Getting ready for the 4th

American Independence Day - family get togethers with Bar-B-Que, corn-on-the-cob, home baked pie, watermelon, fireworks, and music! And no music exemplifies the 4th better than that composed by John Philip Sousa.

Born in Washington D.C., his father a trombonist in the United States Marine Band, Sousa's life story seems almost predestined. If Sousa's marches don't get you moving, little will. As he said, "A march should make a man with a wooden leg step out."

Here are three great Sousa marches (for your listening pleasure):

El Capitan,
Washington Post, and of course
The Stars and Stripes Forever