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Arthur Willard Pryor (September 22, 1870 – June 18, 1942) was a trombone virtuoso, bandleader, and soloist with the Sousa Band. He was a prolific composer of band music, his best known composition being "The Whistler and His Dog". In later life, he was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served on the Monmouth County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders during the 1930s.
Pryor was born on the second floor of the Lyceum Theater in Saint Joseph, Missouri. He was the son of Samuel Pryor, bandmaster and founder of the original Pryor band. He first took up music at a very young age under the tutelage of his father and was playing the valve trombone by age 11. The story goes that whenever he hit a sour note while practicing his father planted a resounding crack on his head with a violin bow. It developed the boy until he was so skilled that he won a place in the late John Philip Sousa's band. He was hailed as a prodigy after this. Pryor went on to direct the Stanley Opera Company in Denver, Colorado until joining the John Philip Sousa Band in 1892. He played his first solo with the Sousa Band at age 22 during the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. During his 12 years with the Sousa Band, Pryor estimated that he played 10,000 solos. From 1895 to 1903 Pryor was assistant conductor of the Sousa Band. During his association with the "March King", Pryor toured thruout the USA and Europe. While in europe he entertained King Edward VII of England adn Czar Nicholas II of Russia with his trombone solos. Once, while in Germany, all the trombonists of the German ARmy bands were ordered to her him play. They were so amazed at his playing that they insisted on taking his trombone apart, refusing to believe that it was natural. Finally one German said: "No one can play so well. It is a Yankee trick."
In 1902 Pryor ended his association with Sousa, upon the death of his father and took over teh reorganized Pryor band, which made its debut at the Majestic Theatre in New York City on November 15, 1903. For 30 years thereafter Pryor's band was an American institution. He made his first appearance in Asbury Park in 1904, where he continued to play until 1930. The Pryor Band toured until 1909, when he decided to settle down and make Asbury Park, New Jersey the home of the band. Also at this time he became a staff conductor and arranger for the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, New Jersey. He organized a second band that played at Coney Island, New York, for a number of years.
He had composed some 300 compositions, including marches, novelties, tone poems and three light operas, Jinga Boo, Uncle Tom's Cabin and On the Eve of Her Wedding Day. Among his best known numbers were On Jersey Shore, Queen Titania and The Whstler and His Dog. He set to work on an opera titled Peter and Paul, with a libretto by L. Frank Baum, though the whereabouts of libretto or score are unknown. It was intended to star Fred Stone and David Montgomery in several roles in several time periods.
He retired from full-time conducting in 1933. On November 7 of that year, he and Henry W. Herbert were elected to the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, defeating Director Bryant B. Newcomb and his running mate, Arthur Johnson. Pryor and Herbert would each serve one, three year term in office. They were defeated by Republicans J. Russell Woolley and Edgar O. Murphy.
He was elected an honorary member of the Beta Tau chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia at the University of Miami in 1940.
During his career, Pryor wrote some of today's most famous trombone literature, including an arrangement of the heralded "Bluebells of Scotland", as well as band novelty works such as "The Whistler and His Dog", with its piccolo solo, his best known composition. Much of this literature has been recorded by Ian Bousfield on his CD Pryor Engagement (Doyen DOY CD212).
In 1985, thousands of early Pryor scores were discovered by conductor Rick Benjamin who has played many of Pryor's compositions with his Paragon Ragtime Orchestra.
Pryor was married to Maude Russell Pryor. Their son Roger Pryor (1901 – 1974) was also a bandleader as well as a film actor.. He had another son, Arthur Jr., bandsman and advertising executive, and a brother, Samuel Pryor.
He suffered a stroke on June 16th 1942 and died June 18th at his home in West Long Branch NJ. Funeral services were cunducted June 21, 1942 at the Trinity Episcopal Church, Asbury Park, NJ followed by burial in Glenwood Cemetery, West Long Branch NJ
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