Music teacher Conrad O. Johnson attended an Otis Redding concert in 1967 and was inspired to translate the style of the concert into a program he could sustain at the high school in order to create opportunities for his student musicians, and thus the Kashmere Stage Band was born.

During its time, KSB won national championships in high school band competitions and gained a reputation as being unbeatable.

A notable sampling occurs on the Handsome Boy Modeling School album So... How's Your Girl?

; DJ Shadow’s track “Holy Calamity (Bear Witness II)” samples 'Kashmere' from the album Plays Originals.

The story of Prof, the exceptional music program he built, and the historic reunion of his former students was captured in a feature-length documentary film, Thunder Soul,[2] narrated by Jamie Foxx, released in theaters on September 23, 2011.