The 1967 Chicago Cavaliers play at the American Legion Nationals
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ม.ค. 2012
- In 1967 the Chicago Cavaliers played at the American Legion Nationals on August 27, 1967...
1967 Repertoire included...Bully, Les Preludes, One Hand One Heart (from West Side Story), It Ain't Necessarily So (from Porgy and Bess), Tiger Rag (from I Ain't Got Nobody), Somewhere (from West Side Story). - เพลง
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I watched the 1967 Cavaliers (and competed against them) all season. That's when I decided to join the corps, which I did a few years later. They were very smooth and that's why they are call The Green Machine. God, I miss old-time drum coprs.
Dan Currier: You are NOT alone my friend.....
I was the short snare drummer in this video (15 years old at the time). When we beat Boston in Boston, after they beat us in Toronto earlier in the year, was one of the highlights of marching in Drum Corps.
Splooie!
I was one year out of high school, a member of the Maple City Cadets from La Porte, Indiana, and was in that audience... not too far from where this film was shot. I loved that show. In face, we we begged, borrowed, and reverse engineered the snare drum parts from those two drum line features to use as practice goals for the next couple years. I can still play them today, and often use them as examples to the kids in the high school drum line that I coach in my copious free time.
I was one of the snare drummers in this incredible show. I can't believe that drum solo with the stick flipping. Nobody ever dropped a stick. I look at it and think: "How the heck did I ever do that?" At 5:20, I'm the second snare going left to right.
This was the first championship corps I heard as a kid. It is so fun to see and here it now!!
Whats that beautiful piece of material being honored ? Check out the drumming at the closer this is execllant drum GE.Boys and girls This was Real Drum Corps, may it rest in peace Thousands of Corps large and small ,room for all. And this was among the very best in the World. thanks Green Machine .Selden Guy 61' to 65
Those were the good old days! Never got into the "circus" and dancing of the newer corps. Ugh.
That was back when we head Real Drum and bugle Corp, not marching bands that they have today big difference. My preference Real Drum and bugle Corps. Nothing wrong with marching bands but quit calling them drum and bugle Corp they are not.
Selden guy, this is Floyd Bennett Golden Eagle guy, snare drummer. Our first year competition was 1960, and 1961 when, brass by night, record was made and produced by Fleetwood recordings. So I competed against you in 1961. I eventually moved out to Coram Long Island and then Mount Sinai I moved out there in 1973. When I still lived in Brooklyn I was a member of the Long Island sunrises from 1964 through 1968. I did mention this on several posts I wish I can get a hold of you on a telephone, but I do not know how to go about that where without giving out the number so everybody can make prank calls. If you can instruct me as to what to do I can have somebody help me, because of my vision not so great, that would be great I would love to speak with you, on the telephone. Today's date is August 30th 2022. I do follow you on TH-cam as much as I can. You are extremely knowledgeable, in the Drum Corps activity. I am sure elsewhere as well.
@@americanspirit8932 good to hear from you as always. your knowledge and history and memory and "personal contacts" which far surpass mine are welcome . Do you have face book ? I dont . That may be a way to set up tele contact . Stay well friend .
The Boston Crusaders had the best corps that year and were odds-on favorites to win the Legion is their home city. The Cavies won VFW a week earlier in New Orleads (the East Coast corps did not attend VFW, instead waiting for the Legion show). Cavies made the long bus ride from New Orleans to Boston and won their second national title in the same season. this all came after Cavalier Hall, located in Logan Square of Chicago burned down. Equipment and uniforms were on the truck.
67 was the first year I marched in a competitor drum corps. I first heard a recording, Fleetwood it was, of the 67 Cavs at our M & M instructors house. I was blown away by their performance; they were LIGHT YEARS ahead of any corps of that time, junior or senior.
No question Dan, BC and Cavs were best in the nation that year. BS and Garfield had off years, but St. Lucy's was on the rise. They won All nat'l championship in'68 though the completion was weak.
Oh man, AL title! For St.Lucy's. Havin an off day.
Competition, sheez! The phone is playing tricks on me. Time to get an I phone, this one is garbage.
I wish I was at this show. They gave a performance for the ages that night. I think this is the '67 Amer. Legion Nat'ls.
