S1: Every night during the football season. This happens. And that song. You know , we've done it for years , but none of us actually knew where it came from. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. The shuffle. Our parents did it.
S1: I remember as a kid , I was walking through a parade , and I actually saw the band do it. I was really so surprised.
S3: Turns out it didn't start here.
S1: Welcome to the shuffle. Jimmy Cannon's living legacy a black history special. Okay , guys , let's be honest. First time you learn shuffle.
S2: Mhm.
S1: Mhm. I mean , I was stressed , but for the most part I was pretty excited. Same. And everyone else somehow already knew what to do. Yeah. And I thought it was getting cheaper for everyone. And the song I'm so glad the crowd literally waits for it. We always thought it was just a Spartan tradition.
S2: It feels like you're joining a club that existed before you even born.
S3: Yeah , we just sat in the stands near the end of the game , and suddenly everybody's paying attention. But when we when we found out it's actually history brought to us from black man traditions of the South.
S1: I'm Izzy , I'm Landen. I'm.
S2: I'm.
S3: Sean , and I'm. Tasia.
S1: Tasia. And this is a special mid-season edition of Voices of Valor celebrating Black History Month in the Imperial Valley , and how one family brought us two of the valley's biggest black cultural artifacts. And it applies to us as teenagers today. The great Spartan band shuffle. And the song I'm So glad.
S4: Let's do it. One , two. Three four. See you. Hey.
S2: Welcome back to voices.
S1: Today we're talking about where two of our biggest band traditions come from , the shuffle. And I'm so glad. But before the shuffle , before the song , you had to go back to square one , where it all started back in Arkansas. It all starts in Arkansas.
S3: Before El Centro. Before the band. Before the shuffle.
S2: Mr. and Mrs. Cannon grew up in the South during segregation. Jimmy went to the Army after high school and then to Philander Smith College in Little Rock.
S1: And Mrs. Cannon went to the University of Arkansas , and she happened to become the first black nurse to ever graduate from there. Which already sounds hard.
S2: But it was worse. During her studies there , she was kicked out of the cafeteria by Governor Faubus because she was black.
S3: Imagine going to the college and the governor personally tells you you can't eat there.
S1: But eventually , the family moved west to El Centro , where Jimmy became the band director at Central Union High School. And Exene became a nurse here in the Valley.
S3: But movie moving didn't magically fix everything.
S1: There was still a lot of discrimination against them. Still stairs.
S2: Still being the only one.
S1: Jimmy Cannon had been teaching in Kansas. But California Pettis is way better. Said he came out to a central to interview at Central Union High School. The superintendent wasn't there that day , though , so they actually had to call him on the phone because they were already there. During the interview , Jimmy said to the superintendent , you do know I'm black ? In which you replied , it doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you. So the cannon stayed. Jimmy Cannon became the first African-American teacher at Central Union High School in 1966. Not totally , but not totally sure what life would be like , but just hoping it would be better. Hey , didn't just bring their family , they brought their culture with them too.
S5: On to happy day. Happy day. He taught me how. I have. My hand. Right. Here.
S6: All right , so this is Isaiah and , uh , Mrs. Cannon. Um.
