The United States Air Force Band is a musical organization with an outstanding record of achievement of more than 60 years. Known as "America's International Musical Ambassadors," it has won the hearts of millions of music lovers throughout the world. The band's official military life began on September 24, 1941, with the formation of the Bolling Army Air Forces Band under the sponsorship of Lieutenant L.P. Holcomb, commanding officer of the Air Base Group at Bolling Field. Since that time, the Band has grown from relative obscurity to stardom under the leadership of ten diverse and talented conductors. Over the years, The United States Air Force Band has performed live for over 100 million people. The band has also been broadcast via television and radio. The band has embarked on 25 international concert tours, with performances in more than 50 countries and 42 world capitals. The musicians in The United States Air Force Band seek to promote better understanding between all people of the world, traveling as goodwill ambassadors. A unique feature of the band was the U.S. Air Force Pipes and Drums, which existed as a free-standing unit within the Air Force Band between 1960 and 1970, when Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John D. Ryan ordered it disbanded. (Prior to that, it was a part of the Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps, which has also been disbanded.) The United States Air Force Band is headquartered at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.