Alfred L. Watkins is Co-Founder, Musical Director and Conductor of the Cobb Wind Symphony, an all-adult community band in Marietta, GA. In 2013, he concluded his 37-year career as a high school band director, including serving as Director of Bands at Lassiter High School in Marietta, Georgia for 31 years. Mr. Watkins is a 1976 graduate of Florida A & M University with additional study in Music Education and Conducting at Georgia State University. Ensembles under Watkins’ batons have performed at the Midwest Band Clinic five times, featured band performances at the Music For All National Festival six, six performances at the G.M.E.A. Convention and six performances at the College Band Directors/NBA Biennial Convention. The Lassiter Trojan Marching Band has performed in four Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parades and three times in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. They are the 2-time Bands of America Grand National Champions, winners of 9 Bands of America Regional Champions and winners of 122 0f 130 marching band contest entered.

Bands under his leadership have earned John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Flag of Honor in 1988, (for outstanding concert bands), Sudler Shield in 1998, (for outstanding marching band) and the Sudler Silver Scroll, 2009 (for outstanding community band). Watkins is one of a small group of band directors to hold three Sudler Awards simultaneously.

Mr. Watkins has been selected as a member of the American Bandmasters Association, the Florida A & M University Gallery of Distinguished Alumni, the Georgia Chapter of the Phi Beta Mu Hall of Fame and the Bands of America Hall of Fame. He received the Edwin Franko Goldman Award from ASBDA and is a recipient with the Midwest Clinic Medal of Honor. He has served as the Guest Conductor of the World Youth Wind Symphony at the Interlochen Arts Camp and has served as guest conductor of the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” on the West Lawn at the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. He was the recipient of the Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity’s prestigious Distinguished Service to Music Medal and has recently been selected as the Phi Beta Mu International Band Director Fraternity International Bandmaster of the Year. In 2022, Watkins was the recipient of the Outstanding Conductor Award from the Association of Concert Bands. Also in 2022, Watkins was awarded the Doctor of Music Education Honoris Causa from the VanderCook College of Music. He has received 25 Certificates of Excellence from the National Band Association, the Sudler Order of Merit from the John Philip Sousa Foundation along with the Band World Magazine Legion of Honor Award. Mr. Watkins is Co-Founder, Musical Director and Conductor of the Cobb Wind Symphony (1999), an all-adult community band based in the Metro Atlanta area. In 2009 and 2010, two doctoral dissertations were written highlighting his life and centered around his work with the Lassiter Band Program. Currently, Mr. Watkins is President and Co-Founder of the Minority Band Director National Association, Inc., an organization charged to serve, promote, celebrate and mentor minority band directors throughout the country. He is currently an Educational Clinician for the Conn-Selmer Corporation and Perform America. The $1.5 million Alfred L. Watkins Band Building at Lassiter High School bears his name.

He and his wife for 37 years, Rita, live in Marietta, GA. They have two adult sons: Christopher, a trumpeter in the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” in Washington, D.C. and Jonathan, a businessman in Atlanta. They have two grandchildren