S7:
S8: They just. They were not accustomed to black students. There were three of us , and they didn't want us there. I mean , they made us feel very unwelcome. The main thing I remember is that we didn't have the amenities that the other students had. We couldn't live in the dorm. We couldn't eat in the dorm. We had to. You know , we were kind of independent. We just lived next door to the dorm because I was I was of the three of us. I was one of the first to arrive and are to straight that whole come whole was on. I went there and I picked out a room , and it took about an hour for them to tell me that I couldn't live there and I would have to live next door. I said , well , that's not a door , and that's a house call of the house apartments. So that's where I moved. And then there were two other black students who came up later , and all of us shared a residence. Uh , we had that was a fire in the kitchen. Uh , Billy Rose was cooking something , and she said , God left a fire on. And , uh , the kids had caught a fire. We had no , uh , fire extinguisher. We had no way of notifying anybody because they didn't give us any emergency information. When those guys tried to break down the back door where we lived. There was nobody we could call because we didn't know who to call , because we were never given any information , any emergency information whatsoever. We were just there on our own. That's just the way it was. But we did learn the alma mater. Uh , at the medical center. That's when , uh , I would eat with my classmates because we had two dining rooms. And there was , uh , there was a partition in between the two dining rooms. The black side. On one side , the whites ate on the other side. I ate with the whites because my classmates were white , and the director of nurses called me into her office and said that Governor All of us was here , and he saw that you were in it with your classmates. I said , yes , of course. You know , we have a lot of things to share. Well , he he wants you out of there. He says you can't eat with the whites. You have to eat with the blacks. Okay , so I started eating with the blacks. It didn't matter to me cause my cousin was a nurse's aide and I could visit with him. I never said anything to my classmates about it , but they were asking me , why don't you eat with us anymore ? I told him what happened. Well , they said , we'll come over there and eat with you. So they did. If you don't come back and eat with us , I said , I'm not going to come back and eat with you. Because if Governor Faubus comes back again and he sees me eating with you again , he's going to voice a complaint like that. So I thought that was serious. So I went back to the white side and ate with the whites again. Didn't matter to me cause we all had our uniforms on. You know , we were. We all looked like suits. Mhm.
S5: Mhm.
S8: It's kind of crazy. There were things like that , like I joined the band and , uh , the band director never gave me a band suit. And there was a concert and one of the members said , where were you ? I said , oh , I was there , but where were you ? I said , I was , I said , a delirious , but why did you come up front and participate with the band ? I said , I didn't have a band suit. So he told us that we could , uh , play with the band , practice with the band. But we could never perform it with the band. We couldn't perform with them. So he never gave me a better suit. So I eventually turned in my instrument and I quit the band. Yeah , there were a lot of incidents like that. I mean , we were turned down on so many occasions.
S2: We asked Mrs. Cannon about moving to California.
S8: Yeah , we moved to California because of the harsh winters in Kansas. Uh , I had a terrible time getting to work. Sometimes we we would have a whiteout. You'll probably see that on TV. You know , snow blowing snow. And I couldn't get home. I had to drive through 33 miles from the hospital to my house , and I had to spend the night in the hospital because I couldn't see the drive to Mahaska. That happened quite a few times , bad weather , and they drove the school bus to make extra money. He was a teacher. He directed the choir at church , and he decided that we should move to California because they were going to consolidate the schools , and he didn't think he wanted to drive in very bad weather , in stormy weather , to his job. So his.
S9: And there were students too. I mean , recruiting teachers , right ? From the Midwest to coming out to California. Yeah.
S8: Yeah. Yeah.
S9: Yeah.
S8: Oh , Derek liked it there because he would play in the snow.
S9: But but you also said that California also paid better at the time for teachers to write salary wise.
S8: Well , the assistant superintendent would go back Midwest and recruit teachers. They needed teachers out here. Yeah. And there was set up a plan for Derek. I mean , excuse me , Jimmy , to meet at one of the universities to interview him , but that was a mix up in communication. Jimmy went there , but the assistant superintendent wasn't there. So he called him and he said there was a mix up. And he said , well , Sid sent us your , uh , what do you say ? Yeah , to make credentials or whatever , and we'll have to have you sight unseen. And that's what they did. So that's how we got to California. Yeah.
S9: Yeah. And really quickly , one thing my dad said at his retirement party is Doctor Hutchins. Mike.
S8:
S9:
S8: Oh , doctor Hutchins. Yeah.
S9: Yeah.
S8: And here in El Centro. Yes.
S9: Yeah , yeah. So one of the things my dad , I remember him saying at the , uh , his retirement party was Doctor Hutchins didn't. Just because my dad was the first African-American teacher in the district. He didn't just hire him. Leave him alone. He he really supported him when he was here. He really supported everything my dad did. So he didn't just hire him and just , you know , leave him to the wolves , so to speak. So he was very supportive once my dad came out here.
