The Former State of NY Corps

[KeithHall]

I had to go back to my Drum Corps History book but....

Can someone tell me why The Purple Lancers went from DCI finals in 1974 to nowhere the next year? Did members see something better with Avant Garde? Greece Cadets? Squires?

In 1975 Greece won the first "A" Class DCI title and the next year they went downhill. Squires placed 13th in '75 and 17th in 1976. Gauchos (1976) and Imperial Regiment and Mighty Liberators (1977) made A Class finals. Ny corps declined from there. LI Kingsmen and Avante Gard were in Open Class and Squires made finals in "A" Class. By 1982, Avant Garde and Renegades were in Open Class, with the Volunteers, Eagles, Patriots, Gauchos, Barons of Stuben, Firebirds and Frontiersmen in A Class and mello Dears in All Girl. By 1986 Patriots and New Image were the only NY corps competing at DCI. In 1999 the Patriots won Div II. Now the Patriots are gone as are Purple Lancers, Marauders, Eagles, 76ers, Greece Cadets, Gauchos, Mello Dears, Frontiersmen, Royal Coachmen, Imperial Regiment/Lakeview Shoreliners, Renegades, Northmen, Fusion, Alpine Girls, Tri Town Cadets, American Patrol, Barons of Stuben, Volunteers, Avant Garde, Squires, St. Joe's (as a junior), Firebirds, New Image, LI Kingsmen, etc.

Sad, sad, sad!!!!!!

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[KeithHall]

Guess this wasn't a popular thread!!!

[Gauchos77]

Keith,

That is a good question, but I think it can be inclusive for most of the States on the east coast. I was fortunate to march with the Gauchos in 1977. I started with a small corps called the Castlemen from Conklin, NY. They were pretty much a parade corps. I moved up to the Grenadiers under the direction of Ken Turner (who by-the-way is now my daughters high school music director and was very instrumental in helping her learn the mellophone and be able to march Crossmen this year). Due to personnal family matters I had to drop out of Grenadiers in April of 75 before the season started. I chose the Gauchos in 77 due to many friends making the drive from Binghamton to Fulton. I had a blast.

The Gauchos had just finished a very successful 1976 by finishing second at the Class A championships to Wausha Story at DCI. They mad the jump to the open division in 77. Their success the previous year brought out a throng of kids for the tryouts. I remember ten snares drummers wearing the snares and having ANOTHER student standing next to him playing the drum also !! Many kids came from the Syracuse area (West Genesee, Cicero) I remember all the corps you listed as much of the summer was traveling the Penn-York circuit. We finished second behind Watkins Glen at the State Championships, held in my home town of Binghamton that year. The highlight was definately beating the Muchachos at Marion or Butler (I can't remember).

I enterd the Navy right after that and didn't get to march any more. The Gauchos, to my understanding, attempted to continue but could not muster the kids like 1977. I was glad I had the opportunity to be part of such a great organization, with wonderful instructors and super musicians. Being able to pass the desire on to my daughter and watching her march Crossmen has been almost as much fun. We compare notes from our two tours. So much different today. Maybe that is the reason so many corps have folded.

Thanks for bringing back so many memories with your post Keith.

Ken Roe

Gauchos 77

Keyboards

[KeithHall]

You know I loved watching the Southern Tier (Appalachin) Grenadiers, especially the hats.

I chatted with some Gauchos in 1977 at a show, nice people from what I remember.

I miss the fun we had in NY back then.

[Gauchos77]

Keith,

I have been thinking all day about all the great times from marching in NY in 1977. It's amazing how much came back to me, especially after talking with one of our old instructors - Jimmy DeSantis. Those Mighty Liberators were just AWESOME. I don't ever remember them placing very high - but the energy they brought to the field, and their horn line !!

I don't remember much about the hats from the Grenediers. I do remember the uniforms were red, white and blue. I think the hats were something like a plith (sp) helmet with a red plume - something like the Blue Stars. The Mello-Dears were a fun group to hang out with - but then what all-girl corps wasn't !! I remember a cute blonde xylophone player named Jennifer. We met up with them in St. Louis and ended up sitting with them at Denver during the night of finals.

