johnric Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 so for you kids out there who will have their first opportunity to see the Bridgemen this summer, let me try to explain a little bit about what the Bridgemen were at the time they were around. At first you would think about VK only older. Well this is not really an accurate comparison. The Bridgemen were from a whole nutha place. We were east coast kids, not always so nice and certainly not the best role models....but... we were good. and I don't mean made finals, but contended. 6 straight years in the top 6 with two runs at the trophy. Ok they didn't quite make it, but they made a lot of people open their eyes to the fact that DC was never going to be the same after them. We did the fun stuff, made people laugh, and made them jump out of their seats. We had hornlines that blew the stands back and drumlines that won high drums 3 years in a row. People left the show going wow, the winner was great! but the Bridgemen stole the show!! we were the corps that you either hated or loved.... more to come..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Totally agree. Bridgemen were a state of mind. The attititude hit the field before the yellow trenchcoats. We need the Bridgemen, now more than ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elphaba01 Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Totally agree.Bridgemen were a state of mind. The attititude hit the field before the yellow trenchcoats. We need the Bridgemen, now more than ever. "Need St Andrews"; "Now more than ever". Concour. Elphaba WWW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle z Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 People left the show going wow, the winner was great! but the Bridgemen stole the show!! Yep. I was lovin' the Blue Devils all of '76 until Finals at Philly. The full corps collapse had me throwing babies!!!! Then '77 came along................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnric Posted November 28, 2005 Author Share Posted November 28, 2005 "Need St Andrews";"Now more than ever". Concour. Elphaba WWW now hold on there witchie-poo :P The Bridgemen are the Bridgemen...while there are some who like talk about the two era's seperate..many members wore both the cadet style uni and the yellow coat. Our history is our history. Yes, The days of St Andrew's had their own stories. but we all "hailed from old Bayonne the ######## of the earth!!" with that said its a perfect time to talk about our "roots" The Bridgemen started in 1965. They were formed by Father Donovan of St Andrew's parish and Ed Holmes. They performed for the first time in october of 1965 and wore white tuxedos. The corps was started to give the kids of the parish something to do besides get in trouble on the streets. (at any time one of you 60's folks wanna add something please do!!). They quickly rose in prominence, and by 1972 were one of the original finalists in the newly formed DCI curcuit. As a matter of fact the Bridgemen were the first ever corps to take the field at DCI finals. They had hornlines back then that gave you goosebumps. Their soprano lines had unbelievable ability. They performed triple tonge features that would make any current junior corps proud! They were a no-nonsense in your face cadet style corps that never ran from a fight both on and off the field (but thats some other stories for another time). The St Andrew's Bridgemen (they were called that until 1976) were an in your face, kick ### and take names, east coast drum corps. Then came Bobby...... more later! :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxwellNotes Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Of all the corps that I have admired and respected over the years the Bridgemen is one that has a special place in my heart. I loved the corps from 1978 through 1982. Some of my favorite drum corps moments were created by this great group. Having heard recordings from the early 70s I can also add that their hornlines back then were awesome. Looking forward to seeing them again. I still have my original Bridgemen t-shirt. One of the few that I have held onto over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakyswotboy Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Totally agree.Bridgemen were a state of mind. The attititude hit the field before the yellow trenchcoats. We need the Bridgemen, now more than ever. As Maynard Ferguson said in 79 having just witnessed the Bridgemens performance at finals "You can't replace fun, can you" :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnric Posted November 28, 2005 Author Share Posted November 28, 2005 (edited) The transition In 1976 The corps brought in a new face and things would never be the same again. The corps hired Bobby Hoffman. Bobby was already established, having done great work with corps like Anaheim Kingsmen and Garfield Cadets. Bobby wanted to do some things that no one else had done before. He had ideas, big ideas (and mind you, not all members of this very proud organization were ready to embrace these changes :P ). But they followed him to a new place and what a place it was! For years, leading up to the "change", the corps arranger was the now legendary Larry Kerchner. Larry stayed on and was joined by Dennis DeLucia. Dennis was brought in as percussion arranger and along with Larry the two men wrote some charts that people still try to copy to this day. So.. the corps had it's rock solid music program in place and Bobby turned the visual aspect of the corps upside down. Together with a whole team of young talent, Bobby set off on a journey to transform DC from it's normal militaristic style to one that is based solely on fun and entertainment. It started that with the uniform.... more to come! Edited November 28, 2005 by johnric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommytimp Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 DeLucia wrote them, but Bob Dubinski cleaned them. He was the power behind the throne. And the king of the head games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoKeefus Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 And then what happened uncle John... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.