carried on the Sound tradition, as well: son Gunter was a member of the drum line from 2002-2006. Tony Whetstone is currently the President of the Troy University Band Alumni Association, and Rhonda Whetstone is Assistant Principal at Destin Middle


There were times when the Next Generation had to endure stories about their parents – or themselves – being told to the entire band.


Scott Erb ruminated on this point, saying “My first week of band camp, Dr. Long starts telling a story to the whole band about how I used to be so small as a baby. Then, he goes on talking about how great my family is. This is a good way for everyone to start knowing you!”


Recalling his first impression of the unforgettable Long, he says, “I remember going into his office [when my sister Staci was in the band] and he had his shoes off and on his desk. laughed!”


Rhonda Whetstone, Tony Whetstone, Gunter Whetstone, and Dr. Johnny Long


School (Florida). “I often wonder where I would be and what direction my life would have taken if I had not attended that high school football game in Wetumpka on a Friday night in September 1972,” Whetstone recalls.


The SOTS often served as its own fraternity or sorority, with the bonds between the members becoming as strong as family ties.


“The band was my sorority. Everywhere I went on campus, I saw someone from the band. That made my first year away from home much easier,” Staci Erb Oliver remembers. “I also always enjoyed the concerts and battle-of-the-bands after the games. Dr. Long would always get former students, usually band directors, to conduct. And of course, my Dad would always direct a song. That was neat!”


Rennie Mills “did not push” his daughter Jennie to attend TROY, but “if you are going to major in Music Education, where else would you go?” he asks.


Jennie Mills serves as the official Music Librarian for “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in Washington, DC. Her father is understandably proud of his daughter’s accomplishments in the world of professional musicians, but has a special memory. “I remember the first time I saw her in the TROY uniform, I got a little sentimental,” he says.


ala breve


my freshman year, and immediately Dr. Long begins the stories about the Erb family,” Staci Erb Oliver says.


There are literally hundreds of couples who met and married in the Sound of the South. And there are just as many who had siblings, parents, children, and other relatives become a part of the band program through its storied history. The list is just too numerous to mention.


So, what makes it all so special? And, more importantly, what keeps them coming back for Alumni Band events every year?


“I made some really great friends, and the band helped me to be a leader on-campus and off. Mr. Ford [the current SOTS director] hired me as their webmaster a couple of years ago, and this lets me give back to the band, being that I didn’t enter the profession of bandmaster like my father,” Scott Erb says. “And, I have had the honor of being in 29 weddings, which over 20 of them have been friends I made at TROY University.”


His sister Staci expresses a similar sentiment. “I think it is neat for my children to be able to see some of the things I did, and to see that music was/is an important part of my life,” she says. “My mom, dad, brother, husband, and I all attended TROY. Not many families can say that. We have a special connection to Troy, Dr. Long, and the Sound of the South!”


Their father,


Linwood, is filled with pride that his children could experience the Sound of the South and Johnny Long’s direction as he had – something which does indeed make the Erb family unique. “I am glad they [Staci and Scott] could experience all the things I had told them about Dr. Long and the band. Dr. Long was a father figure to me and has remained so over all these years. When he said something, you said ‘yes sir’ and did it. Forty-six years later, I still say ‘yes sir’ and try to do it to the best of my ability.”


I just


She remembers the stories, too: “I remember starting band camp


Tony Whetstone says that the years attending Alumni Band functions “have been enjoyable and memorable”, as he and his wife attended football games, Southeastern United States Concert Band clinic events, tailgated, mingled, and performed.


Rennie Mills helped organize the very first Alumni Band in 1981. Recently, he reminisced about the origins of the yearly get-together for band people at TROY. “I had seen the Auburn alumni band and after talking with other Troy folks, approached [Dr. Long] about it, and he was all for it. I think we ended up with about 150 folks the first time we did it.” Mills recalls one special highlight – the 1995 Homecoming halftime where the Sound of the South family, past and present, was united in music for a special performance. “When Dr. Long retired, 505 alumni and 300-plus in the Sound of the South playing the ‘Fanfare’ together set the press box back about 10 feet!” Mills laughs.


The Troy University Band Alumni chapter serves to reconnect old friends, certainly, but serves a greater purpose, according to Scott Erb, a member of the Board of Directors.


“To keep the SOTS alive and kicking, we provide scholarships that help current band members pursue their education.”


Michael Bird is band director at Southside Middle School in Tallassee and is the webmaster for the Tallassee City Schools system. He is also a disc jockey on WACQ-AM 580 and FM 101.1, works at Super Foods of East Tallassee, serves as Financial Secretary of the Knights of Columbus, serves on the Board of Directors of the Troy University Band Alumni, and writes for the Tallassee Tribune newspaper. Michael is married to professional musician and New Orleans native Sena Thibodeaux Bird – a trumpet player in the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, and has six children (five daughters and one son).


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