The Sound of Homecoming
How Music Became Part of the A&T Experience
Before the massive concerts, celebrity performers and packed arenas, there was a brass band.
Advertisements for A&T's 1927 Homecoming promoted entertainment by the Twin City Brass Band of Winston-Salem.
A&T's own "Rooters and Singers," a quartet led by O. Anderson Fuller, also provided entertainment during the early period. Fuller later became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in music, according to the university archives-based history.
Music would become inseparable from the A&T Homecoming experience.
Over the decades, performers associated with Homecoming have included major names such as Lionel Hampton, Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight.
The tradition continues during GHOE 100.
The 2026 centennial lineup includes Babyface and Lalah Hathaway for the alumni concert, Gunna and Ella Mai among the Hip-Hop/R&B performers, and Kirk Franklin and Kierra Sheard Kelly for the Gospel Concert.
The performers have changed dramatically over 100 years.
But music has remained part of the soundtrack of Aggies coming home.
Part of 100 Years of Aggie Stories on GHOEGuide. GHOEGuide.com is an independent, unofficial guide and is not affiliated with North Carolina A&T State University.
