steelcityrabbit

Another bump for the night before the big event.

point well taken, thanks.

Very true, I stand corrected. My point is these folks are known for their contribution on a business side. My main point about Bill Cook is that I do believe that he opened many doors for many people in the drum corps world. Be it with his great business sense or financial help.

Thanks for the support. As I stated, a lot of what he did to help out other corps was meant never to be known, but there are those who know. To answer some of the opposing views, let start off by saying I went to the link for nomination and it requires a lot more backround info than I know. Full name, address, etc. I am not able to provide that. I never claimed he was an instructor, just a very smart businessman. Drum corps is a business and without good business people, a corps is behind the eight ball. People like Gail Royer and George Hopkins covered both sides of being a corps director, business and creativity. I would also add that members of the HOF are not only people who were creative, but people who worked the business end of the activity as well. Steve Vickers, publisher, Freddy Martin founder of Spirit of Atlanta, Adolph DeGrauwe, founder Cavies, Jerry Seawright, founder Blue Devils, Don Whiteley, public relations, Mary Pesceone, admin, Ken Kobold, recording, Jim Jones, founder of the Troopers, etc. I will agree with one negative comment. The fact that he took from other corps staff was a negative for that specific corps. But lets not fool opurselves that he was the 1st and only to do this. I think that back when Jesus was playing 3rd sop for Holy Cadets, their M&M instructor was hired away by Satan's Red Devils. I knew I would face objection with my statement, and that is fine.

As far as Cialis goes, never tried it, but I did try Viagra once. Got stuck in my throat, woke up the next morning with a stiff neck. At a recent indoor color guard show, some of the old timers were discussing how guard has changed over the years. I noticed that now I am checking out the Moms instead of the color guards.

Thanks for the link, but I do not have any personal info to submit. Maybe someone here who does, will, thanks.

I think I addressed the $$$ as part of it, but I tried to show other aspects of what he has accomplished as well. It has always amazed me how those without $ are ready to tell those with $ how to spend it. $1.00 is still $1.00 no matter if you are Bill Gates, Bill Cook or if your are so poor you can't even afford to pay attention.

Why hasn't Bill Cook been selected for the Hall of Fame yet? I know the reason most will give, but that is not justifiable. This man has done more for Drum Corps in the last 20 years than anyone I can think of. 1. He started one of the most influential corps to this day. 2. He was a model for how to run a drum corps, successfully. (please don't bring up the $$$ thing, Jerry Jones also has it and can't run a NFL team.)(sorry cowboy fans, but I am from Pittsburgh, just a little bias there)(OK, how about Mark Cuban, oh yea, still a dallas thing, sorry) 3. OK, lets go eahead and bring up the $$$ thing, he pretty much kept DCI on PBS for a good 10 years. Yea, he got some great publicity for Cook Group Inc., but I don't think he sold a lot of pacemakers during the telecast. 4. OK, the $$$ thing again. Behind the scenes, he helped a lot of other corps that he insisted on being kept quiet about. Ever wonder how some corps paid bills for transportation breakdowns? 5. He opened doors that were not there to a lot of people. How many of the cast members of Brass Theater/Blast would have had the chance to do what they loved best? I am in no way saying that these folks would not have gone on to be successful, just that there would have been no Brass Theater/Blast. 6. He put together one of the finest staffs that drum corps has ever seen. That many brillant minds together produced some of the most creative and innovative music, marching and design ever. OK, now lets hear from any who disagree. It's alright, I can take it. But I will not rest till he is in the HOF.

If you are interested in getting reaquainted with some old WPA drum corps folks, why not stop in and visit a Steel City Alumni reheasal? There's no pressure in joing and I am sure there will be a face or two from the past. By the way, I see nobody mentioned Andy Yaracs's 1st corps, the Lyndora Girls. And as a follow up thought, how great would it be to see those green and black uniforms of the CD of A again? I almost marched there in '78 instead of the Vagabonds until they told me I would have to shave my legs. But the bus rides would have been........well...........you know!

Thanks Jimbalaya! Will send Dave your best. We are looking pretty strong in horns, especially sops. Having a legend like Riggie Laus never hurts. Bob Menear is doing great things with getting the hornline to play musically. Our big problem is percussion. We really need drummers. Any drummers out there looking for a home, why not give STEEL a shot.

Sorry to say, but no. Also, I see everyone assumes it to be a male manager, it was actually a female, sorry girls.

Went to Butler Pa. to watch this year's countdown. b**bs Sound was horrible to start. Several people went to the manager and complained, but nothing happened. Then in the middle of the '94 Blue Devils show, the screen went blank. <**> Several "windows" login screens appeared, it rebooted and the show resumed after maybe 5 minutes. The only positive thing being the quality of sound was much improved. The manager told us during the interruption that is was a scheduled break, to wich one patron replied, "In the middle of a show?". I also noted the the attendence was way down. We usually have around 100 show up. Considering the nearest theater in Pittsburgh that usually runs it, was not showing it this time, I figured it may sell out. We had at best, 40. On a side note, a group of women moved over behind us after the second show complaining of the talking going on behind them during the shows. Then they proceeded to talk throughout the rest of the shows themselves, go figure.

