elphaba01
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Posts posted by elphaba01
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On 5/29/2020 at 12:03 AM, ironlips said:
Elphaba,
Do you recall what became of Spencer Webb, by any chance?
Incidentally, Jim Donnelly was my first bugle instructor, at Xavier High School in NYC in 1960. I was so naive I didn't have a clue who he was, nor St. Vincent's either for that matter. He was just a nice old guy who taught me the C scale on a single valve bugle, as far as I knew.
That blissful ignorance was soon to change.
Spencer Webb:
No idea as to what became of him. I saw his name in the St Vincents History, and they had no idea either.
Elphaba
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St Vincents Cadets:
Many time VFW and American Legion State and National Champs, last title in 1956 at Boston . Instructor team of Jim Donnelly, Vinny Cerbone and Mickey Petrone led the corps throughout the 1950's.
They pretty well set the bar for competition in the early 1950's, and remained competitive until the corps was disbanded at the end of the 1961 season. Many of their members and instructors migrated to the Newark Woodsiders
Frank Dorritte put out a lot of info on the "Big Green band" elsewhere on DCP.
I only saw the corps on two occasions in the early 1960's and do remember their great soprano soloist Spencer Webb.
Elphaba
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19 hours ago, ironlips said:
If there were a Drum Corps Citizenship Exam, one of the required questions would be, "Who is Tommy Martin?"
If you need a refresher, or just need to be refreshed:
The first 4 notes? Tommy
Triple tongue clinic at 11:58? Tommy
As Twyla Tharp says, you've got to "earn your ancestors". If you want to be a Drum Corps citizen, you earn that by knowing the history...and those who made it.
Happy Birthday, Tommy, and many more.
Happy Birthday:
INDEED!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday Mr Martin and best wishes for many MANY more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elphaba
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On 2/29/2020 at 9:08 PM, ironlips said:
Thanks for all that detail.
I think the Mid-West corps were far more hardware/ tech savvy than we Easterners. The preferred form of cheating here was overage marching. Some corps were notorious.
At my very first show with the Queensmen, I was "protested" right on the starting line by the management of a rather prominent All-Girl unit because I looked like someone they suspected.
The chief judge asked to see my driver's license. I was 15, not old enough to have one.
"Getting Carded:"
Both Joe Genero and Hy Drietzer told us all about this guy (And his wife). As for "Rotors" of any kind all we had in either corps were Getzen valve SLIDE GD bugles.. 🎺 The charts that Joe and Hy wrote for us didn' NEED any "Rotors"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elphaba
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4 hours ago, KeithHall said:
What do you think?
1970's.............Santa Clara Vanguards and Blue Devils.
1980's ............Garfield Cadets and Blue Devils
1990's............Star of Indiana, Cadets and Blue Devils
1970's:
Madison Scouts, 27th Lancers and Bridgemen.
1980's:
Santa Clara Vanguard
Elphaba
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"In the Begining:"
My Dad took me to tht old Barnum Festivals "Parade Of Champions" senior show way back in 57 or 58. Vaugely remember Hawthorne, Princemen, Geneva Appleknockers and Conn Yankees. A year later the Bridgeport PAL Cadets held their junior show wit St Vincents Cadets and some other leaders of the day. Our parish had started a parade corps and I was hooked.
Elphaba
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Mixed Corps:
Back in "My Day" there were several "Mixed Gender" junior corps, with female performers not only in the "Traditional" color gurd, but playing horns and drums as well. My two junior corps St Ann's and the Conn Royal Lanccers had females in the horn and rum setions. The Casper Troopers were a "Mixed Gender" horn and drum sections from the start as were the St Mathias Cadets and Argonne Rebels I'm sure there were many more.
Raise a glass to their memory.
Elphaba
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20 hours ago, ajlisko said:
The more I read, the more I learn
"Chi Angels"
I stand corrected!!!!!!!!!
Great detective work.
Elphaba
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"LaFamilia":
Godfather God Child
Hawthorne Caballeros: Caimbridge Caballeros. Uniform and music style. Their drill instructor was a Caballero.
Casper Troopers Stockton Commodores. Marching style, Jim Jones worked with them early 1970's
Blessed Sacrament St Andrews Bridgemen (Prior to Bananas)
NY Skyliners Lady of Loretto Knights. Uniorms an music style (Sky Alum Joe Genero music writer)
NY Skyliners Skokie Vanguard. Charts by Hy Drietzer.
Anahiem Scouts Amahiem Kingsmen and Velvet Knights both were born there.
Bridgemen Hutchinson Sky Ryders. Uniforms and their music written by Larry Kerchner.
Elphaba
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1 minute ago, ironlips said:
Way to go, Elphaba!
And here I thought your expertise was East Coast centered. Clearly, you are hip to the history of the whole national scene.
"Chicago Spartans":
Merger corps McHenry Viscounts and Morton Grove Cougars, lasted the 1964 season. Their horn instrctor was the man that that taught Chicago Royal Airs prior to Truman Crawford.
