some old corps photos

[CrunchyTenor]

Blue Rock had 10 snares in 71...I am certain of it because it was the talk to the drumline world back then!...granted they played a lot of split parts and only the easy parts were the whole 10 but they definately had 10!!......on another note I "strongely believe" Blue Devils were the first drumline to have 10 snares that played consistently together through the entire show in 76....and one of the best snarelines ever ranking right up there with 75 Vanguard!...(Vanguard gets the nod though with ZERO tic's and a tough book!)

Here's what I got back from Chuck Quackenbush, a long-time member of Blue Rock. Though he was a contra player (he did the Elephant trumpet at the end of "Baby Elephant Walk", using a French horn mouthpiece inside the contra mouthpiece), he writes...

"Hope you have plans for that $20, because you are right. We had 8 snares in 71, the biggest snare line to ever hit the field at that time. And amazingly they took top drums at Dallas. If I remember right they had a 19.6 out of 20. Like to see the DCI corps pull that off. And at the World Open with Rodney Goodheart judging they had a 19.8. #### they were good."

Quack

The picture dedrummer posted is 5 snares and 5 single tenors. The snares are on the left side of the picture, the tenors on the right. In 1971 they marched the 8 snares, 4 double-tenors and one bari-tri-tom.

Garry in Vegas

Edited December 9, 2008 by CrunchyTenor

[84BDsop]

FINALLY ! My 1980 Slingerland ad, and the story of how I got the film processed is a classic !

Dude...you canNOT drop a line like that and not tell the story!! C'mon!!!

[Old School Contra Guy]

Dude...you canNOT drop a line like that and not tell the story!! C'mon!!!

Will post it later tonite. but it involves BBQ Ribs !

[LancerLegend]

I'm pretty sure we went to the Lander show. I think that's the show kids were handing programs for autographs through the window of the bus. LancerLegend will you confirm this?

Confirmed James. Looking at my 1976 tour schedule, we were in Lander on June 28th, 1976. Was it Lander where the Native American Indian Chief picked the Troopers as having the best guard? (Cowboys vs Indians?) I remember kids in the audience yelled out "Bruce (Gamin) - the Buckeyes are with you" - a ref to Bruce's former corps from Ohio. And finally, Bill Buzzby of the Troopers being acknowledged for some reason.....Michael Dustin couldn't stop laughing.......

Our first tour was 3 weeks- started around June 19th - first stop was Finleyville, PA and last show was Michigan City, IN on July 10th. We were probably home by July 12th?

[GregW]

Blue Rock had 10 snares in 71...I am certain of it because it was the talk to the drumline world back then!...granted they played a lot of split parts and only the easy parts were the whole 10 but they definately had 10!!......on another note I "strongely believe" Blue Devils were the first drumline to have 10 snares that played consistently together through the entire show in 76....and one of the best snarelines ever ranking right up there with 75 Vanguard!...(Vanguard gets the nod though with ZERO tic's and a tough book!)

Sorry Dave - you lose this one. Donnie had a goal of matching Blue Rock after competing against them all year in 71. He loved the look and size of the line, and was going to do whatever it took to match the size and sound of that line. They were absolutely the standard everyone wanted to emulate.

At the end of the 71 season he came to the B corps rehearsal and scooped up all of us that were old enough to potentially fill an open spot because he was expanding the line to match them. All 5 snares came back from 71, Lance "Romance" came from the Dips, he moved Gary Wampler up to snare from tritomes, and Bruce Boney only played cymbals in 71 because he came over from the VK snareline too late to slide in for tour. He dropped the rudi-basses (Jerry Garcia and Jim Brokee) and went to 4 tuned basses. Did you realize that 72 was the only year that we ever used the 8 chrome Ludwig super-sensitives, and that was a direct response to the Blue Rock look and sound. From the beginning of the year the parts were written for 8, and the visuals and split parts were able to be cleaned because all 8 were at every rehearsal.

Bottom line, Donnie was able to match in 72 what Blue Rock did in 71, put 8 chrome snares on the field and win high drums. They were the standard that everyone wanted to emulate, and the 72 line one-upped them by doing it even better. Blue Devils were the first 10 man line to win high drums in 76, and from that point on they because the largest line ever to win as SCV always marched 7 up through the 74 season and then 8 in 75 and 76.

Sorry bro.. This is one where the brain cells hiccupped on you :)

[GregW]

Sorry, double post

Edited December 10, 2008 by GregW

[byline]

Just found a small cache of photos from when I was shooting for DCW!

Do you have any of Oakland? I'm pretty sure we were in Jacksonville, but I can't remember if it was '79 or '80.

