Drum & Bugle Corps 50 year History

A preview of the 4 hour dvd and 50 year history of the Drum & Bugle Corps movement produced and directed by DCI Hall of Fame member Larry McCormick. Featuring the world champion Cavalier organization and numerous other champion drum corps from the past. It is subtitled "When Drum Corps Was Really Drum Corps" and includes many of the icons, historic performance segments, and interviews with the people who led and shaped what is known as Drum Corps International today.

[@ralphgeigner5497]

My brother and I played with the Kenosha, WI Kingsmen for many years, sadly myself and others got called up from the Military Reserves to, active duty. Lost 1/4 of the corps, after that the Kingsmen were gone. Tried a come back, but didn't work out. The draft during the 60's era folded many corps. My favorite corps were the Royal airs and Vanguard

[@Drums-yz4ss]

Of course now, without an announcer, you would not know the Cavaliers from any other corps.

[@garrettcarter6076]

The issue at hand is not talent, or hard work of the touring corps of today vs yesterday. It how success is measured on the field. There was a time when the competition season was chasing perfection, not only in music, but in execution, and appearance. How close could we get? Then, it became about innovation, the perfection scoring system limited innovation, by forcing corps to play it safe and not be penalized for attempting something new or different. This lead to the late 80’s- about 2000 scoring system. Then it simply became about progress and what could give a corp a competitive edge through taking advantage of multiples harmonics, and electronics (thanks Hopkins). Star decided that they had accomplished all they needed to on the competitive field and thus established the “brass theater” which then morphed into “Blast”. Corps directors and staff everywhere, saw what was possible with the world that Star created, and wanted to take advantage of it on the field, thus they also turned to WGI to make a new style that we see used and mimicked today by all of the top corps. None of this is necessarily bad, but, there is a bad aspect to it, raising cost in always having to push the envelope to stay relevant year after year with electronics, audio engineers, transportation, all the different brass needed, props, stages, etc. As one corps gaines success the other quickly follow suit. Ditching traditional Uniform icons of identity and their unique sounds that made each corps distinguishable from each other, to having to rely on the announcer to tell us who is who. Eventually, those that cannot pay the piper to keep up, fall by the wayside and are left behind to fold into oblivion. Thus shrinking access to the activity even greater. The progress seen in the late 60’s, into the 70,s from the creation of DCI and the piston rotor bugle, to the two valves of the 80’s to the pinnacle of three valve horns of the 90’s , going from military step two drill to curvilinear forms created and pioneered by Zingali, opened a new era, the arrangements from Jim ott, and Wayne Downey, and Jim Wren, opened up the possibility of what could be done with a matched set of G bugles, and the caviliers perfect the art of precision marching, scouts brought raw power, phantom gave us romance, and the devils gave us modern jazz just to name a few. But none of this changed the soul of the activity. But what this has become, progress just for the sake of progress has created a monster that has consumed itself, no longer recognizable to those that came before it, and I hope those that so boldly lead the charge into this new world enjoy it immensely, until the cost of that progress leaves us a world without any of the great Corps.

[@garrettcarter6076]

What it has become is an unsustainable model, in costs alone, the tour season has been shrunk, the size of the corps increased, making the financial impact to the members and their respective communities detrimental.

[@robertpdoyle3124]

And there are fewer and fewer corps. DCA is gone, and DCI has less corps in all categories combined than in any single category 15 years ago.

[@davidwarner3326]

Hey, there I am at 6:48.

[@samuelt8602]

Awesome. When was this made? 2000ish?

[@larrymccormickvideos]

It was produced in 1998 Celebrating the 50 year history of the Cavaliers Drum Corps by Sharper Video Productions and is only 2 parts of the 4 hour series.

[@thomashelm6931]

Marching from 63-68, with two different Corps, the Cavaliers were my heroes. Being in the Northwest, we didn't really travel a lot. My 2nd Corps, the Shamrocks, were a replica of the Cavies, down to the drum parts written by Larry McCormick. As a snare drummer, the most challenging that I had come across. Loved the videos of them. If I wasn't 16-17 at the oldest, I would have loved to audition, in any position, just to march with them. But many of us had to join the Military to avoid the draft, then. So aging out was a little difficult, then.

[@ThatIsJustCrazyTalk]

Drum corps only had a 28 year history under DCI. Since 2000, I have no idea what it actually is, but it’s for damned sure it is NOT drum corps.

[@robertpdoyle3124]

It is top notch entertainment, with a skill level that is off the charts, but I agree we can’t really call it drum corps.

[@donnyslader9025]

Why does Drum Corp think they are...Singers? Broadway dancers? Electronic specialists? Dress-up actors not specializing in uniforms? All artforms grow and develop, but when do artforms completely change what they set out to do?

[@BayleeO-30]

What do you feel that they set out to do?

[@Ryan-dz7mg]

I’m fairly confident DCI was founded to provide an educational experience for the members and an entertaining experience for the crowds They still do that

[@donnyslader9025]

@@Ryan-dz7mg What artform steals from just about every other artform and calls it their own...singing (which is always poor)...electronics/amplification (which means less breathe support/technique required)...dance...sets...costumes not uniforms...etc. etc. etc...I know...DCI...the actual playing of music is secondary...one that isn't strong enough to sustain itself on drum and bugle principles alone. No wonder the artform is dying and is pricing itself out as an elite sport. If you call the amount of sexual abuse found in drum corps "educational" please give your head a shake. And as for the "entertaining" of crowds...they get smaller and smaller every single year. DCI should be honest with itself...the winners are US Champions...not World Champions...but the USA is so full of itself it makes sense. After all since 1776 Americans have perfected spin-doctoring and fake news.

[@desertcoliseum]

I'm pretty sure DCI corps have been singing the entire time. You sound like a boring old man who watched 60's drum corps.

[@americanspirit8932]

Back when we had Real Drum and bugle Corps, more of people attended competitions than Major League Baseball. Then DC I came along and little by little they destroyed the activity they turned it into a marching band competition. There's nothing wrong with marching bands but it's definitely not a real drum and bugle Corps. They price themselves out of business not obtainable by the average local neighborhood kid any longer. That's why very few people attend these band competitions. There were approximately 7,000 drum and bugle Corps in North America at one time. Today you have less than 20 of these marching bands. The handwriting is on the wall read it

[@first-namelast-name4198]

Today’s drum corps has devolved into a competition of who can play the most spastic collection of notes under the umbrella of some “genius” theatrics. They will play maybe two measures of something recognizable and then it mutates into something seizure-inducing. I was a huge drum corps fan in high school and would always go to shows. I went to a show last year and swore it would be my last. It’s just not as enjoyable as it used to be. I believe in the activity. But it has gone a direction that I think is unfortunate.

[@johncarfello7618]

1961 Hawthorne caballeros 😊best ever

[@MrMuchachos75]

Lol

[@user-yq3fz9ch5q]

​@@MrMuchachos75 Bum deal for the muchachos

[@culversofgallatin3933]

There’s one caption head trophy at DCI that they just refuse to create, but the high caption award for “who destroyed DRUM CORPS” should be shared equally by George Hopkins, Wayne Downey, and the idiotic Boards of Directors who led many a fine corps straight into bankruptcy. It has never been easier to win the DCI trophy or to make finals and this very moment, and what do we have - crappy skits; faux artistry.

[@JeremiahChampion-fs6vh]

No one is forcing you to watch now days. It the face that yall wanna trash another groups performance is distasteful considering most of these kids today do continue to look up to yall. Sad