Breakfast Club - Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man

Riggs spent time doing family research in the Stearns History Museum’s Research Center, especially on her great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs. He created and directed the St. Cloud Boys’ Band in 1923 while leading the St. Cloud Municipal Band. He also was responsible for establishing several other bands during his 60-year career.

Starting with 100 band members, the organization grew to about 250 in five years, billing it as the largest band in the world. After the Riggs’ death in 1946, Schmitt Music News paid tribute to him as the “dean of Minnesota bandmasters.” The story said that “the entire school band field is indebted to Mr. Riggs, for he was a pioneer in boys’ bands and his organizations were models after which many school bands were patterned.”