Puppet
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The first I recall of tonal bass being "featured" was the Chicago Cavailers while playing Somewhere from WSS at the 1964 WO ... three bass drums were set up center field with a single snare playing on them matching the underlying tones of the baris ... quite effective ... other corps had used different tone bass drums earlier (Blessed Sac's dualing rudis in 62) but, this was the first time I recall them being "featured" along with the horns ... and Frankie is correct ... 1968 was the first year for tymps ... almost every Dreitzer and Perrilloux corps had them ... not totally accepted by all drum judges ... the first show the Bpt PAL used them in 1968 we got a 0.9 out of 10.0 in GE Drums with the judge saying "There's no place for tymps in drum corps" ... his only comment on the sheet ... oh well ...
:-)
I might just add here that speaking of Eric and Hy and the use of the tymps it wasn't until a couple of years after 1968 that most Corps' tymp sections actually understood the use of the instrument(s). Our guys, and no doubt, by default all Dreitzer and Perrilloux's corps, were playing music from day one!
They gave those cranks a real workout every show.
And please notices ...there was no resting ... they strapped those bad boys on at the starting line and didn't put 'em down 'til we were done.
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Sorry Puppet ... lots of female DM's of co-ed corps in the 40's, 50's and early 60's ... St. Vinnie's ... Bpt. PAL ... St. Ann's ... Shoreliners ... Blue Rock ... Grand St. Boys ... many of the GNYC and Penn-Jersey corps ...
:-)
Sorry Puppet, but the Braintree (Mass.) Warriors had a female drum major as far back as '53.
Sorry Puppet, the "No More War" show was '72
Ray
May I then say: Welcome to the "Sorry Puppet" Show.
I really thought the the two female DM thing was going to fly. 
Or the two female DM's named Kathy. :doh: And I really thought the peace symbol show was '71. 
sigh.
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I have a contest program dated June 19, 1971. Page 27 headline reads 'The Cadets of Garfield present America the Brave - 1776'. Top half of the page is a photo, the bottom half is the libretto
I wonder if 1972 Alberta All Girls Drum and Bugle Band were the first drum corps to tour Europe. I wonder if I was the first female drum major in southern Ontario conducting a co-ed corps in 1972
I thought the Garfield show was called No More War. And could these two young women be the first female Drum Majors
(both named Kathy BTW, I think!) to lead a co-ed Drum Corps ... ever?!
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It's not Elvis, but in 1978 the Pope passed on just before tour (you can look it up). It was a normal, grueling tour in the days before smart phones and lap tops or for that matter wifi. Or maybe the internet.
At any rate I got home and I'm doing all the grown up getting back on track things and I stop by a store and look at the paper and the headline reads "Pope to be buried today"...
You have to picture that I've been out on the road since like Memorial Day and all I can think is that "Geez he must be starting to smell by now"...
How could I have known we'd been through an entire new Pope while I was gone, elected, coronated (or whatever we do with popes - sanctified? ) served, and passed on... all while we were on tour.
And he may have had a better summer than we had!!! At least he got elected!!!
No offense intended to my brothers and sisters - I'm Catholic too - I just forget some of the technical jargon and I'm not quite as good a Catholic as I was during my altar boy days.
OMG! Did the Pope transition, too! It's only been like one page ago I found out this guy named Elvis died ... now this! Oh, the tragedy! Next thing you know Jim Morrison gonna keel over ....
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Is this in the correct DCP thread? LOL
Of course it is ... Drum Corps Piccolo OK I know it's not a piccolo but a flute but I take my punch lines where I can find them
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Anaheim Kingsmen, 1969. The bells were used at World Open, but not at VFW or AL nats.
Now that's really weird. Why would I have a shot of the Kingsmen drumline?
Loved their hornline Loved the guard. Especially the rifles.
B&W doesn't do their uniforms any justice at all, does it?
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The Chicago Royal-Airs played the Paul Anka hit song "Diana" for a number of years in the very early 1960's. Although in 1965 we were the first and only drum corps to ever win the Triple crown of the drum corps nationals (CYO, VFW & American Legion) in the same year we didn't have a Contra Bass to march with until 1966. In 1967 we marched with 59 players in the horn line. We were the first corps to start using various multi-pitched base drums in 1966 and we marched with tympani's in 1968.
Am I mistaken or are these guys them? Or the Appleknockers?
I think this is from 1968. Now that I'm old I can't see colors in B&W the way I used to.