S8: Everything was segregated when we moved here. Uh , the the blacks of the Mexican Mexicans lived on the east side. The streets were not paved , and there were no sidewalks. Not until we got a black mayor. And he said , I'm going to get those streets paved and I'm going to put in sidewalks. And he did that. He did that. Mhm. Uh , yeah. Black Mexicans mostly attended Douglas High School not central. I don't know why. Eventually they moved out of central. Central. But when we moved here they were not attending central. This city was fairly segregated really. Mhm.
S2: Mhm.
S8: Uh , Mr. and Mrs. Ellis , a little older and blacks lived on the west side of town and we were the second family to move over here And the real estate guy I won't call his name would not show us a house so that we did. We only had one car , so we would drive around , uh , near the hospital where I worked or near the high school where I didn't work for. One of us could have walked to work , and we saw a sign in the yard for sale by owner. And that was Mr. Major.
S9: Wasn't he a hired patrolman ? I think he said. Yeah. Yeah.
S8: He sold us his house. This house ? Yeah. Because we got we got threatening calls in the middle of the night. Right.
S9: Right. There.
S8: There. Use the N-word , you know ? Yeah. About 2:00 in the morning , somebody would call , call us and threaten us. So I took care of that. The last time they called , I said , you know what ? We know who you are. We know where you live. You could call it here. You call here one more time. We're going to send a hitman after you , and you're going to be history. I was angry. I was tired of him. He would wake us up. He would wake the kids up , you know , and Derek Jardine and Michael , they all had front bedrooms. And I was kind of worried because I thought I was. So long as somebody throws a bomb or something , I don't know what they would do. Yeah , but Jimmy found out who this man was. His daughter was in Jimmy's band , and she told her , Jimmy , my dad does not want you in the band , but she does. She does not want me in the band. She came to Jim and told him that her dad , you know , and so we figured out he was probably the one. Ooh.
S7: Ooh.
S8: But get a headband to get him. He didn't call. He didn't call anymore. Of course I don't. I don't know if I had , man , I don't know. I don't know if anybody you know will not allow it. But I was tired of him calling. Anyway. We we had a few problems , but Jimmy got along well with just about everybody. Jimmy was a public relations person. He he he gained many friends. Uh , he was an excellent band teacher. Um. He knew more people in the community than me. I , I worked in the hospital. I didn't really know a lot of people , but Jimmy met a lot of people through his students.
S5: Don't feel No.
S10: My sons say I've come too far. From where ? I started from. Nobody told me. Told me that road would be easy. I don't live for love. To live.
S2: Jimmy Cannon became the band director of Central Union High School in 1966.
S3: And in mid 1970s the band was the best in the region and he continued to innovate and introduce something different.
S2: By 1977 it was fully part of the band.
S3: The shuffle.
S1: And the song. I'm so glad.
S2: These came from southern black band traditions like HBCU style bands. Music.
S1: Music. You don't just listen to you like feel it and you participate in it where the crowd reacts.
S3: With performance matter as much as precision.
S1: And I'm So Glad isn't just played.
S3: It's sewn together.
S1: From the stands near the end of the game , like everyone feels a part of the band.
S2: And the shuffle closes out every time the band leaves the field.
S1: It's highly syncopated , moves.
S3: Dips that in the entire band does together.
S1: And a snap to attention at the end. The cannon's son , Derek , grew up here , and in first grade , he was the only black kid in the entire school to the traditions his family brought here and never left.
S2: Today , he's a professor and a professional trumpet player in San Diego. That's wild to think about.
S1: But the crazy part , like something your dad started , is still happening decades later.
S3: And we're doing it without knowing.
S9: My mom would tell you , in my experience , was not easy growing up because I was the only African-American kid at a school. So here you are. You know , you're in third grade , fourth grade in your nine , eight , nine , ten year old kids are calling you the N-word , you know , and calling you names. And your teachers are doubting the work. You turn in saying original question mark and lowering your grades. So I went through all that , too , with my teachers and my classmates. So it was not easy. Despite everything we went through as a family. My parents dealt with. They never taught us how to. We never they never taught us to hate. We never even talked about that. Right ? You know what I mean ? There wasn't an option. We didn't even have conversations around that. So I just want people to know that , too.
S1: That's great. Yeah. Mr. cannon , I wanted.
S11: To ask you , how is Jimmy Cannon ? As like a husband as like a father to you and like a band director , because I know he's like , oh. Yeah.
