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High school band musicians can be found everywhere – from the classroom to the stage, from talk show chairs to thrones, and from fields/courts to the halls of governance. Check the list below, and you may be surprised who was playing what ‘way back when’:

Flute

  • Alanis Morrisette (singer)
  • Halle Berry (actress)
  • Celine Dion (singer)
  • Calista Flockhart (“Ally McBeal”)
  • Alyssa Milano (actress)
  • Noah Webster (Webster’s Dictionary)
  • Gwen Stefani (singer from No Doubt)
  • Jennifer Garner (actress from “Alias”)

Trumpet

  • James Woods (actor)
  • John Glenn (Astronaut and U.S. Senator)
  • Michael Anthony (Bass player for Van Halen)
  • Drew Carey (actor/comedian)
  • Stephen Tyler (lead singer for Aerosmith)
  • Prince Charles (future King of England)
  • Montel Williams (talk show host)
  • Richard Gere (actor)
  • Shania Twain (singer)
  • Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
  • Jackie Gleason (actor)
  • Samuel L. Jackson (Mace Windu from Star Wars I, II, III)

Clarinet

  • Rainn Wilson (actor from “The Office”)
  • Julia Roberts (actress)
  • Woody Allen (actor/director)
  • Gloria Estefan (singer)
  • Tony Shaloub (“Monk”)
  • Eva Longoria (“Desperate Housewives”)
  • Jimmy Kimmel (comedian/talk show host)
  • Allan Greenspan (former Chairman of the Federal Reserve)
  • Steven Spielberg (movie director)

French Horn

  • Ewan McGregor (Obi Wan Kanobi from Star Wars I, II, III)
  • Vanessa Williams (Singer/Actress)
  • Otto Graham (NFL Hall of Fame quarterback)

Bass Clarinet

  • Zakk Wylde (Guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne)

Baritone

  • Neil Armstrong (Astronaut – first man on the moon)

Tuba

  • Andy Griffith (actor)
  • Harry Smith (CBS’s “The Early Show”)
  • Dan Aykroyd (actor)
  • Aretha Franklin (“Queen of Soul”, singer)

Saxophone

  • Jennifer Garner (“Alias”)
  • Bill Clinton (former U.S. President)
  • Trent Reznor (lead singer for Nine Inch Nails)
  • Roy Williams (NFL Dallas Cowboys)
  • Vince Carter (NBA Star)
  • David Robinson (Retired NBA Star)
  • Tedi Bruschi (NFL New England Patriots)
  • Bob Hope (late comedian/actor)
  • Lionel Richie (singer, father of Nicole Richie)
  • Tom Selleck (actor from “Magnum PI”)

Trombone

  • Bill Engvall (Blue Collar Comedy Tour)
  • Nelly Furtado (singer)
  • Tony Stewart (NASCAR Driver)

Percussion

  • Mike Anderson (NFL)
  • Eddie George (retired NFL)
  • Trent Raznor (Nine Inch Nails)
  • Dana Carvey (actor/comedian)
  • Vinnie Paul (Pantera)
  • Walter Payton (NFL Hall of Fame running back)
  • Johnny Carson (TV Host)
  • Mike Piazza (former MLB catcher)