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I don't know the answers to these but thought it would be fun to find out.
Who was the first corps to step off at the 1972 DCI prelims?
Who was the first corps to play a rock song in their show?
Who was the first corps to have 60 or more brass? Number and year?
Who was the first corps to march timpani's?
Who was the first corps to have a themed show?
Great questions! But who was the first to use theatrics?
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The Ludwig fiberglass machine marching tymps first appeared in the summer of '68.
In the Midwest, DP Vanguard brought out a set and RAs and the Kilties followed suit.
Out East, Boston led the way.
Somebody had to have tymps before 1968. As to the drums mentioned above ... Pick just about any corps in '68. We marched them and if we did, then just about every corps Hy and Eric worked with had them ... We had them at the Felt Forum
(remember Madison Square Garden's Felt Forum?) for Evening With The Corps so that means we'd been rehearsing with them all winter ... remember rehearsals (not camp) in autumn, winter and spring before the season, anyone? BTT - But c'mon! 1968? Only Boston?
Our tymp line in '68 - Barry and Rod - our last year as St. Joseph Patron Cadets.
By the next year we had 4 - all different sizes and those guys actually did a lot more than just help row a big boat, if you know what I mean. They played music!
Somebody from down East help me out here. Didn't SAC have them and the Bronx Kingsmen? Like I said, nobody was using them any more than the tuned bass drums that year - but they were out there. So find me someone from 1967
'cause there is no winner for '68.
But wait! Apparently someone did the research for us and even us old guys can find stuff on the web here's a page out of history so to speak.
What do I know? I played French Horn.
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two words to scare you: Scout House
And they played Bb horns!
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Wait. Elvis is dead?!
Well, if that's the case, I was sitting right here in New York City, right now.
C'mon, this is some kind of hoax, right? Like The Onion or something .... right?
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I'd like to share a few thoughts about this particular show, in no particular order..
First, someone mentioned that perhaps it is an aging facilty...it is not. Veterans Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, MA was completely renovated in 2007. It is an ultramodern, superclean facility with huge stands and a beautiful turf field surface.
Liahona, I KNOW you can provide us with a pic.....
While I don't have hard figures on the Aug 4th show attendance, my estimate would be SUBSTANTIALLY higher than 2000...in fact, I believe they sold out the reserve seats.
The biggest reason for the "older" fans, is that there are thousands of drum corps alums in the Boston area...don't forget that in the early 80s, we had 5 World Class Corps and more than 25 Open Class (Div ii-iii) corps, and these folks are all still around.
With regard to marching bands in New England (and this is an activity with which I am very involved), the predominant circuit around here is NESBA. I think there are a total of about 30 high schools bands who compete, but keep in mind that all but a half dozen or so have anywhere from 25-60 members. With a few notable exceptions, we do NOT have the huge bands like they do in FL and TX around here. I teach the largest band in Maine, (South Portland) and we top out at about 75 members.
There is great outreach to these bands, particularly from BAC and the Spartans, and most competitive bands around here are taught by drum corps folks. The Spartans do a great job of having a very professional recruiting booth set up at all the major band shows, and BAC's "Mass Bay Music Festivals" for high school jazz ensembles during the spring have become a huge draw.
I think the audience had a healthy mix (I actually had 6 of my band kids there). Conversely, when I go to a show like the early season Virgina (Arlington, maybe?) and see 800 high school kids and only a hundred or so "adults" in the audience, I get concerned about that.....
The East Coast Classic was the best attended show in New England, and a great time was had by all. As a matter of fact, all three Massachusetts shows (Quincy, Lynn, Lawrence) had a welcomed vibe of "Drum Corps is alive and well" to them.
I was looking for the "like" button all through this post.
Just an addition to the highlighted paragraph. If you go back ten more years there were double that many world class drum corps in the Boston area. The Tri-State area of NY, NJ & Conn had dozens of championship caliber (We called them Class "A") competing corps. And there were literally thousands of smaller parade and Class "B" corps up and down the Eastern Seaboard from Canada to Delaware. Three of the best shows you could ever march in during my era were right in the Boston area and all during the same weekend. The alum and fans who attended those shows will always flock to a show that reminds them of the Good Old Days when you didn't know who was going to win but you always knew who was going to be in the top five.
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OK, it was a great year. GO Cadets!! Very proud alum!