If you are going Sr. corps route, nobody, but nobody had more showmanship than the man that they invented the "Showmanship of the Year" for than.......... My best friend, Sandy McNeill. Heck, who else could steal the crowd away from Screamin' Curt Hawkins than Sandy. When he picked up that old french horn at the end of the '86 show and wailed away with Curt and Ron, amazing.

Interesting note....several of the Keystoners were among the first victims of Legionaires Disease. The Milton Legion had sent a large delegation to that fateful State Legion Convention in Philadelphia. My dad, little sister and little brother were also at the 1976 Philly convention with the Gen. Butler Vagabonds Cadets. I recall hearing that a bus driver from the Keystoners died from legionaires disease. No one from the Vagabonds came down with it however.

The Guardsmen doing the KFC commercial? Winter Guard were they called cadence? Polishing your bucks before a show? The only difference between guard unis and horn and drum unis were that guard members wore skirts? (well except for the all male corps) And those big shiny black boots? Wow, I just recalled a fantasy or two. Yep, I guess I am ole' school, too!

Here's another one for the books. Late 80's, Steel City, beer stop on the way home,(yes, in Sr. corps we have beer stops) Somewhere in MD, way past midnight, little dive, rednecks, need I say more? Most of the corps was back on the bus when word went out that the "locals" would not let the last few corps members out of the bar. A bunch of us stormed the bar and took control, no punches thrown, but a payphone that a local was on was somehow "torn" from the wall by one of our tenors. The US military could use this as a great training video on search and rescue missions. :)

Steel City Sr. in the late 80's. They had two of the best looking and of course playing sops doing the duet that year.

Thanks for the heads up, great story. I am wondering though, do the top DCI corps ever use the "have each player play his part alone down the line?" I know a few instructors in my days who used this method and boy did it work.

OK, we have seen posts about the best this ever, the best that ever, how about a closer that has never been done before. Now if some show designer steals this idea, just remember where you saw it 1st. ^0^ Maynard Ferguson's version of the Beatles classic "Hey Jude". b**bs I would have the drumline right up front at the podium and let the hornline go into the stands, just like Maynard used to do. b**bs b**bs b**bs

We (USMC D&B) got the chart for this direct from Jerry Seawright (sp) who also gave us a bottom bass drum. (sorry, but I am a sop and don't know the correct terminology for it) (not that it matters, you know what they say about percussionists) 1. Rich Gossage 2. Eric Gagne 3. Rob Dibble b**bs b**bs b**bs If I could go back in time and see one closer, it would be without a doubt Blue Devil's "When a Man Loves a Woman", hands down.

Did Babe Ruth call his shot? :( Did Neil Armstrong mess-up his statement on the moon? Did O.J. do it? Who really did shoot J.R.? ^0^ Sometrhings are best left unknown. B) My question is how did you get Ken to send a copy of prelims? The one he sent me was from I think CYo in Boston.

Susan, sounds like your father was a wonderful man. It is people like this who truly made drum corps what it is. There should be a HOF for the parents who gave so much and asked for nothing in return. I have had the great pleasure of playing along side some of the truly talented players ever. But the one I most envied was a sop player from GBVagabonds. His name is Ed Lewis. Not one of the more well known names, but a super player. Ed died way too young of a heart attack, but I will never forget his easy going, nothing ever bothered him outlook on life. His one big dream was to march in Shriner's shoes, you know, the kind that the tips curl around. Anytime we would do a parade and the Shriner's were there, he would try to figure out how he could "snag" a pair. Ed was the kind of person who had no enemies, and you never heard people saying anything bad about. I guess the thing about his playing style was that he wasn't the highest screamer, the most technical or the most feeling player, but he could do all the odd little stuff that others couldn't.

Don't remember his name, but his brother was the asst. DM also.

I was going to debate Royal Crusaders and Vagabonds being mentioned until I reread your original post. I thought you meant a corps that came out of nowhere, was big one year and then never heard from again, just like the topic says, "one hit wonders". I see what you are after now and both corps truly fit. Royal Crusaders certainly hit their peak in 1975 and slowly faded away by 1981. Although some of the years they didn't make finals, they were still competive. As far as the Vagabonds, they never really made it big time. I don't think they ever broke the top 20 at DCI. However, they still are considered active. As far as the 'burgh thing, yens know I love my Picksburgh Stillers, I use gumbands and I just got stuck by a jagger. Now go red up your room or yens ain't going to get any chipped chopped sanwiches. I am going for a shot and a beer, make that Arn city for me. You know what they call a good looking girl in Pittsburgh? A tourist.