I remember the N.Y. Skyliners 1948////100% WW2 Vets....I was 5 my brother 13 just joined a Junior Corps... Kingsman,,,, taught to blow a horn at 5....could have made the horn line at 8 but too young...We played one valve bugles....ONLY Soprano & Baritone....later one French horn...Drum Corps very patriotic, American Legion sponsored "distinct sound"....Our instructors the greats from the Skyliners. I remember must have been 50-51 opened the rules 30 % did not need be WW2 vets in the Skyliners same as in the Cabs.. "People get older & move on" The N.Y Skyliners so good won 39 out of 41 competitions in the 40's...Sat in the stands nobility on the Field. My brother and sister Color Guard, aged out 1955...I now 11 Earned my uniforn...decent case and bugle....The bugle I earned was friend of my brother both on the horn line...Sonny as we knew him was later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor a Marine Captain now from N. Y 1966 I was so disappointed The new Corps wasn't the caliber of the old Corps....so I quit. end of 1955. I think.
Got involved with our high school band with drums along the Rocky’s in 1976, we did an exhibition show before the show. We did corps style marching, it was loads of fun. Videos of the old days brings back memories, however I don’t think I want to sleep on a gymnasium floor nowadays.
I was in the United Drum Corps, Alpine Girls, in the 1960s. It was an amazing six years! I'm glad to still be able to see drum corps performances on RU-vid.
I was a member of the Black Knights from DCNY (1988-1995). This brings tears to my eyes of both joy and sorrow. The joy that drum corps brought to my life and the friends I made of the years. The sorrow is that I have missed being a part of drum corps in my adult years and the friends that I've lost touch with over the years. Hats off to the Hawthorne Caballeros. A corps steeped in deep tradition and pride. Good show.
I competed against the Caballeros many times when I was in the sun rises from 64 through 68 make great friends in the Caballeros and friends with members of most of the senior c o r p s , I started with drum and bugle Corps , when I was 9 years old and continue to this date and I'm going on 78 was a great activity, we no longer have real drum and bugle Corps, thanks to DCI in my opinion, they are the reason for the demise of what was one of the greatest youth activities throughout the United States and Canada. They turned it into a marching band competition, superimposed on a three-ring circus. They need to stop referring to it as DCI, start calling it what it really is, MBI, marching band International. Little by little, it started to change after DCI was formed, all the rules changed then they started introducing trombones, electric guitars, electric organs microphones amplifiers you name it. That describes a marching band to me. No offense against marching bands, the young adults do a great job today. But stop referring to them as drum c o r p s, they are not.
The original black knights was a navy flight unit when they had f-14 tomcats My town of krwanee IL also had a black knights drum Corps which became the geneseo knights which they became the quad city knights and they became the bettendorf knights then they disbanded
Played 3 years trumpet, Conn; then 3 years on mellophones (Imperial) when they were first added. Single valve, slide, Bb . Used Brasso to keep it shiny because we didn't have lacquered. Great 6 years growing up, Junior A, in Ontario.
Different times. Both generations very talented. Just different styles. I grew up in the old school drum corp. Grear experience. Now days big money in the fielding a drum corp for a season
Love the drum corps of the 1960's and 1979; I was in a corps in the 1960's. During those decades corps played recognizable music and did a patriotic song to present the American flag. Today, a major part of every "song" is just a series of unrecognizable notes that were arranged by some PhD in Music, taken from some concerto in D Minor, and an American flag isn't even carried by a corps onto the field. Today's uniforms, if you can call them a uniform, are more like gym clothes. The overall show is like watching a stage crew change the scenes in a Broadway theater, pushing platforms, slides, ladders, wheels, etc. into position. There, I have vented!
I agree back to single valve bugles no orchestra instruments no show time moving walls or broadway background. Drum and Bugle corps need to return. It’s no longer what it was so military perfect and it was only drums and bugles.
Marched with St Catherine of Sienna, Queensmen, St Albans NY, 1955-57 and always watched Hawthorne and our Bugle Director was Bill Hayes, and he was a member of Hawthorne.
