A few years ago, April Woodard read an article about the Norfolk State University band's take on the 1984 Cameo hit, "Talkin' Out the Side of Your Neck," and how it became popular among other college bands.
She shared it with her husband, Adrian, and their son, Adrian II, and they bookmarked the idea; they knew the story had bigger potential.
Last year, with the 50th anniversary of the band's founding, the Norfolk family released the documentary, "Rise of the Legion," about the NSU Marching Spartan Legion. The film won Best Documentary at the Newark International Film Festival and was selected for the Virginia Black Film Festival in February.
The family considers it a passion project because of their close ties to the university and the band, which is nationally known for its trend-setting performances.
April Woodard is an alum and the daughter of the late Harrison B. Wilson, NSU's president from 1975 to 1997. She is now the host of WTKR's "Coast Live" and her husband is the pastor of FavorNation Church in Norfolk and also a NSU graduate. Their son is a filmmaker who directed the documentary with his company, Korrosive Films.
They began researching the band and compiled a list of people to interview, including celebrities and musicians such as Kirk Franklin, James L. Staton, the original voice of the band, and historian and NSU endowed professor Cassandra Newby-Alexander, to provide context. The documentary includes some of the earliest photos and videos of the band.
The Spartan Legion won Band of the Year at the National Battle of the Bands in 2021; it has performed in parades throughout the country, including the 200th anniversary of the Constitution in Philadelphia in 1987 and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, in 2023.
After the Newark Film Festival, the producers screened the documentary in downtown Norfolk during Norfolk State's homecoming in October.
Tony Anderson, the drum major who created the "Neck" arrangement decades ago, attended the screening and told the director later, "I knew that I had done this, but I didn't realize the scale of what I had done."
Director Adrian Woodard said seeing the audience's reaction at the screening was powerful.
It "was an opportunity for them to feel seen, to feel heard, for them to realize the history they made," he said in reference to the band.
"There were more stories that I heard that night that I hadn't heard. They dove into what it was like in each of those eras and it was just an amazing experience."
Follow instagram.com/riseofthelegion for information on screenings.
