dc oldtimer Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 I am sitting here at work eating lunch and streaming the 1978 North Star show on Season Pass. I am sure its been discussed before but what happened to North Star? They were good! Secondly, does anyone know who the soloist was in 78? He was good also! OK, back to lunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byline Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 I believe his name is Jerry Noonan. As for what happened to the corps, others can elaborate on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GmenBari78 Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 According to corpreps, "Financial difficulties forced the disbandment of the corps in 1982." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommytimp Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 If you can find it, one of the Winter 1983 editions of Drum Corps World had an excellent, long article by North Star director Jim O'Brien, mainly about why he decided to fold the corps. And yeah, Jerry Noonan was the shiznit. So, too, was that drumline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NS787980 Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I am sitting here at work eating lunch and streaming the 1978 North Star show on Season Pass. I am sure its been discussed before but what happened to North Star? They were good! Secondly, does anyone know who the soloist was in 78? He was good also!OK, back to lunch. North Star's demise was two fold. The corps didn't audition. The corps accepted those that wished to march. And BTW? THAT'S the way drum and buge corps SHOULD be. And the corps didn't do "due diligence" with money. Thanks for telling me.. my corps did good! :) Jerry Noonan was our star soloist in 78. Imagine this? Last reunion? I told him he was hot stuff online.. He didn't believe it. Sharon PS: Danny Lutz was even better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancerLegend Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 North Star continues to be one the corps that people appreciate more and more now that they have folded. I know many of the players, instructors and Jim O'Brien their director, and have the utmost respect for him. He ran the corps like a business and he knew the corps needed not only membership, but $$$$$ to sustain itself. Several of their staff and members continue to teach and contribute to this day. As Sharon points out - North Star accepted anyone that walked thru the door to march. Consider this - 27th, North Star, Rockland Defenders, and the Boston Crusaders were located within a 15 miles radius of each other. We were all competiting for local talent - and at the local level, corps and CYO bands were also diminishing. It was a vicious cycle. It was a very difficult formular to maintain - as proof above, of those 4 corps - only BAC is still around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I always loved North Star. They were one of the first corps I saw in competition and one of the main reasons I began purchasing the Legacy DVDs. They were just as good and as much fun as I remember. Maybe Sharon can answer this question: If the corps didn't audition and accepted anyone that wanted to march, what happened if you found yourselves in the enviable position of having more kids than the 128 maximum for membership? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavalier81 Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Is I started getting turned on to Drumcorps. it was the North Star that REALLY got me hooked. That corps was entertaining!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drmr27 Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Maybe Sharon can answer this question: If the corps didn't audition and accepted anyone that wanted to march, what happened if you found yourselves in the enviable position of having more kids than the 128 maximum for membership? In the 60's and 70's it was quite common for some corps, even some at the world class level to include a member or two that were walk-ons, people who had little musical training and sometimes no marching experience whatsoever. This was sometimes necessary to reach the 128 member mark. The four corps that Lancer Legend mentioned would need to attract 512 members to fill out the ranks. What he didn't mention is that in the 70's there were another 25-30 corps all within about a 90 minute drive of Boston, and all looking to fill their ranks every year. Doing the fuzzy math means >3000 corps members in greater Boston alone all during an era when relocating cross country to march Div. 1 was a fairly new phenomenon. (No warranty offered nor implied on my math.) Oh, getting back to the question, having no auditions does NOT mean that there were no cuts. P.S. Hey Legend, how are the black flies up in vacationland? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X DM Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 (edited) I am sitting here at work eating lunch and streaming the 1978 North Star show on Season Pass. I am sure its been discussed before but what happened to North Star? They were good! Secondly, does anyone know who the soloist was in 78? He was good also!OK, back to lunch. The North Star fell victim to the same financial woes that has proven to be the downfall of hundreds, if not thousands, of drum corps over the years. I LOVED the North Star. I'm going to vote them in for the Classic Countdown the next go around. They had one of the best single soprano soloists in DCI history. The kid always seemed to nail his solo at big shows too. But the North Star were not simply him. They had the full package there for a few years. They were basically kids off the streets of eastern Massachusetts, and they could really entertain. Great Drum line affectionately called by fans " the Chrome Wall ". Fan accessible music too. They were a rapidly shooting star that shone very brightly before too quickly flickering out. But we still can have the Classic Countdown where fans can have them reborn in the theatre for a moment again if they want too. They'll get one of my votes. Edited July 1, 2006 by X DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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