[Buglers Hall of Fame Class of 2020]

I am so glad Buglers Hall of Fame is alive and well

 

Ken Votre

[Most Successful Corps BY State]

Connecticut:

  To Be accurate Bengal Lancers were active 1975 to 1980. It is true that they won the 1976 World Open B. In 1977 they won the DCI A title and made World Open A finals. The folded after the 1980 season.

[Boston Crusaders]

This is a great posting. I marched in the 70s into the 80s. I admired Boston so much I marched with them in 1980 even thought they had a small horn line and clearly were not a mainstrean DCI corps. I was able to go almost anywhere that year,but Boston just was special. I would love to see just one more time a real Boston show. Maybe like 1977 or even like 1979 when Boston had just an awsome small hornline.

That being said there are many reasons to be proud of where Boston is today. Drum Corps has changed. Some for the good and some for the bad. Yes it is a lot less traditional drum corps. Yes, they do play trumpets. It may also be the reason there is still a drum corps activity. Kids just don't do what they did 30 years ago. I know my kids could never with their schedules dedicate themselves to drum corps the way we did. There are just so many more activities for kids today that At I find that my kids are less dedicated to any one activity. I live in Connecticut. We used to have a number of small drum corps. We used to always have a few truly competitive corps. Now I think we have only one active junior corps. ( afew alumni corps though).

What Boston does have is an amazing group of alumni that really supports the corps. They also seem to have current members who truly respect the alumni for what they did to keep the corps alive. All you have to do is attend one Spring Fling to see that Boston is still there. The music is a little different. SOme of the instruments have changed. But, it still seems to me anyway to be the Boston Crusaders. Its just the current members' time to make their mark on the corps. For better or worse, however, that mark has to be made within DCI.

[Conquest, best recording of...]

I liked most of Boston's versions. I marched in 1980 and so thats the one I liked the most. I came to Boston after marching with other corps. Whatever you may want to say about the tune it was magical to me. It is the tune I hear in my head when I think of my time with Boston and its the tune I make my kids listen to over and over. For me in an 8 year drum corps career playing conquest and hearing the reaction of every crowd was the highlight of my marching career.

Ken Votre

[History of the West Paterson Royal Aires]

I don't remember it as being that bad for our side. Of course I went on to march with Boston.

Come to think about it, I was a marching member and an Assistant Horn Instructor. I may not remember it because I was probably not on the field for retreat. I was probably at the judges meeting.

Ken Votre

[History of the West Paterson Royal Aires]

theres a few guys from bengal lancers here on the boards, we swapped stories about the 78 championships show between us

I don't remember it as being that bad for our side. Of course I went on to march with Boston.

[1979 DCI I&E]

Congrats on your win, Ken........

Are you in here????:

Yes

[1979 DCI I&E]

Congrats Ken... Good to see some Garden State Circuit corps have chops and can play with the big boys!

and boy did the bengal Lancers get along well with the Cranford Patriots. LOL Hey I went to Boston after that

Ken Votre

[1979 DCI I&E]

I see a few familiar names on here, does anyone else????

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Hey: I see me. LOL. John Blount second on Soprano is now an absolutely amazing Trumpet Player in the DC area.

Ken Votre

[Most passionette moment in Drum Corps]

Mine was the 1979 Boston Crusaders. We were 25 and still alive our Brass line.

What a performance at DCI Prelim's In Birmingham, Alabama. We kicked alot of a-- with just 25 solid horn players.

The fans were amazed every time we performed, to hear the sounds of a 25 man horn line and what we could do with them. We sounded like a full 60 man hornline.

Was that awesome or what????

I saw Boston several times in 1979 and was so amazed that in 1980 I joined and marched as a lead soprano when I could have joined any corps. My last year in a Jr. Corps was 1980 and I am pround to have been in Boston.