Bloomington. He played his baritone horn in the band. It was while with Gentry's that he worte "Gentry's Triumphal". -

He was master of the baritone horn and cornet, but he was also proficient with violin and piano. -

In 1897 he joined the Wallace Circus as band master. -

In 1899 he rejoined the Genrty Brother's Dog and Pony Show as band master of a 13-piece ensemble and the music played by the group was written by it's band master and shows the traits for the smaller bands. -

Quitting the Gentry outfit in 1902 he joined the Otto-Floto Show, as band master. -

Newspaper marches were rampant at the turn of the century. . One of the less well-known was penned in 1905 for The Denver Post. That it sounds like a jaunty circus parade tune is no coincidence. Fred Jewell, who wrote it, was music director for the Sells-Floto Circus, which the newspaper also owned. There are an estimated 450 marches dedicated to newspapersr. -

In 1907 and 1908 he was with the Ringling Brothers Circus as soloist. -

Then during 1909 and 1910 seasons he bacame the band master for the Barnum and Baily circus in Mexico and Centeral America. While there he wrote several spansih dances and serendanes. They inculded Romance Land, At Evening Time and At Break of Dawn. -

At the height of his career, he led the Barnum & Bailey Circus Band and owned a major band publishing house. He has left a lasting legacy of outstanding marches to be valued for generations to come! He was as a composer of over 170 works for band, Jewell published in Oskaloosa, Iowa and later (1920) from Worthington, Indiana. -

In 1911 he became the director or aestro of the Long Beach Municipal Band. But sometime during the later part of the year found him back on the circus trail; this time with the John Robinson Show. -

During a return visit in 1912 to Worthington he met and married Myrtle Gray ___ a young widow on _____. -

1915 found him with the Hagenback Wallace Cirus, where he remained through 1917 and Iowa Brigade Band kept Fred bust for the esnuing years and on the move. -

When on closes their eyes while hearing his two gallops: Go and They're Off they can almost hear the horses galloping about the circus ring, the bareback riders performing their acts in rythm. The clack of the steel rais in in, Our Special and alson in, Call of the Road. -

John Philip Sousa and Fred Jewell were close frieds. Sousa paid the highest tribute afforde another musician to Fred in Des Moines, Iowa in 1919. Sousa's band played an all Fred Jewell composition concert. ANd when 78 yeras of age Sousa visted with Fred at Worthington. -

To the countless lesser musicians who knew him for many year he was never Mr. Jewell. He was a man who was about five feet, eleven inches all; medium build; who had a serene countenance. -

In 1920 when the birth of Fred A. Jr. was about to occur he returned to Worthington, losing no time he was out locating a group with band instruments and opened a music store and he organized the Worthington High School band of seventy-five members and became its director. He composed School Colors for them. -

At about the same time he also was conducting the band of the Masonic Home of Franklin, Indiana. -

1927 - Fred Jewel was hired to direct the Tampa Band for the winter Season, he was able to attarct musicans from major symphonies to leave for three months and join his ensembles -

Prior to 1930 he had conducted the Murat Temple Band for several years and at a Sunday morning rehersal of the bigh concert of Murat Temple he was presented with a gold coronet which bore the engraved insignia along with the inscription: "Presented to director Fred Jewell by the Murat Band, 1930". Lifitng it to his lips he played a composition that was always close to his heart - Iowa Brigade. -

The years of the circues and glitter was beginning to dim. The bands with their bras din were fading away to those that "sweet talked" on the woods and reeds; the World War I boys were becoming to old to do their long marches. -

His health began to fail, asi if he even had an arrangement for that made too. -

On 11 Febraruy at his home in Worthington, Greene, Indiana he died. -

Final tribute to him was paid by the Murat Temple Shrine of Indianapolis who took charge of the services that began in the Christain Church, the following Friday , which ended with his burial in the Worthington Cemetery. -

It is said in the musical field that Fred is ranked right with the great John Philip Sousa - not as almost or a little better but equal. With his passing Greene county lost a great composer and bandmaster. -