S9: Yeah. Yeah , he he was. Oh , he was great as the father. My dad , um , my friends used to think my dad was really strict. He really wasn't that strict. Um , my parents did a really good job at establishing , you know , what the line was and you knew you couldn't cross it. Um , he was very direct , but also very supportive of me. And obviously he taught me how to play trumpet , and , uh , I studied with him. I said after school , he used to take lessons with him , um , in middle school with him when I was at high school and even in middle school. So I spent a lot of time with him. So he was great. Um , he was really great at setting the example of how to be a man. So I learned not only about being a great musician from him , but how to be a man for my dad. That was really important. And just skills like being on time , being responsible. As my mom said , he was very kind. He was a gentleman. The way he treated people , um , the way that people treated him with respect. He respected people. And , uh , so I just learned a lot from just sitting back , really , to be honest with you , I learned a lot from just being around him and sitting back and just watching him interact and how he deal with people was was immeasurable. Especially now. Me being a teacher and an administrator and being the chair of the department , music department here at Grossmont College. Um , I've just learned so much about how to deal with people , how to treat people in a positive way and with respect , obviously. So , um , so he was great as a dad. I , I never we never argue. We never quarreled. Um , we both love sports , obviously in music. And so , uh , he was great as a father. I couldn't have asked for a better father. Yeah.
S11: Yeah. Okay , so.
S2: Mr. Cannon , this is Sean , and I have a question.
S9: Hey , Sean.
S11:
S9: Still. I get goosebumps. Yeah , whenever I hear the. You know , it's funny. Whenever I hear the band , I went to Renee Baker's , um , retirement , uh , celebration a few years back , and the band played. Whenever the band plays , I get goosebumps. It takes me right back to Friday nights in the football games. My dad used to take me , um , to with him to the football games from when I was probably , I don't know , 6 or 7 years old. And I was sitting next to him in the stands of the football games when the band would play. So I've been an unofficial member of the band for many years before I was actually in the band. And um , so when I hear the shuffle always gives me great memories , it just takes me back to that time when I was in the band. Um , and whenever I hear the band play , you know , music's still powerful , as you guys know , you hear a song and it takes you right back to a particular time or emotion in your life.
S3:
S9: Yeah.
S11: Yeah.
S9: So , um , that's a good question. When I meet somebody who plays in was in the band , even if they were in the band at a different time as me , there's a connection that we all have together. Seriously , even you guys talking to you on the phone , I feel connected to you because you're part of something great. And I just want the students to realize the rich tradition that you're part of that goes back many , many years. We're talking going back to my dad started teaching in central in 1966. So we're talking many , many years. So warms my heart when I hear students singing in. And I was band president my junior year and as I said before , there are two things I wanted. Growing up , I wanted to be in this band , and I wanted to be a football player , and I did both. I played varsity football for the Spartans , proud of that , and I was in the band. And like I said last week when I talked to you guys , I'm proud to say that I caught the winning touchdown pass in the bowl game in the in the Bell game my junior year. So and that was I didn't play football my senior year because by that time I got in pretty serious about music. So the very last game I played as a Spartan , as football goes , I caught the winning touchdown pass in the Bell game. So proud of that too.
S11: Okay , well , um.
S6: This is Isaiah.
S7: I have one last question.
S9: What's yeah.
S7: That you. Want.
S6: Want.
S7: Not just bank is essential but like all of like Gen-Z people our age in high school. What's something you would like us to know about how the central band has come along and how kind of race with race relations that come along in the city of Chicago as well. Yeah.
