For well over two decades (from the late 1930s through the mid-1960s) the EasTexan college dance band was without question the most well known and beloved musical group on campus, and with good reason. The band played for all the spring social club dances, plus special concerts and on radio and TV, and even for student recruitment trips to area high schools.

A student dance band was not a new concept on campus. An earlier band called "The Southern Gentlemen" under the direction of Jim Clark, Sr., performed for campus socials and dances in the mid 1930s. The EasTexans was organized in 1939 and inherited the band stands and tuxedos and even some of the musicians from Clark’s group.

For most of its history, the band was composed of all males. However, during World War II, because of shortage of men, the band recruited coeds. Dr. James Richards, who directed the band, recalls that half the band in 1944 consisted of women musicians (and one training school student.) It also had some unusual instrumentation. Richards could not find a trombone player; instead, he substituted a cello player.

In the 1950s, the EasTexans took dance music to a new level on campus. With strong support from Dr. James G. Gee, fifth president of ET and his socially conscious wife, Cecile, the band flourished under the direction of Ray Luke, a young trumpet player from TCU. He and Dr. Richards launched an energetic campaign that brought talented musicians, some with professional experience, on to campus.

Dr. Gee supplied financial support. According to Don Cartwright, who played on the EasTexans in 1954-56, Dr. Gee insisted that the musicians get the same "scholarships" money as the football players. Whether the musicians ever got the same support as the gridiron gladiators is still open to quest. Cartwright remembers that the band received room and board and help with their fees. "They got their money’s worth because the school called upon us for all the musical performances. We even stayed on campus several days after the start of the Christmas vacation to play."

Janet Peek, who covered social events for the campus newspaper in the mid-1950s, confirms the high quality and popularity of the EasTexans and the special role in the social life of the campus. "You couldn’t turn your car radio to a Big Band station and get a better sound. The band created a special bond among all the students on campus."

The EasTexans played the Big Band sound of Les Brown, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Woody Herman and Harry James, arranged by Ray Luke.

Changing taste in music and a move to more of a commuter campus with fewer on-campus activities resulted in a decline in the popularity of the formal dances and the Big Band sound. In 1965, the EasTexans became the Blue Band, under the direction of Conrad Bauschka, who now teaches music at A&M-Commerce. This band lasted only a couple of years.

"The EasTexans band was one of the best parts of our life on campus," recounts Cartwright.

"We were a tight group and we pretty well know where the ex-EasTexans are today. We keep in touch."