I saw the show in Lawrence, MA, and BD, Cadets, Boston, and SCV were all great. Fantastic corps, one and all! As an alum, like I said, I'm very proud of the final results for the year. I can see how BD were so close, as back in early August when I saw them they were clean as all get out. The fact that Crown beat them in horns at finals means that Crown must've been PHENOMENAL because BD were incredible sounding when I saw them!
OK, I digress-
At the Lawrence MA show, it was well attended, I'm thinking 2000+ easy for attendance. It was Boston's show, so I'm sure someone has the actual attendance #'s somewhere. There may have been more. The crowd was enthusiastic, polite, and respectful. All corps were given their due as far as reactions.
Here's my concern:
There were almost NO young people. If there' were 2000+, there were 150 people below the age of 20. It was startling. The mean age was EASY 53 years old. I'm 43 myself. I was proud to attend. But I think there's a real issue here. Not one I've ever really thought about, but really struck me at the show. Now, I know, NE is not the hotbed of marching band it is in the other parts of the country, but that fact only reinforces my point: Where's the groups of young people? Those familiar groups of 4 or 5 at the shows cheering that are the real meat and bones of the activity? It was BAD. I'm happy to have gone to the show, but this is a youth activity. Where's the youth? What's happened to the craving to see the "pros" in the summer? Is the product so spread thin that the activity doesn't have the draw? It bothers me. It makes me nervous for the long-term viability of the activity. Please tell me that the shows are well attended in different parts of the country when it comes to young people!
Any thoughts?
Whenever I come to a new post about a provocative subject I am loath to wade in without reading other posts and get the lay of the land (as it were) and then tread lightly as to not hurt anyone's sensitive nature.
But, see ... there's that one line.
And I must respond before I forget why I have had more than concern over this youth activity for well over a quarter of a century.
I'm old, and I will forget.
In answer to your question: "Where's the youth?"
Dude, there is no youth! Because it is no longer a youth activity.
It stopped being so when there were no more young men and women under voting age competing at the very highest levels.
It stopped being so when consenting adults starting marching.
It stopped being so when everybody in a particular Drum Corps all came from the same particular town or city.
It stopped being so when the marching members stopped spending nights in Holiday Inns and other (albeit cheap!) Motels during their tours.
It stopped being so when it stopped being about the youth and became all about being the money.
Cynical thoughts and probably some that sound all too old school and damningly familiar, but kids want to be kids!
They want to have that "oh and ah" of driving into a town for a weekend show and see other Drum Corps they've never seen or heard of and compete against them.
Yeah, yeah ... whoa is me. What is that word: Tangent. Sorry. Play through.
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Hot pants are coming back in fashion. Will we be seeing this in corps again? Huh? Please? LOL
Most important second rule:
Just saying ...
Or is this just your way of asking me to dredge up more shots of the Blue Stars guard?
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Puppet,
First of all I'm exceedingly glad to see you posting and sharp - I think the last time I had time to hang on these pages it was a little touch and go for you.
Second I've been crazy busy with work - I manage the operation for the largest (most flights) airline at Logan airport in Boston - it has been nuts - I made it to 2 shows this year - both to see my 17 year old play keyboard with 7th Regiment from Ct.
Life is good but nuts - hope you're doing well.
Flugels? Like eunochs. The single only use of mellophones was for the balls that those 10" bells gave you. No bell, no balls. No balls... well - I don't have to tell you.
No excitement.
And, when you've only got four in your line you better have at least twice as many bells! Just one of the reasons (after two decades of not!) I liked the Mello line of Star. They played charts like a house on fire and during the cross-to-cross section of their 1991 show not to mention that the entire show seemed to be written for the "bells" of the Mello line.They are the only reason after 1986 I became interested in Drum Corps again at all. The horn line's control and George Zingali's masterful use of the entire field has never been repeated. Check it out and I swear this is not their best show ... it's just the one every Drum Corps since should study and try (see the star at 8:40 and the build up and the pure dynamic rapture that follows ... and only gets better ... these guys are playing and moving with such acumen it's almost impossible to go from there to there and still keep your lip on the horn.
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Ah Puppet - c'mon. You can't tell me that as a mellophone player - hell, even Whalley (untuneable) Royce Mellophones, you actually thought about those flugel horns as anything besides strange looking lamps that simply hadn't been wired yet!
I ain't buyin' it...
