Corps Names

[Guard Diva]

So I was reading the open letter from Fusion Corps and thought that was an interesting name and started wondering hoiw they came up with it............then I started wonering where ANY corps get it's name from........Who decided that Bucs would be Bucs, Cabs would be Cabs, etc, etc, . Bridgemen is understandably names after the Bayonne Bridge............but why name yourself after a bridge? why not a particular building etc.......is there some historical significance? Just wondering.......how did these corps names come about???? I'm especially intersted in where the Bushwhackers' name came from! heh

[JKatzmellophone]

So I was reading the open letter from Fusion Corps and thought that was an interesting name and started wondering hoiw they came up with it............then I started wonering where ANY corps get it's name from........Who decided that Bucs would be Bucs, Cabs would be Cabs, etc, etc, . Bridgemen is understandably names after the Bayonne Bridge............but why name yourself after a bridge? why not a particular building etc.......is there some historical significance? Just wondering.......how did these corps names come about???? I'm especially intersted in where the Bushwhackers' name came from! heh

Jim Costello came up with Caballeros but the story started with the uniforms. The History of the Cabs is on the website. www.cabs.org

[Bob Kidd]

If the legend is indeed true, you really wouldn't believe where the name "Bushwacker" comes from!!

[Guard Diva]

AWESOME history page on the Cabs website!!!! Not only does it procide insight on The Cabs and on Mr. Costello, but on the DCA formative years as well!

[hardcoremello]

Well, for Fusion Core, we are and entity of Fusion Winter Guard, and "core" refers to the people. The people involved in any drum corps are the "core" of the organization. There began Fusion Core.

Good topic!!! Now onto the Cabs website to read a little history :)

[Ron H]

When MBI was contemplating a name change around 1970, it was proposed that the corps be called the "Twin Cities Amalgamated Brassworks." The corps was indeed something of an amalgamation of the various corps that existed in the Twin City area and, with the admission of women into the corps, needed an image change. American Legion sponsorships were dwindling and a fresh start was necessary. The name was first proposed by John "Corky" Whitlock.

It was eventually streamlined to "Brass, Incorporated" and indeed the corps was incorporated as a 501c3 in 1972. "Minnesota" was added to the name in 1980 to help distinguish itself from a new corps titled the "Ohio Brass Factory," and to answer endless inquiries about where the corps came from.

MBI has had 7 names since it was first founded in 1946. The others were:

Cecil Kyle American Legion Corps, 1946-47

Laidlaw Drum & Bugle Corps, 1948-1955

Laidlaw Toreadors, 1956-1964

Grain Belt Diamonds, 1965 (The corps accepted a sponsorship from the Grain Belt Breweries and marched in tuxedos.)

Men of Laidlaw, 1966-68

Edited December 26, 2006 by Ron H

[hurcs04]

The Hurricanes were originally a fife and drum corps John Collins Post circa 1932 ....Aptly Renamed the Connecticut Hurricanes in 1955 after hurricane "Diane" devistated the Naugatuck Valley

[84BDsop]

SoCal Dream was -- IIRC -- Originally supposed to be SoCal Dream Machine, but the machine part got dropped.

i think this was a name Garry Parker had for quite a while before the corps was actually founded.....he'd be better able to clarify.

[brassomaniac]

The Knights of Noble Callahan was formed in the Fall of 1985. Alan Smythe, who consulted with us in the early going, actually came up with the name, which was from a drum corps once sponsored by the local Noble-Callahan American Legion Post. We originally intended for an Irish theme - even started on a show, arranged by John Arientano. But by Spring of `85, we had already changed to a more generic show theme, and were using the shortened form: Noble-Callahan.

We morphed into Capitol Brass Ensemble after the so-called "Schizm of '88", where we jettisoned one of our administration members and renamed the corps for the '89 season.

At DCA prelims, at the end of '88, we needed a temporary name, and since we were originally dubbed the "Knights of Noble-Callahan" , we entered the competition as simply "The Knights"

Records on some sites have recorded our entry, in error, as the Hamilton Knights (from Maryland, I think). But that was us, 2 weeks fresh off of our schizm, where we also lost a few marching members (tough for a corps with numbers somewhere in the 30's).

When choosing our new name that fall, we used the wrong form of "Capitol/Capital", but the stubborn membership proudly took a stand on our spelliing choice. "Capitol Brass Ensemble" became the name of official record, but by the time we hit the field in 1989, a new logo had been chosen, and the name shortened to Capitol Brass. I'm sure that our choice was influenced by the cool names of Brass, Inc and Brass Factory, in use at the time, and we thought that the name was catchy and marketable, and easily described (to locals, at least) what we did, and where we were from. (Albany, Capital of NY State - the city and surrounding area is referred to, regionally, as the Capital Region)

When we created the new mini-corps, in 2006, most of the board were ex-CBE members, including the long-time Director and co-founder. After much discussion, it was a unanimous choice to recast CBE as a drum corps for the 21st Century.

The original spelling choice was reversed, logo and type-style updated to reflect the fun and exciting version of the corps we were planning, and an exclamation point and trumpet icon added to the name and logo, to reflect our relationship with the Brass-O-Mania! family of music ensembles.

Hence the path to the new Capital Brass!

We will perform in 2007 as a brass ensemble and a mini-corps ; with plans for even more down the road.

Edited December 26, 2006 by brassomaniac

[Jeffreelancer]

River City Regiment was originally named Capitol Regiment.

The corps evolved from the Sacramento State winter drumline and this name was chosen because Sacramento is the capitol of California. The drumline performed an exhibition show using this name in 2000.

Shortly after that show it was decided to change the name to River City Regiment to avoid confusion with the Div III corps Capital Regiment. Sacramento is commonly referred to as the river city.