[CrunchyTenor]

Sorry Dave - you lose this one. Donnie had a goal of matching Blue Rock after competing against them all year in 71. He loved the look and size of the line, and was going to do whatever it took to match the size and sound of that line. They were absolutely the standard everyone wanted to emulate.

Well, since Dave didn't accept the $20 bet, I guess it will be a virtual $20. Although I will gladly accept a beer in it's place!

At the end of the 71 season he came to the B corps rehearsal and scooped up all of us that were old enough to potentially fill an open spot because he was expanding the line to match them. All 5 snares came back from 71, Lance "Romance" came from the Dips, he moved Gary Wampler up to snare from tritomes, and Bruce Boney only played cymbals in 71 because he came over from the VK snareline too late to slide in for tour. He dropped the rudi-basses (Jerry Garcia and Jim Brokee) and went to 4 tuned basses. Did you realize that 72 was the only year that we ever used the 8 chrome Ludwig super-sensitives, and that was a direct response to the Blue Rock look and sound. From the beginning of the year the parts were written for 8, and the visuals and split parts were able to be cleaned because all 8 were at every rehearsal.

I know Jim Brokke ended up on tenors that year. He's the one with the top head out of tune during the split part in the drum break after the OTL. It popped during on-field warm-ups. Did Jerry march a tymp that year?

I don't know why Bruce Bonney ended up so late in the line in 71. He wasn't at any VK rehearsals in the fall, winter or spring.

I can see where Donnie wanted to recreate the Blue Rock look with the chrome snares since the rest of the line kept the black sparkle pearl with white stripe. The last time I saw one of the 70/71 snares was as a lamp in Gary Wampler's living room, and that was almost 25 years ago.

Bottom line, Donnie was able to match in 72 what Blue Rock did in 71, put 8 chrome snares on the field and win high drums. They were the standard that everyone wanted to emulate, and the 72 line one-upped them by doing it even better. Blue Devils were the first 10 man line to win high drums in 76, and from that point on they because the largest line ever to win as SCV always marched 7 up through the 74 season and then 8 in 75 and 76.

If you throw out the tie-breaker Perc. GE score in 1980, Spirit of Atlanta tied the Bridgemen for high drums, and actually had a higher EX score with 12 snares.

Sorry bro.. This is one where the brain cells hiccupped on you :)

Hey, it was 37 years ago. Cut the guy some slack. I got my virtual $20, and maybe a beer.

Garry in Vegas

PS BTW, how the heck are you, Greg?

[KingsmenSnare76]

Well, since Dave didn't accept the $20 bet, I guess it will be a virtual $20. Although I will gladly accept a beer in it's place!

I know Jim Brokke ended up on tenors that year. He's the one with the top head out of tune during the split part in the drum break after the OTL. It popped during on-field warm-ups. Did Jerry march a tymp that year?

I don't know why Bruce Bonney ended up so late in the line in 71. He wasn't at any VK rehearsals in the fall, winter or spring.

I can see where Donnie wanted to recreate the Blue Rock look with the chrome snares since the rest of the line kept the black sparkle pearl with white stripe. The last time I saw one of the 70/71 snares was as a lamp in Gary Wampler's living room, and that was almost 25 years ago.

If you throw out the tie-breaker Perc. GE score in 1980, Spirit of Atlanta tied the Bridgemen for high drums, and actually had a higher EX score with 12 snares.

Hey, it was 37 years ago. Cut the guy some slack. I got my virtual $20, and maybe a beer.

Garry in Vegas

PS BTW, how the heck are you, Greg?

Ok bros....I guess I am licked...but I was certain I saw a video (still looking) of Blue Rock 71 with 10 chromies...plus the talk around the drummers back then was the fact that they had 10. Perhaps I was misinformed and blind. At any rate I do accept your bet crunchy tenor and will gladly pay-up. Give me your address to send the dough to!...You know...they say after many years that what your hear or see tends to change a bit overtime as you grow old...I think I am a victim of oldage!!!...sorry guys! (still hanging on to find that video though) LOL

[lindap]

Part Deux:

Miss Gwen Bradley. I think this was at prelims in B'ham 1980

Troopers DATR either 1979 or 80 (not sure)

FINALLY ! My 1980 Slingerland ad, and the story of how I got the film processed is a classic !

are these your photos? if so, well done and thank you

to answer the SLR question you asked a while back...I bought miranda Sept 76 and it was stolen July 78, I won a cannon at a fundraiser Sept 78 and it too was stolen a few months later. I saved and bought a pentax early 79 that broke in 2006...gonna buy a digital next week, thanks for the reminder :)