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Rochester Phoenix


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1975,Phoenix was quite the story at DCA. 5th place,first year of existence(4th in prelims)Great show seemed to build week after week.Superb soloist,David Martin and Donny Allen I believe.Any other corps ever finish as high thier first year?And what was the story of how and why they formed?

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i dont think anyone has topped that.

i dont remember seeing em ( i was 6) but i still jam on the albums and cd's

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The Phoenix Story?

I recommend Billy McGrath to elaborate on that...

but if you had all night I might be able to explain it...

It sure is interesting... oh well... off traveling again

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  • 3 weeks later...

Phoenix was a great corps with immense talent and a great writing staff. It was the result of some ex Crusaders ( I wont get into this), but also many junior local corps folding around the same time.

Many corps memebrs were from St Joes, Purple Lancers and the Utica Yankees as well as other juniors from the area. It just kinda happened, but it was began as a parade corps in 1974. You are correct about the soloists...myself and David Martin, but we also had 16 other lead sops that could all play! Imagine 18 lead sops in a 26 man sop line.

Tom is correct, if you get into a conversation with Bill McGrath Jr about Phoenix, he will give you an earful.

Donny Allen

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Phoenix was a great corps with immense talent and a great writing staff. It was the result of some ex Crusaders ( I wont get into this), but also many junior local corps folding around the same time.

Donny Allen

Wasn't the ex Crusaders the same people that helped bring the 1973 Brigadiers to DCA's in about 6 weeks? I remember David Martin as he helped me a little to improve my horn playing (Mission Impossible) but the 31 years since we did this has left me a little foggy. (Nothing unusual for me LOL)

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Wasn't the ex Crusaders the same people that helped bring the 1973 Brigadiers to DCA's in about 6 weeks? I remember David Martin as he helped me a little to improve my horn playing (Mission Impossible) but the 31 years since we did this has left me a little foggy. (Nothing unusual for me LOL)

Yes I believe that is correct...many of these people were asked to not return to Crusaders after the tremendous success in 1972. There are many stories why this happened, but truth be told, I believe Phoenix was started as a grudge. That, combined with the folding of many NYS juniors from 1971-14, left a lot of drum corps talent available for a new project.

The corps grew throughout the first season and dwindled during the second and last season of competition. Our rehearsals during the winter of 1975-76 were something to behold. Approximately 80 horns in the Armory in Rochester. Most of these cats could play and had immense drum corps experience. You should have heard Pines of Rome in there!!!!

Managing this corps was a difficult task, and too many people thought they knew what to do, resulting in the corps demise. It was a sad story by the end of the competition in 1976.

Donny

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Wasn't the ex Crusaders the same people that helped bring the 1973 Brigadiers to DCA's in about 6 weeks? I remember David Martin as he helped me a little to improve my horn playing (Mission Impossible) but the 31 years since we did this has left me a little foggy. (Nothing unusual for me LOL)

Yes I believe that is correct...many of these people were asked to not return to Crusaders after the tremendous success in 1972. There are many stories why this happened, but truth be told, I believe Phoenix was started as a grudge. That, combined with the folding of many NYS juniors from 1971-74, left a lot of drum corps talent available for a new project.

The corps grew throughout the first season and dwindled during the second and last season of competition. Our rehearsals during the winter of 1975-76 were something to behold. Approximately 80 horns in the Armory in Rochester. Most of these cats could play and had immense drum corps experience. You should have heard Pines of Rome in there!!!!

Managing this corps was a difficult task, and too many people thought they knew what to do, resulting in the corps demise. It was a sad story by the end of the competition in 1976.

Donny

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OK Donny, what was the story with the uniforms. Can't remember if I read or heard (Urban Legend?) that they were JC Penney Work coveralls with the sash added on. Definitely not very flashy, but with the music being put on who cared?

Sigh... 1977 would have been more fun if Phoenix would have held together but then again my corps wouldn't made top ten that year either.

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