Founded in 1879, it was composed of volunteer militia and professionally trained musicians from the United Kingdom and France, becoming the first permanent military band.

It became the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery Band in 1899 under Joseph Vézina, a prominent Quebec musician who was also the first director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and led the first performance of "O Canada" in 1880.

A second band part of the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery was formed in Kingston in 1905 and directed by Major Alfred Light.

He arranged appearances on BBC radio, invited guest performers, and led the RCA Band in the 1957 Bermuda Tattoo.

RCA musicians, when in full dress uniform, wear the busby (not to be confused with the bearskin cap), with tall plumes attached to ferrule to the top of the front.

Bandsman wear navy blue tunics, quilt lined with a standing collar, fastened with hooks.

In 2000, the RCA Band was chosen by the Directorate of History and Heritage as the Canadian representative for the Kangwon International Tattoo commemorating the golden jubilee of the start of the Korean War.

The melody was brought to England by King William III of the Netherlands and soon after became popular in the country and was known as the Royal Artillery Grenadiers March unofficially until 1882.

The popularity of the tune 'The British Grenadiers' subsequently led to its adoption by all regiments who wear as their cap or collar badges, the symbol of the grenade.