Del Staigers

Charles Delaware Staigers was an American cornetist. He was born on August 20, 1899, in Muncie, Indiana. In 1914, he was hired to play in Patrick Conway's band. In 1918, he joined John Philip Sousa's band as the assistant to cornet soloist Frank Simon. He stayed with John Philip Sousa through 1920. He played "Taps" at John Philip Sousa's funeral. After leaving Sousa, he became first trumpeter at The Hippodrome and later at The Strand Theatre in New York City. In 1926, he joined the Goldman Band. His first appearance with The Goldman Band in Central Park before a crowd of over 25,000 people drew vociferous applause and bravos. He played with The Goldman Band through 1934, and also for the 1942 season.

He died on July 12, 1950, at age 50. In the words of Edwin Franko Goldman, Staigers was the "greatest cornetist in the world".