Thanks for the kind words. Always glad to help out the board.
Elphaba
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13 hours ago, ajlisko said:
What corps merged to turn the Skokie Vanguard into a powerhouse fro 65 on? I just can't remember ...
Skokie Vanguard:
There was a "merged corps" called the Chicago Spartans that were active in 1964 and went bust at the end of that season. I believe that the two former corps that created them were the Viscounts and Morton Grove Cougars. Also another Chicago area corps the "Custers Brigade" went under after 1964. Members from all these corps found their way into the Vanguard and boosted them to national contender in 1965.
Elphaba
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Maryland My Maryland:
Dundalk Cadets
St James Cadets
St Mary's Lancers
Little Flower Cadets
Yankee Rebels
Elphaba
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"Taps":
USAF Bolling AFB Drum & Bugle Corps
USAF Bolling AFB Pipe Band
USAFA (Enlisted) Drum & Bugle Corps
Lowry AFB (Tech Training Center) Drum & Bugle Corps
Chanute AFB (Tech Training Center) Drum & Bugle Corps
Elphaba
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No Longer With Us:
Mariners
Commodores
Young Admirals
Peabody Clippers
Jolly Whalers
Elphaba
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Pacific Northwest:
Seattle Thunderbirds
Seattle Shamrocks
Seattle Imperials
Pasco Columbians
Flamingos
Elphaba
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No Longer With Us
Skokie Indians
Hamms Indians
Braintree Warriors
Kingston Indians
Seventh Cavalry
Elphaba
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No Longer With Us:
Vasella Musketeers
Miami Vanguards
Haddon Heights Vagabonds
Newark Woodsiders
Little Flower Cadets
Elphaba
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No Longer With Us
Argonne Rebels
Hutchinson Skyriders
Witchita Scarlet Lancers
Salina Silver Sabers
Frontiersmen
Elphaba
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No Longer With Us:
Rockford Purple Knights
Milsdadt Crusaders
Bellville Black Knights
Chicago Spartans
Norwood Park Imperials.
Elphaba
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No longer With Us:
St Catherine of Sienna Queensmen
Our Lady of Loretto Knights
Selden Cadets
Magnificent Yankees
Caimbridge Caballeros
Elohaba
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No Longer With Us:
Lady of Lourdes Cadets
St Vincents Cadets
St Patricks Cadets
St Roccos Cadets
St Brendans Cadets
Elphaba
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"Successfull Smalls":
Brooklyn NY based Our Lady of Loretto "Knights" come to mind. Great Joe Genero taught hornline led the way for them way back in the late 1950's and early 1960's. They held their own against the Jersy and New York powers of that period and were NY State Legion junior champs in 1962.
Biggest win came in 1962 over Nationally ranked powers Caimbridge Caballeros and Boston Crusaders at a show in Connecticut. Many of their members went on to march with the NY Skyliners after the corps folded at the end of the 1962 season.
Elphaba
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On 8/15/2019 at 8:24 PM, Tokensoul said:
Marched against them for many years. Couldn't stand them. Not in the same class as better NJ corps (Garfield, SAC, St. Lucy and later on Bridgemen)
"Muchachos 1960's":
We (Conn Royal Lancers) competed against the Muchachos many times and found them to be a very good junior corps. This is 1964-1966 time frame. They were in the mix with St Raphael's Buccaneers, Bridgeport PAL Cadets (Our two cross town rivals), St Patricks Cadets, Selden Cadets, Magnificent Yankees, and NY Kingsmen that were all very competitive junior corps that were nipping at the heels ( and occisionally upsetting) the league leaders of that era.
They had an outstanding all male color guard that won many regional championships, and I believe their CG captain later becam DM of the Hawthorne Caballeros.
Great memories of a great junior corps.
Elphaba
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7 hours ago, KeithHall said:
We all had that ONE show that we still remember!
Where was it? What year? Why was it great? Memory about it?
GO
"Greatest Show":
1965 World Open Finals. Marched off with sixth place, defeated one of our two cross town rivals on their/ours home turf Bridgeport CT.
Great memory.
Elphaba
Any St. Vinnies experts out there?
in Historical Junior Corps Discussions
Posted
"Patches" Watson":
Robert "Patches" Watson was a baritone player in St Vincents Cadets in the mid 1950's. He joined the Navy after Vinnies and did his boot camp at Great Lakes. He then joined the Drum and Bugle Corps at the Base after pointing out in an issue of Drum Corps World that he had placed third in the VFW National indie contest held the preceeding year. His first rating in the Navy was "Bugler/Field Music".
He wrote a book about his career and experiences in the Navy, titled "Point Man". In the book he wrote about his time in the St Vincents Cadets, and his involemt in the US Navy "Seals", of which he is a "Plank Owner" (Founding Member).
After retirement from the Navy he became curator of the US Navy's "Seals Museum".
Elphaba