You're rt, it was. I was 15 y/o & I was there. Our chaperones got us block tickets to see finals way out there behind the big Green Monster, facing the finish line. The Am. Legion Nat'ls also featured a competition for senior corps that the VFW didn't imitate. It was a memorable night all around. We cheered like hell for our fellow New Jerseyans, the Hawthorne Cabelleros, who did a fantastic job. But rt at the end in front of us on the finish line a man passed out before they could file off the field. They held up the contest while they brought out the ambulance to tend to him, then loaded him in on the stretcher & took him out of there. We learned much later that night that the man had gone into a heart attack at the stadium. They got him to the nearest hospital but lost him once they were there.
Had to run and out of characters! In conclusion I did have the pleasure to compete against TheCavvies in'68 &'69 . and have utmost respect and am still a fan. They are after all one of three still active snce the '40's without a break and have many championships.
Fantastic, both Chicago Corps were great. It's ashame the Royalairs aren't around today.
Royal Airs ((
& Chicago Vanguards
@@stevefagiano9448 Steve, Steve, Steve! Chicago Vanguard!
Amen Bob, Cavs, Vanguard, Royal Airs all time greats. I wish they had come back East more often, though they compete in All, VFW and World Open championships and the Dream. Are you related to Don Warren? One of the greatest Corps directors of all time.
She's, that's AL as in Amer. Legion, my mistake. We had B.Sac, St.Lucy's, Garfield, Boston Crusaders, Blue Rock and 27th. Lancers. Wanna talk great, how bout these guys?
This is the show that got me hooked on Drum Corps. I didn't see them in person but I bought the record and FELL IN LOVE! The rest is history. It's great to not just hear them but to be able watch them. THANKS SOOOO MUCH! Bob Stevens
Wow, look mommy. Real drum corps uniforms.
Ok Thats when snare drums sounded like snares not table tops. Check out the bold 50 yrd frt going off. This girls and boys was real drum and bugle corps. Must have been 100,000 corps out there and Cavies were one of the best.
We had the priviledge of being in the top 10 in the nation '64 but still couldnt quite touch them Once got within 4points at prelims. GoGo Green Machine
From someone who followed Drum and Bugle corps from about 1978-1989 or so: This was amazing. I used to think early to mid 80 was the golden age. No, not any more! I do think the essence has past (just my opinion) but this era was amazing. I love the comments from past member and competitors. What a grand tradition you guys share!. Funny how now I gripe they modern corps are essentially "just bands". Well compared to this, the corps of MY era were actually well, getting kinda band-y. What a unique, powerful and sadly, lost thing.
I agree with you, you hit the nail on the head.
They should be called the Drum & Trumpet & Bugle Corps. With contributions by the New York Dance Company. True Drum Corp died..........
You're exactly rt.
Nice to hear someone pit it into words.
I marched with the Imperials of St. Patrick;s (now Pioneer) in Milwaukee. I was also in the Racine Elks Youth Band and the Royal Emperors of Milwaukee.
Wisconsin ALWAYS one of the best drum corps states of the union Dan. Kilties, Madison Scouts, Racine Scouts all time greats. Not sure where Blue Star was from but another great corps of60's and 70's.
@@tommcconville4270 First Federal Blue Stars, were from Wisconsin. Today is June 2nd 2023
In 1967 I was a member of The Valiants,the feeder corps of The Boston Crusaders so I am a bit biased. I was also in attendance on the night of this show and witnessed many great performances three that I know of are available here. The one I wish could be seen if it were available is that of The Boston Crusaders. The fact that Boston won prelims and then, due to a rules change, went on first I think was the difference in position,.04points. The Crusaderbounced back 2nights later 5pt. win.
Always liked RA and Vanguard, Spartens was excellent also, sad they went away so soon ? Mariners was great also, had many friends in many units, plus some that played with me in the Kenosha Kingsmen. Ludwig ( Holton ) bugles were the best ! Hope to hear from former Drum Corps Nuts from the past ! I was in the military for a career. GO ARMY Retired
Yes, I agree; the sound of the Holton bugles was superior to all other brands!! ... a full-bodied, rich tone!! Holton made great brasses in those years. I played Holton tubas in high school and college. In fact, I persuaded my band director at Luther College to buy the last 3 of the 6/4-size Holton-York tubas that were ever made, copies of Arnold Jacobs' legendary York tuba used in the Chicago Symphony. I wish I could have owned one of those Holton-Yorks myself.
Thanks for posting. Bully and It Ain't Necessarily So arrangements by Sal Ferrera.
