The name Holton has served as a symbol of excellence since 1898, when a former first trombonist from John Phillip Sousa's band opened shop on the corner of Chicago's Clark and Madison Streets, selling used instruments and his own secret-formula lubricant, Holton Electric Oil. the business prospered, and today Frank Holton's two room company has grown to be counted among the most respected musical instrument makers in the industry, producing brasswinds and woodwinds that match the standards of the world's most discriminating and accomplished artists.

In the surge of enthusiasm for school bands that swept the country in the 1930's, Mr. Holton saw a new market arising for popularly priced, precision-built instruments. Student editions of the Holton original were introduced under the trade name Collegiate, embodying all the traditions of Holton quality in tone, tuning and ease of playing.

When the Frank Holton Company was acquired by G. Leblanc Corporation in 1964, a new partnership was forged in pursuit of the finest band instruments that technology and craftsmanship could produce. Students and artists alike can now choose from instruments bearing some of the most respected names in the industry such as Collegiate, Maynard Ferguson, Farkas, Tuckwell, and many others. Yet they are all Holton, all world-class instruments from the world of Leblanc.