S9: Yeah. You know , that's that's a good question. You know , I said this last before , when I think about my father , the way I describe him is , um , dignity in the face of adversity. So he was always very dignified , I think , to be honest with you , a lot of the people that treated him in certain ways back in the day are probably embarrassed. You know what I mean ? Because he just he kind of rose above it. The main thing for you guys , I want you guys to understand is , you know , stick be consistent in how you treat people. Um , work on your craft nowadays. I know a lot of us want to. I call it going from point A to point Z. We want to just get something right away and get instant gratification. It doesn't really work that way. Um , so one of the things I learned from my dad , I'll tell you , is just his work ethic was incredible. He was never late. And , um , I have his work ethic as well. And I work very hard. Even my colleagues say , why do you work so hard ? Even my my fellow students when I was in graduate school , like , why do you work so hard ? Why do you do ? Why do you go above and beyond when it comes to your graduate. Your your your coursework or your research papers or how come you always , you know , you just seem to work harder than everybody , everybody else. So the main thing is hard work pays off. And I know sometimes you think that the sacrifice you're putting in doesn't pay off , but it does pay off. So that's really the main thing I would say is , you know , work hard , find people that are doing something that you want to do and use them as mentors. That's something else that's really important to have mentorship. So there's something you want to do. Try to find somebody who does what you want to do so you can learn from them. And I can't stress that enough. As far as just being focused , um , being a good person , treating people well because these connections will actually pay off later on. These relationships that you develop now will also pay off later on. As you get older , you might be up for a position or something. And also the person that's interviewing you , somebody that you grew up with or it's a friend of somebody that you know , who knows you of your reputation because of the type of person you've been and how hard you work. So it's really important to have a lot of integrity. Um , And , um , you know , be thankful for the people that , uh , help you and , uh , just be a good person. I can't stress enough , uh , what being a good person will do for you in the long run in your career and in your in your personal life , too.
S1: We asked Derek how the Great Spartan Band is unique compared to other bands in the Valley and the region.
S9: Well , um , there's a connection that we have. It's interesting. Even when I meet , uh , I'm laughing because a couple of years ago , I was teaching , uh , my hip hop culture class history of hip hop culture , and these 3 or 4 students looked at me and went , oh , my God , you're Mr. Cannon's son. And they've been in my class for like two months now. And I say that because as soon as they knew who I was , there's that instant connection. So for me , it's like I feel there's a connection that we have that all the kids in the band have , um , through the cross generational that we all have because of being part of something great. I think for me , being in the band. I think speaking for everybody else , that being in the band gives you a sense of identity because you're a part of something so positive and powerful. Mhm. And that I think , alone helps your self-esteem and makes you feel great because you're a part of something that's great and that's awesome. And I think that we all share that. That's why I mentioned before , even if I mean somebody who was in the band at a time that I wasn't , we still. Right away , as soon as we look at each other , we realize that we share this great tradition that we come from. The kids in the valley feel connected to the band , and that's something that we take pride in. I mentioned this , uh , last week I ran into several people who , you know , like from San Diego who played central and football , and they don't remember the football team , but they'll go , oh my God , the band. But they remember the band. So the band's reputation is far reaching , and I think anybody who played in the band at any time feels that they were a part of something great. And I think we all share that , that same legacy of the band. So that , to me , is what separates the students from down in the Valley. Compared to the students living here , they don't have the same connection , uh , or pride in that experience like we do. And that's the and that's the whole the whole story and this whole thing really quickly , just to wrap it up is , you know , from what you know , what what started in El Centro back in 1965 when we moved there to all the way to now having a theater in his name. It's an amazing story.
S11: Yes , absolutely.
S9: It really is.
S2: Learning all this kind of changed it for me through way harder times than football games. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Not a shuffle. It feels less like a move. And now we carry it more like we're continuing something people put on before us. In El Centro. Sometimes.
S3: Sometimes.
S2: History doesn't just sit in. Books.
S1: Books. And sometimes in marches.
S3: It seems.
S1: It shuffles. The shuffle. Jimmy Cannon's Living Legacy , a Black History special , was written by Doctor Thomas Tacky. Hosted by Isaiah Welsh , Lenny Carrillo , Tisha Campbell and Sean Marcano. Edited and produced by Doctor Thomas , Tacky music is by the Great Spahn Band. Charles Mingus , the Edwin Hawkins Singers , the Levi's , Derrick Cannon , and Walter Beasley. Technical and operational support provided by KPBS technical producer and designer Adrian Villalobos , KPBS audio operations assistant Rebecca Chacon , and KPBS Director of audio programming and Operations Lisa Jane Morrison. This programming is partially made possible in part by the KPBS Explore Content Fund.