Tony, didn't he arrange the others, too?
A Ferrera Sal Arranged all the music when I was in 64-66. J Guarise
To A. Ferrera and C. Ferrera. Sal F. was the best brass writer arranger of his day. I marched in a junior corps competing in '69 VFW prelims in Philadelphia. We were waiting to be staged to go on field for our show. When we heard Cavs come off the line we were amazed at how perfectly they played. Their' guys were some of the all-time great brass players of drum corps. And Sal Ferrera deserves a major share of the credit. He made the Cavs, with Larry Mc Cormick as drum instructor, one of the all-time great corps. I salute both of them. Best Wishes.
@@tommcconville4270 Thank you for your nice comments and appreciation of the Cavaliers. I agree, Sal and Larry both contributed significantly to the corps success.
@@TonyFerrera You're welcome Anthony and Christine, I meant every word of it. Best Wishes.
I agree. That's one of the complaints that I have about drum corps of today. Back then their snares sounded like snare drums and their bass drums sounded like bass drums and and there seemed to be more substance or soul in drum corps back then.
"Soul" is a good word to use there. I've always tried to get the band-centric kids who want to give me their "Ok, boomer.." Flavored arguments on the subject that the real difference - even more than the modified non-bugles of today, the gimmicks, the percussion pits& the MICS(!!) - is the PASSION (or soul, if you'd rather). Consider for a minute, who was out there actually marching & playing. In 1967, I would venture that abt 3 quarters of those kids (& btw, the enforced rule then was that they were actual kids!)in the entire drum corps population consisted of kids who had NO musical instruction, who weren't contemplating going off to college as a music major, who had absolutely no other connection w/music in their entire lives except for what they got up to 2 days a wk (winter) or 3-4 days a wk in the summer. Nearly half of the guys I knew from corps found jobs driving trucks or working in warehouses when they graduated high school. Another large percentage went rt into.the armed forces ( &, boy, there were some parties the first time they came into practice while on leave!). I personally encouraged several kids to join up after the first said no, they didn't know anything abt music & I told them "That's ok! This is where you LEARN!" And it was. In my corps, no.matter what you wanted to do when you signed on, everybody started out in the drum room. If there wasn't room for you in the drumline or hornline, you went straight to color guard. But the most important thing you learned when you were new was that you really COULD do more w/music than just play the radio. You got a completely different education than time signatures & "every good boy does fine...". You learned how to believe in yourself. You moved on to belief in your instructors (& sometimes that was the hardest thing). And finally, after getting out on the road & finding out what other kinds of music was out there, you began to.believe in your own music. No matter how simple or tacky or below the top national standards the arrangements might be. You knew when you sounded lousy; but each and every one of us who.marched w/those local "hopefuls" from.down the street @ the VFW I know can recall one afternoon or one hot & humid practice night when we got together in the ensemble & could suddenly hear ourselves coming together & raising hell like we had never heard ourselves before. I'm sure I can speak for us all abt how mind-blowing nights like that could be, when you knew that for the first time you could tell we were ALL playing WAY above our heads; but, omg, it sounded so good you could hardly believe it was you!
Band-y people tend to dismiss the founding lines of drum corps as merely "...big & loud...". I'd rather have that than 140 people out on the field & your soprano need to be Mic augmented to be sure they get heard. There's nothing wrong w/musicianship & nothing wton w/reading the music; but when the 140 members are not enough to.be heard enough, well, that's what happens when a lot if your members can't let go of their manuscripts. And the way old-school puts over their arrangements comes from knowing how the music you present to the crowd MAKES YOU FEEL. And when you reach the point where you can put all that emotion into your instruments & execution instead of into your nerves & your stomach, that's when the crowd feels it too. So, you may be playing some dinky-dink number from The Sound of Music or a show tune that's 40 y/o & is like a Model T Ford getting run diwn by all the rock & roll everyone else seems to be playing or some big band number from a record collection nobody ever heard of, but by God, you know that when the line is hitting on all cylinders that it's a damned fine arrangement. And that's what puts the song across. Sometimes. Sometimes not. Sometimes the weather stinks & you're just having a lousy night. Sometimes the crowd is just dead. But the thing that never failed to get me excited was the anticipation that this might be one of those nights where the hard work really pays off & the horn line gels like you KNOW it can bcs there was this time when.you heard it happen for yourself & that when it comes along, you're just as good as anybody.
