Considered Mobile's official Mardi Gras musicians, the Excelsior Band marches in more than a dozen parades during Mardi Gras season. According to leader James Seals, whose grandfather was a former Excelsior Band member, the group continues in its 110-year-old, brass band tradition by playing "Dixieland oldies and goodies" for parades, dances, funerals, building dedications, and other special occasions.

.John A. Pope founded the Excelsior Band in 1883 with a group of musician friends who had gathered to celebrate the birth of his son. Several original members worked for the Creole Fire Company, so they often practiced their music in a room above the fire station.

The presence of the Excelsior Band in Mobile's Creole community inspired many young people to take up instruments and carry on the marching band tradition, including several members of the current group.