The Cornet Band

Organized in 1893, Nashville's first Cornet Band was one of the town's proudest possessions for several years. On Saturday nights, occasional Sunday afternoons, or whenever some special occasion offered an excuse, they would gather with their instruments and give forth with "the sweetest music this side of Heaven. That particular expression, used by Guy Lombardo's Orchestra, was frequently employed by Orno Strong, first editor of the News, in describing the performances of the group. The members were as follows: E. R. White, Charles H. Raymond, John Roe, Frank Reynolds, Eugene Cook, George Fleming, Frank Purchis, William Griffith, Henry Hafner, Austin Brooks, Frank Helm, Chris Holler, George Francis, and Al Durkee.