@@g.hon.4645 you hit the nail on the head. I started to play snare drum and learn how to play a snare drum through right way with wool rudiments all of the old standards, like Connecticut halftime downfall of Paris, and many others. We'll use the old standards as warm ups. My first drum and bugle Corps, olph Ridge men, from Brooklyn New York, 1956 through 1959, joined the Floyd Bennett golden eagles also from Brooklyn New York, 1960 and 1961, joined the Long Island Sunrisers, 1964 through 1968. Co-founded American Spirit senior alumni drum and bugle Corps in the Tampa Bay Florida area, along with, John Dowling may he rest in peace. He is the person that developed back sticking. He has taught many of the top drum lines in the Northeast, Riley Raiders, reading Buccaneers, and numerous other top drumlines. Drum and bugle Corps has basically started, as a youth activity to keep kids off the streets in inner cities I was one of those kids. Today is June 2nd 2023. Great memories and experience.
@@americanspirit8932 Ah!
Bill Reemer, founding drum corpshall of fame, & His acolytes was my instructor when I signed on in 1966.
I don't think he liked me much. I passed all my tests & knew "Halftime" & "Wabash", etc. but at nearly 6 feet tall I spoiled the "Look" of the drum line he was looking for.
To this very day, no one will give me a straight answer as to why he cut me. 😳
I didn't hear every corps back then, but musically, this was the best show of the 1960s by a long way for me. The arrangements were a level above the vast majority of drum corps writing back then, and the playing was up to the challenge. I saw them in Boston at the CYO Nationals and they were a machine.
The ending fanfare to Somewhere always gets to me.
Not only drum GE, total GE. Horns, M & M, Color Guard, Drill Design. The Cavs can do it all bro.
A blast from the past. I marched in Central N.Y. drum corps during this 60s and I was in awe of the Green Machine.
I was at this show. This was the best corps I ever saw in that time period. Period.
Absolutely, NO ONE was better than the Cavaliers in 1967. It was a diverse, dynamic music program from the stirring arrangement of Bully, to a great jazz arrangement of It Ain't Necessarily So. To the beautiful exit fanfare of Somewhere( There's a Place for Us.) Sal Ferrera wrote a superb show for the Cavaliers, and they performed it magnificently. Their drum line was awesome, second to none, the best of the sixties and early seventies. This performance was far ahead of it's time and speaks to the all time excellence of the Chicago Cavaliers.
1967, I was a member of the Long Island sunrises drum and bugle c o r p s. It's funny that we didn't not make finals, because the course that beat us into finals we have been beating most of the season, it's ironic that we did not qualify the finals at night? Nonetheless the Cavaliers outstanding one of my all-time favorite drum c o r p s. My top four are, Blessed Sacrament golden knights, Chicago Cavaliers, Garfield Cadets, St Kevin's Emerald Knights. Not necessarily in this order. Today's date is August 30th 2022. We no longer have real drum and bugle Corps. May they all rest in peace. The activity now is a marching band competition, superimposed on the three-ring circus. When you see these bands on the field that's the first thing that comes to mind a three-ring circus with all the props, drummers juggling dancing and prancing singing electric guitars trombones you name it it's all on the field. Get you dizzy. Not for me. No offense against these marching bands, this is what they do as an activity and I'm glad they enjoy it.
Got to be one of the best recordings of the Cavs all-time. Fenway Park made great acoustics for them. If I recall, Larry Mc Cormack was percussion instructor/ arranger. Correct me if I'm wrong, it was a long time ago. Would appreciate reply to verify this, thanks.
Yes Larry instructed this line. Great guy and he was always able to bring out the best of the kids he instructed.
One of the greatest drum corps performances all time was the Cavaliers at the 1967 American Legion Nat'l championship. And a winning one. It never gets old.
I was there in the stands. Cavaliers really set the standard of the era with their smooth self assured flamboyance and execution perfection. Boston Crusaders were also great winning prelims by 1.5 over Blessed Sacrament and 3.8 over The Cavaliers who placed 4th. Surprisingly, Boston was on first in finals which I am sure did not help their placing in finals (second by .433).
Cavies, Sac and Boston were the reigning drum lines of the 1960’s, and today’s DCI lines are elimentary in comparison.
The drums they play sound like oatmeal boxes & the funny thing is they originally gave the excuse that they went to those drum sets bcs the trad versions were "too heavy"(WAH!) & that they could March better w/the new ones. Of course, they march even less now.
