The United States Air Force Academy Band was origin-ally designated the 739th Air Force Band, an inactivated unit that was revived in May 1955 to offer musical support during cadet athletic events and for military marching units at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It received its current designation on 1 September 1958, and over the decades it has expanded to comprise a concert band, marching band, and seven ensembles, some genre-based (pop/rock band Blue Steel, country band Wild Blue Country, jazz group The Falconaires) and others instrument-based (Academy Winds, Stellar Brass, Rockies Clarimet Quartet).
Despite being universally praised for their musicianship and professional performance, the Air Force Academy Band has more than once been threatened with disestablishment as a money-saving measure during Congressional budget crises. Probably the most serious threat came in April 1993 when the Senate Armed Services Committee floated a proposal to deactivate all service academy bands; in response, the U.S. Air Force re-assigned the Air Force Academy to Air Force Space Command and named it “The Band of the Rockies.”
Each year, the U.S. Air Force Academy Band and its ensembles give over 400 performances year at events ranging from formal military functions and ceremonies to civic events, public
The United States Air Force Academy Band presents more than 400 performances each year, providing music for official military functions and ceremonies as well as civic events and public concerts.