The United States Coast Guard Band was organized in March 1925 with the assistance of Lt. Charles Benter, leader of the United States Navy Band, Dr. Walter Damrosch, conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and "American March King" John Philip Sousa, former director of the United States Marine Band. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed congressional legislation that resulted in the Coast Guard Band becoming the permanent, official musical representative of the nation's oldest continuous seagoing service. This event also established the Coast Guard Band as one of our nation's premier service bands. The mission of the Coast Guard Band has greatly expanded since 1925. Today the Band is the proud musical representative of the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security, appearing at presidential and cabinet level functions on formal and informal occasions. Leamy Hall Auditorium on the grounds of the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut serves as the Band's at-home venue. The Coast Guard Band also tours regularly throughout the United States, and has performed in the former Soviet Union, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Since its formation in 1925, the Coast Guard Band has developed an international reputation as one of the finest professional concert bands in the world, offering music of great variety and appeal. The band produces recordings and regularly furnishes programs to National Public Radio for broadcast over the entire country. Concerts have also been broadcast in Australia, Japan and Europe. (See also "United States Coast Guard Band") Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.