I was part of the symbol players two of us Bill and Bob our picture is in the second Drum Corps album with the Sun rises bill on the left and Bob on the right that's me on the right. Correction Drum Corps history book. Just before I joined the sunrises I was in the Floyd Bennett golden eagles Brooklyn New York I played snare drum 60 and 61 Oris Kavanaugh and John Sasso were good friends of mine those years in the Sun rises
I apologize for errors in my comments, I am visually impaired, and I use voice recognition on hundred percent of the time. It is very difficult for me to catch any errors.
I was in a high school band in the first part of 1958 thru 1962 and we were big and beat out Albuquerque schools in competitions. Now they are sad, little and pathetic.
Being from Illinois you may find it odd to find out that my all-time favorite Senior Corp ever were the Cabs. And this is from a Sop player for 3 years with the Yankee Rebels while living in Md. A divorce messed the hell out of my Corp days, which required a move back to Illinois and an end to Drum Corp. So thankful for the folks putting the old videos up on You Tube.....please keep it up.
ALL corps from 1980 till now have been standing on the shoulders of the Hawthorne Caballeros from the 70's and 80's . The CABS are an American Treasure - and have been the model and inspiration for many corps that followed. Current generation of corps are actually 'pros' - but they seem to all basically sound the same. They are creative (maybe a little too band-like at times ) To see the Best of any show - it's the 1977 Hawthorne show - this shows the corps in it's prime and the soloists are incredible with the old-style horns and a DM - Jimmy at his best. - Haven't seen a Hawthorne performance lately that even comes close. So 'Old School' was definitely the Best School for Sr. Corps. . . .
Some of these guys have been with the CABS since the 50's (color guard). Flamenco Cha Cha written by Joe Genero has been played since the late 50's. The ending was written in 1976 and embellished ever since. Jimmy Russo, drum major was in a terrible accident that lost his wife and he in a coma, colostomy, and was put on steroids for life. There are too many stories to tell with this Champion Cab's Corps. created in 1946 by Jim Costello and fellow WWII Veterans of American Legion Post 199. God Rest The Souls of all CABS who have passed on, and to all who have marched with the competing and alumni corps, God Bless.
Butch, I wrote a slightly less polite response to the former Buc about his reference to Jim's weight but deleted it. I'm glad you used tact to correct his comments.
I was fifteen, marching in the Cabs, early '90s. I was at the urinal and in walks an extremely tan Jimmy Russo in a skimpy outfit. He says something like "how ya doin, kid" and suddenly, I couldn't pee. Stage fright. I stood there for ten seconds praying to god please let me pee and then ran out, embarrassed. I wonder if he remembers.
This is the alumni corps. I marched with Reading from 1975 thru 1979, and I well remember the cabs playing this. Oh, and the Drum Major was much, much thinner. :)
Does anyone have a video of VANGUARDS ( Opa-Locka, Fla) 1970 - 1975. My son was in the Corp. He passed away a few years ago. I would love to see on of their competitions.
In my opinion, DCI, is the reason for the demise of one of those greatest activities in North America. DCI, turn the activity into a marching band competition, superimposed on a three ring circus, then DCA followed suit. We no longer have real drum and bugle Corps is today. May they all rest in peace. Drum Corps International needs to change that name to marching band International, just call it what it really is today. February 3rd 2023. I have nothing against marching bands, they're great, just don't call them drum and bugle Corps. Big difference, no comparison.
I LOVE THE CAB' S BUT I LOVE THE SUNRISER'S A LITTLE BIT MORE. FORMER MEMBER OF THE LONG ISLAND SUNRISES DRUM AND BUGLE CORPS 1964 - 1968 & GOLDEN EAGLES BROOKLYN 1960 - 1961 SNARE DRUMER + OLPH RIDGEMEN 1956 - 1959 SNARE DRUM.
The sun rises 1968 dream contest Roosevelt Stadium we came in first but the scores what changed, John Sasso had to hand expert analysis done and proved it, it took two judges approximately 40 minutes to manipulate the scores before they were announced, if you look up the scores you will see between 1st and 4th only one tenth of a point apart and I believe Skyline is last in several points apart. Check it out and you will see
What today’s D&B corps forgets is that the original concept was from the military. I really dislike all the new costumes and artsy dance with gymnastics nothing like old school.
They are senior alumni and have had the "benefit" of decades of S.A.D. ( Standard American Diet) It has wrecked the health of most Americans by the time they're 50, many much younger.