FINISHED WOMEN IN DRUM CORPS PROJECT!

[beagus]

I might add that the Bon Bons were inducted in the the Drum Corps World Hall of Fame for 3 decades as the best all girl corps in the 50,60,70's.

[MikeD]

Wow, Mike. While I was waiting last night for someone (anyone!) make the first post on this topic, the "Finnish" line struck me several times. But I was strong - I struck back so ... no schlapping for me!

But thank you for not letting me jump into the paistinpannu!

Puppet

[donincardona]

maybe i missed it but from the late 1940's to 1959 the rochester crusaders had an all female color guard. when bob " kinky " ashton come to cru he brought our 1st all male guard with him.

[Piper]

There's also Cherokee Marino, once a snare drummer for the all girl NDettes of CT. She was a great drummer and went on to the Milford Shoreliners after the NDettes folded. It seems a bit odd looking back on it, because at the time we didn't know that her actual first name was Diana. We in the Drum Corps world just always thought of her as "Cherokee". She was a gal who stepped into a guys world, but not many of us ever messed with her because we knew that she could take most of us in an I&E without even breaking a sweat. Oh man - the things that you remember in life!

[allie]

Thank you all for everything you have helped me with for this project! I had my presentation tonight in class, and actually ran out of time before I could finish my presentation (bummer.)...but my professor loved the topic (big drum corps fan) and I couldn't have done it without any of the help from you guys! Thank you!!

..and be sure to come check out Mighty St. Joe's Classic this Saturday!!!!

[dcf06]

Although almost all of the female corps folded, male corps were beginning to allow women in the corps. Among this group were the Wisconsin Americanos, who were formed in 1957. It was not until 1968 when the organization dwindled down to fifteen members did it allow women to march in the corps. The primary reason why this corps went coed was so that it did not have to fold because they could not get enough members to take the field. The Americanos received a lot of female members when the Grand Chute Dutch Girls folded.

Couple of corrections, Americanos were formed in 1936, they changed there name from sons of american legion to Americanos in 1957 to accomadate their tradtion of playing latin themed music. The name of the All female corps was Little chute dutch girls ( my error) , who prided themselves actually wearing wooden shoes. Awesome job btw.

[Cherokee]

Hello Piper,

This is Cherokee (Merino) Baer of Newport News, Virginia. Some of my drum corps ND-ETTE friends in Connecticut have sent me your posting of April 21st and told me there were errors in your posting. After reading it I noticed errors myself. First of all my maiden name is Cherokee J. Merino (not Marino). My name is not Diana; I do not know where the name Diana came from. You might be confusing me with Diana Dugan (the daughter of Jimmy Dugan drummer for the Connecticut Hurricanes) who was another girl snare drummer who came about 10 years after me.

I first drummed and marched with The Hot Shots of Norwalk, Connecticut and then went on to The Notre Dame (D-ETTES) all girl drum corps of Bridgeport, Connecticut and after leaving them I went to The St. Aedan's Cadets of New Haven, Connecticut. After about two months with them I went on to The Milford Shoreliners of Milford, Connecticut. I finished my snare drumming and marching with The St. Rita's Brassmen of Brooklyn, New York. All through my drumming in various corps, I always participated in snare drumming individual competition during the off season. I also drummed for two years as part of a drum quartet with three boys competing in drum quartet competitions and also played for color guard competitions during the off season.

Some of my history is as follows: I drummed and marched from the years of 1963 through 1973. After I aged out I taught the Lancers of Trumbull, Connecticut feeder corps drum line and assisted at times with the Lancer main corps drum line. I also went on to take my drumming judging trials to become a drum judge. I ended my drum corps involvement of 16 years in the fall of 1979.