Ray - where have you been? OK. I played one for one season - I don't even think Hy thought it was qood idea ... but what did we know? I was just commenting on the idea of hitting our soft parts with the bell of a Mellophone!
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(a.) Contra "click" - We* contras clicked the sam brown belt's cross-belt buckle and clipped the left edge of the belt buckle then sorta slid the contra into the correct position. (*That's me in 1970; Tim Lewis to my left.)
(b.) Flugelhorns - While (Jim) Wedge messed with combinations of flugels and mellophones for an alto mid-voice, it also depended upon the talent filling the positions in the hornline. One of Wedge's trademarks was arranging the musical scores to the talent levels of those who would play them, constantly adjusting them as the talent level (hopefully) improved as the season progressed.
Of course when I said wacky I was thinking of all the stuff below the belt line and who might have seen some stars then and again. Remember, I played Mello and .. you know.
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We "chinked" the bugles down onto the buckle of our same brown belt.
I always thought the low parade rest was kinda wacky but if it got the job done and the entire line did it (How so Contras!?) cool.
Speaking of cool how about those Flugle horns ... huh?
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Good points, Puppet. That whole "clinking/chinking" thing was a big deal for many corps.
But you had to have the all the metal stuff hanging on your uniform to make it work!
And speaking of the Commandant's Own ... many, many props to the white leather gloves!
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Ok - so as good as anything can be from over 40 years ago is this shot from '69 during the "Calliope" section of our Entry Of The Gladiators OTL. Featured: Me on French Horn, Reginald Henry on Mellophone, Joseph Luginsland on French Horn and Hall of Fame lead soprano Jimmy Maldonado.
What was to follow was (and probably still is!) one of the loudest, most devastating knock your hat off expositions of Euphonium Brass licks that if you were ever in the stands to hear it live you would to this day still be asking yourself how the heck could (and you can't even see them here in this photo - more Carmen and Hy genus at work because it all was slammed at the audience from the outsides of the formation!) only 8 horns sound like that in perfect unison?!?!?!
I loved that OTL.
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The two corps I remember from the early 60's, distinctly making the "chink" an exclamation point in their show were Garfield and the Skyliners ... I believe Garfield did it after American Salute and Sky and Misirlou, both coming to a halt ... of course, slamming the horns into the brass buttons was never too kind to the tubing ... LOL ... Sky's Alumni replicates the effect after Misilou today by clasping the cymbals at the end of the tune ... just for history's sake ...
:-)
If you recall that, then you have to remember all the corps who appeared at the Mosque Theater in Newark, Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden's Felt Forum who did the clink! They are on all the Fleetwood recordings.
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Our last year as the Royal Coachmen we bought Seneca princemens old red uni tops which had 2 rows of buttons and when we wore them for the first time, and called to parade rest, when all the other corps heard that loud CHINK...man all heads turned. Surprised us all too! Our drum line was like, "Dam!"
You have to pick a corps, any corps on the east coast BITD all the ones who wore cadet style uniforms ... from Blue Rock all the way to St. Joe's Batavia, the Crusaders, Polish Falcons, virtually every corps from Brooklyn who represented a Catholic parish - there was much Chinking going on at every show retreat! There were some corps who would stand on the line, go to parade rest (just for the chink!) then come to attention to begin their show. It was like "pre GE."
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True story. The 1969 Cavaliers just pasted down every stray hair with Larry McCormick's stash of butch wax.
C'mon! DCUL, right!?
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When I first joined Santa Clara (1970) we marched four cymbal players, 3 16-18" and one carrying 26". The next year ('71) we went to 18"-20"-22"-26" so we could do some tuned stuff (we even played the melody to "Sunrise, Sunset" in the exit that year) and get a variety of colors. For the record, we always used straps rather than handles, but you are right, A LOT of corps used the t-handles (esp. on their smaller cymbals) I want to mention the Cavaliers' 26" player (since you do) in 1970, who they called "Baby Huey." He was an amazing showman; every crash was spectacular.
Wait. "Crash!" I don't remember much these days but I do remember seeing and reading about a player named Baby Huey but I thought he was with either the Kilties or 27. There are shots of him on that other (the greatest collection of memories and pictures in all the history of Drum Corps!) thread found elsewhere on this site and worth just taking the time on a rainy day and checking out over 2000 pages of stuff. You might even find some cymbal shots here and there.
Remember when.....
in Historical Junior Corps Discussions
Posted
Except one soprano lead guy that didn't I once heard.