Commander71 Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Bruce, those of us who grew up in the golden age of drum corps in NY-Canadian will always have a fond memory for Commanders - great corps... many a beer tipped with some of Canada's finest - especially the twins - whose names escape me right now... but they were characters for sure. I was a bit too young to experience the old NY-Canadian circuit but the vets spoke of it fondly...it must have been great to get on a bus and only drive for 2 or 3 hours or, better yet, take the family car to a Saturday night show. And there was a Saturday night show every Saturday night. In my area alone you could take in the Viscounts, Royalaires, Ambassadors, Militaires, the Jesters,Flying Dutchmen, Woodstock Imperials, Thorold Black Knights, Port Dalhousie Guardsmen, Meritton Buccaneers, Welland Lancers...and when the American corps came to visit we could see and hear The Grey Knights, Fabulous Crusaders, Warren Cornplanters, Salamanca Black Knights, Dunkirk Murraymen, Flying Dutchmen and Patriots...if it was a "big" show like the Viscounts and later Commanders put on in Hamilton every year, a kid could get to see Archie or the Bucs and even Yankee Rebels. There was a show somewhere every Saturday night and you didn't have to sit in a bus for two days to get there. If there was a "Golden Age" of drum corps, I really think it was from 1960 to 1972 or so...The Red Carpet Association probably came closest to duplicating this type of entertainment. Oh, and the only twins I was familiar with were the one's on that girl from Getzville Suburban Knights! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander71 Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 ...and I knew I would forget one...one of my all-time favourites who never failed to entertain, the Hamburg Kingsmen. duh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martybucs Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 I toast just about every corps from the seventies! Those shows, and some of the corps, are gone for good, but and with all due respect to all other decades past and present, Those shows grabbed you by the throat, shook you and yelled, at full volume, in your face, "DON'T YOU LOVE THIS ####!". '75 Sky, almost every year Cabs, a few in there for the Bucs, Sun, Hurcs...heck, all of them, the whole decade! I almost pity those that never got to see those shows live. You didn't just see them or hear them, you felt them in your bones! I think the goosebumps may have been from the vacuum created when they stopped playing - just sucked you skin up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 the golden years I claim to be between 1959 and 1970... 70's saw the corps dropping like flies... My "in high school" corps was the Fulton Gauchos and they were hot from 60 till 64 then began to decline... 65 I was with Grey Knight Crusader's super corps... but the point that you could do a full season driving less than 2 or 3 hours is most valid. In 1959 - Auburn NY - NY Canadian Championship - saw OVER 100 corps all from upstate NY (Albany to Buffalo) and Ontario... It was the peak for actual number of corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donincardona Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 the golden years I claim to be between 1959 and 1970... 70's saw the corps dropping like flies... My "in high school" corps was the Fulton Gauchos and they were hot from 60 till 64 then began to decline... 65 I was with Grey Knight Crusader's super corps...but the point that you could do a full season driving less than 2 or 3 hours is most valid. In 1959 - Auburn NY - NY Canadian Championship - saw OVER 100 corps all from upstate NY (Albany to Buffalo) and Ontario... It was the peak for actual number of corps. maybe you could go all the way to 1974. after that the real decline happened. although your right there were a lot of corps in the 60's that disappeared in the 70's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storkysr Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Albion Grenadiers 63-69 RIP (My "high school corps"-lost to Gauchos plenty of times LOL) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 (edited) Bet your bippy Storky.... beat your butt many times from 60 - 64 in Gauchos.... that winter went to Grey Knight Crusaders... I seem to remember losing to Albion just once with Gauchos? judges must have screwed up - naturally.... lol Edited June 27, 2009 by TomPeashey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geneva Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Wow, eight pages, I would have thought someone would have beaten me. Geneva Appleknockers Sr. (1929-1964) Geneva Appleknockers Jr. (1962-1974) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storkysr Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Bet your bippy Storky.... beat your butt many times from 60 - 64 in Gauchos.... that winter went to Grey Knight Crusaders... I seem to remember losing to Albion just once with Gauchos? judges must have screwed up - naturally.... lol Yep, Gauchos and then Hamburg. Could only manage one win over each in many many tries. Still remember "Java" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Java - wow - Hugh Burritt who did all those solo's - former Sevrensen Tonight show orchestra player - was head of the music department at Suny Oswego all these years... Earlier, Remember the French Horn rips in Lawrence of Arabia? That be me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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