When I first joined the Hot Shots at the age of 12; I wanted to be a drummer. I was told that I could not ever be a drummer, because I was a girl; only boys were allowed in the drum line at the time. My first drum instructor was Joe Gaudette (drum instructor for The Golden Buccaneers) while I was in the feeder corps of The Hot Shots. After graduating to the main corps they put me in the cymbal line thinking it would discourage me and I would get bored and go into the color guard; it never happened. I played those cymbals with everything I had in me and went on to teach myself tenor drum and under the instruction of Francis Germinaro of the Connecticut Hurricanes Senior Drum Corps who was the drum instructor for The Hot Shots, I made the tenor line in the main corps of The Hot Shots. While I was a tenor I taught myself the snare drum sometimes practicing 5 to 6 hours a day at home after school. Although I was good enough to enter the snare line of The Hot Shots, the boys would not allow me into the snare line, so I moved on to the ND-ETTES as a snare drummer.

When I went to the ND-ETTES my drum instructor was Ray Luedee of the Connecticut Hurricanes and he made me the lead snare drummer. I stayed there for a couple of years and then tried to break an all male line. My main goal was to be accepted by The Milford Shoreliners, but the boys would not have me. Fortunately, Ray Luedee who was teaching St. Aedan's at the time talked to that drum line and they decided to try me out and they accepted me. I had two weeks to learn the drumming for their repertoire and I did. My first performance was an inside exhibition performance in Springfield, Massachusetts during the month of May. The Shoreliner drum line saw what I was capable of as they watched me that evening and decided that they would accept me into their drum line. I left St. Aedan's reluctantly, because I really liked the people, their uniform and loved my instructor Ray Luedee who made all things possible for me, but nevertheless I wanted the more difficult drumming and that was with The Shoreliners.

I joined The Shoreliners under the drum instructor Jack Lester (also of the Connecticut Hurricanes) who also was in my corner and I learned their drumming for their repertoire and their marching and maneuvering in two weeks in order to be ready for their first field competition three weeks after I joined. It was a stressful time and I was under alot of pressure being a girl and proving my talent to deserve being in that drum line with the boys as well as keeping up my grades in school. I was with The Shoreliners for a few years until once more I moved on to my last corps, The St. Rita's Brassmen of Brooklyn, New York.

There was a bunch of us from The Shoreliners that went to march with The St. Rita's Brassmen I think in 1972. That was my real challenge when St. Rita's Brassmen accepted me into their drum line. That one year with The Brassmen was the best drumming and most difficult I ever drummed under the drum instructor Eric Perrilouix (drum instructor for The New York Skyliners) one of the best and I fully enjoyed that corps and the people in that drum line. My goal was to drum alongside the best drummers and in The Brassmen I achieved that goal. It was difficult and it kept me on my toes and I loved the challenge. I remember at the end of my last competition on the field; Eric Perrilouix came to me and said I was one of the best drummers he ever taught; that meant the world to me. By the time I aged out; I had reached all my goals.

Throughout those years I competed in Individual Snare Drumming competition; writing my own drum solos and winning many medals and trophies. My highest individual snare drumming score was 97.8 and I still have that score sheet. People didn't know it, but every time I went on stage during individual competition, I was as nervous as could be; somehow I got through it all. Entering into these competitions was the only way for me to show that I was worthy of drumming in an all male drum line and I could hold my own with the boys. It was a long road and it took hours of practicing, but I never gave up and would do it all again and so the rest is history.

I thank my parents (who are gone now), my brother Bob, drum instructors and all my friends for all the support and guidance given me; I could not have done it without them. These days I am still drumming on a full set of drums, djembe, marimba and bongos in a Contemporary Christian Group. I am in my 7th year of piano lessons and self taught on the Native American Indian Flute. Music will never leave me and drumming will not either; it's a part of who I am and will be for life. Drum Corps was the best part of growing up for me. Marching in Drum Corps taught me such valuable lessons and has helped me be who I am today.

All the best,

Cherokee Merino-Baer

[Donny Drum Corps]

Now that is awesome!

[stanforj]

Now that is awesome!

totally awesome and an amazing piece of drum corps history that I would never have heard had it not been for DCP and friends. Thanks for sharing your experiences Cherokee and Piper congrats and good for you!!! I know that there are other great stories of drum corps challenges out there ..hope we hear about some more..Have a great week-end everyone!!

[Piper]

BTW. I DID send Cherokee a PM to apoligize for any errors I may have made in my own recollections. Sometimes when your memory fades a bit you have to eat a little crow.