Press Release - August 2001

Mighty Oregon CD Now Available
Proceeds to Benefit Music Scholarships

   The School of Music has unveiled a commemorative product that will interest not only music alumni but Duck fans everywhere: "Mighty Oregon," a collection of nearly a dozen versions of the popular Oregon fight song.
    Written nearly a century ago by UO band director Albert Perfect, "Mighty Oregon" has been acclaimed over the years as one of the better original college fight songs-many schools simply write new words to some existing march, folk tune, or drinking song.
    Scott Barkhurst, publicity director for the music school, discovered several archival recordings of "Mighty Oregon," including a 1951 recording by the University Band and University Singers, with Robert Vagner conducting. He also obtained a tape of the Jazz Minors, a local Dixieland group from the 1970s with a terrific version of the fight song, as well as one with the late Ed Kammerer on electric keyboard. When songwriter Tom Grant recorded a special piano version last year for the jazz studies department, Barkhurst got the idea of producing a CD with as many versions of "Mighty Oregon" as possible.
    The final product contains all the cuts mentioned above, plus the traditional Oregon Marching Band version, a "swing" version by the 1998 Green Garter Band, some short versions that have been used on UO television commercials, plus a new "salsa" version recorded this spring with jazz students and faculty. For good measure, the Oregon Wind Ensemble re-recorded the original full concert version, since the 1951 recording suffers from the inferior recording technology of 78 rpm records in that era. The final cut on the CD is the "Oregon Pledge Song," recorded this spring by the University Singers.
    "The CD will have some historical interest, particularly with music alumni, and the fact that next year is the UO's 125th anniversary makes it even more appropriate as a commemorative item," said Barkhurst. But the real target market is Duck sports fans-and in that arena the timing couldn't be better, with the Oregon football team ranked in the top ten and strong fan support for both men's and women's basketball.
    With the generous support of Sony Disc Manufacturing, the music school has 5,000 copies of the "Mighty Oregon" CD, and they are available directly from the School of Music, the UO Bookstore, any of the Duck Shop locations in Eugene and Portland, or via the UO Bookstore's merchandise web site. The price is $12.95 (add $3 for shipping and handling), and all proceeds will go toward music scholarships.