We had many Gauchos move on to better corps. Mostly the Bridgemen. A couple went to Cavaliers I think. My wife found an old photo album in our basement that was full of pictures from our tour to Denver. Not good quality from an "instamatic". If any Gauchos from 77 are out there - drop a line. I would love to hear how you are doing.

Keith - keep up the good work with the "memories" department. I would go back in time in a heart beat and do it all over again.

Ken Roe

Gauchos 1977

Keyboards

[Geneva]

Keith,

I don't have too much else to add other than what I have posted on my DCI thread http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums//ind...pic=72206&st=20 which I know you have visited. I do believe the cost escalation which came with DCI dovetailed with the rise of the field band circuit in NYS. As a result, not only were there fewer corps able to survive, but there was also an easy alternative locally in many of the school districts which filled the marching void left behind by drum corps. The irony is that many of the people involved in the rise of the field bands had been former drum corps marchers who had loved the alternative "renegade" musical activity of drum corps.

Edited April 18, 2006 by Geneva

[rudidrummer73]

Marching in New York in the years just before DCI, those were wonderful summers. There are a few corps to add to the long gone NY list; Magnificent Yankees, Appleknockers, Mark Twain Cadets, Pacers, Troop 12 Indians. It would not be out of line to add the great Canadian corps to this list, they came south of the boarder almost every weekend to NYS shows; Opti, Del Lasalle, Cadets La Salle, Metropolotans. I'm sure I've left off some others.

I know that it was cost that killed off my corps. Our Legion Post was the major sponsor and footing the bill for a couple of busses and weekly trips down the Thruway were reasonable. Once a year you'd make a "National Tour" going to one of the various national championships or out to Boston for the World Open. At the end of the 1973 season, after winning our third straight NYS A.L. Championship and making the finals at the World Open, the local legion post told us, the way things are going, they couldn't foot the bill alone anymore.

DCI's influence and mandates were already having an effect. More and more corps were facing the same financial problems and as they fell by the wayside, there were fewer and fewer shows along the Thruway forcing corps to take longer, more expensive trips. Catch 22.

Nevertheless, the memories are wonderful!

[drumlinetchr]

Although this thread has been inactive for a while, I just found it and had to add a response. I marched with the Gauchos when we were trying to reform in 79. We raised money as a parade corps that year and fielded a small corps in 80 and 81. In 82 we merged with Greece and called ourselves the Cadets of Upstate NY. I thought that we were pretty good, we did well on a limited tour but I guess that Management couldn't work it out and both corps folded for good after that year. I joined the Navy and kept in touch with some of my friends from the Gauchos. We were small, but had a lot of fun and worked hard.

[Walter]

Keith:

Don't feel that NY was the only state or province to have this happen.

The same thing happened all over North America from 1977 on.

Look at Ontario for instance went from over 70 in 1975 to 4 in 2006 !!!

What was once a proud and loyal activity, is now something that you hear from every now and then. :(

[judspena]

Hello Keith,

I realize that this is a dated thread but just figured out how to take part so here is my two cents on the former state of NY Corps. Regarding the Purple Lancers and their very untimely disappearance...I understand they were having a decent off season going into 1975. But there was a basic attitude that if they didn't want to take a step down from their great '74 season. I suspect there may have been other factors more behind the scenes, possibly financial or staffing problems, that might have the decision to fold the corps a little easier.

It certainly had nothing to do with any of the other upstate corps at the time. Five or six kids came down to Watkins Glen to march but that was after the fact. I think that in 1974 they fought the drum corps version of the "Little Big Horn" and just didn't have the energy, spirit and possibly the resources to do it again.

As you well know those were very different times for drum corps in upstate NY and all over the country. A state championship could be held with upwards of 20 corps taking part. And keep in mind that many corps did not compete at the championship contest. DCI was in its early stages and corps were trying to make the transition from community based to more nationally oriented. The record shows, quite painfully, that virtually all of them were unsuccessful.

Jud