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Robert M. Crawford
Biography
Robert MacArthur Crawford (27 July 1899, Yukon Terr., Can. – 12 March 1961, New York, N.Y.) was an American pilot, composer and vocalist.
Crawford's early life was spent in Fairbanks, Alaska, but at age 14 he was sent to live with relatives at Chehalis, Washington. He later studied at Case Institute of Technology, the Boston Conservatory, and at Princeton University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1925. While at Princeton, he directed the university orchestra and the glee club. Later, he studied at the Juilliard School of Music and the American School of Music in Fontainebleu, France.
Mr. Crawford became a pilot in 1923. He flew himself around the United States in a small plane to concerts, where he was introduced as "The Flying Baritone."[ In addition to solo singing engagements, he taught voice at Princeton and sang with the Chautauqua Opera and the Oratorio Society of New York.
During World War II, Crawford was employed by the Pan American Air Ferry Service of Miami, which delivered U.S. Army Air Forces airplanes across southern Atlantic routes. This organization became part of the Air Transport Command, and he was commissioned as a captain.
After the war, from 1947 to 1957, he taught at the University of Miami (Florida) and then retired.
Captain Crawford is best known for composing the march-song known as the [[U.S. Air Force March, The|]The U.S. Air Force March] which is the official song of the U.S. Air Force. At Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, the band’s rehearsal quarters were named in Crawford's honor.
Works for Winds
- Born to the Sky March (arr. Yoder) (1945)
- Loyal Legionnaire March (1957)
- The U.S. Air Force March (arr. Werle) (1939/)
Resources
- Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Robert M. Crawford." Accessed 10 January 2022
- Robert MacArthur Crawford. Wikipedia Accessed 10 January 2022