But they go out there all " Manly Stanley" now & do some nifty tricks while man-spreading all over the place.
the green machine. scary great.
love it! great sound, great show!
I just found this video. I remember the whole show, especially the drum solo starting 4:40. I listened to this Fleetwood record SO many times.
eclecticmn: You and me both!!
what a great horn and arm swing. No one does that in today's drum corps.
Seem they don't do anything right in today's drum corps.
@@tommcconville4270 I agree with you 100%. Today is June 2nd 2023. Former member of the Long Island Sunrisers 1964 through 1968. Co-founder of the American Spirits, senior alumni drum and bugle Corps, in the Tampa Bay Florida area, along with, John Dowling, may he rest in peace. He was a good friend. He's the person that developed and started back sticking, first time ever used in, Airforce, drum quartet. They took first place, the judges and the audience with Blown Away could not believe what they were witnessing.
I'm on that video. My older brother and I are FMM's of the Cavaliers 1965-1967. It's correct that we came from New Orleans to Boston. The "Go..Go..Chicago," before we took the field came from Truman Crawford and the Royalaires in support of us. They did not compete but did compete in the CYO Chanmpionship which we didn't which was held shortly after the AL Chanpionship.
Yes, but its been 50 years since then. We all had knick names but I remember him.
Royal-Airs
Can anyone please tell me who won '67 CYO Nat'ls.? I'm thinking it was Boston Crusaders. I competed in a small time M & M corps, we weren't even in that universe of Class A corps.
AND YEARS AHEAD OF IT'S TIME!!!
omg dat snare open roll
Dan,
I was at Fenway Park that day (the one and only time I saw the Cavaliers; I was excited, having only heard them on vinyl). I wasn't disappointed, although my heart has always been with Saint Kevin.
It only took me 50 years (!), but I did get to wear the "Christmas Tree Uniform" of the Emerald Knights and am so damn proud of it!
So, Dan, what corps were you with before the Cavaliers?
Cavs were the best corps in the country BY FAR in '67, way ahead of even the best competitors then. Yet they placed 2nd. to Blessed Sacrament in the '66 Dream, and they were great at that show too. Go figure.
Easy to figure.
The Dream was always held @ Roosevelt Stadium in North Jersey, heartland of the National & Mid Atlantic Judging Assocs. Most of the guys who were working judges were aged out North Jersey drum.corps members & several of them.were arrangers & horn & drum.instructors for some of the NJ outfits. They always had it worked out abt who ranked who. Didn't mean you couldn't manage a win if you were an outsider but yo do so you had to be near perfect to pull it off 'cos they were ready to hit you for every little thing. Just the yr before, the Troopers made their 1st East Coast swing & won just abt everything - including VFW Nat'ls held in that same stadium where they had won the Dream just a wk before. If Sac was at its absolute top form & your corps was demonstrably as good, Sac would get the benefit of the doubt while they would tip their hats to you by setting you down maybe a sixteenth of a point. The crowd always knew why. My corps got done in the same way @ VFW Nat'ls down in Fla. In the very late '50's by a10th of a point when we had won 2 or 3 of the captions. It think it was Garfield who beat us & it was known that this was due to be their yr. The guys who were judging that night were fresh from aging out of North Jersey corps when we had been beating them like we owned them not quite 5 yrs before. Everyone knew what was going on. Even the guys from Garfield came over to apologize.
The 60's ! great days of real drum & bugle Corps ! Kenosha Kingsmen / Mariners GO ARMY NRA USA
To Bob Stevens: could you tell me who Cavs drum man was? Believe it was Larry Mc Cormick, thanks much.
Yes it was McCormick
My brother marched with the Cavaliers drum line. I'm not sure if this was his first or second year. He went back as drum instructor after he stopped marching with the corps.
Check out the drum judge. Tell him to get a drink at the snack bar... Just saw BC at Salem VA this week .7/12 One of my favorites. They still have more of the old stuff than most . Was very dissapointed when Cavies guard within 100 ft of field, when SCV was on had a pep rally in unison AUDIBLY interrupting SCVs performance twice. I have never witnessed such blatent dissrepect before. It really bothered me. I would have given them a 3pt. pen. Lost respect. They came in third. Karma?
Nothing Better Than Holton & Holton Ludwig Classic Bugles !
Wonder what ? corps is behind the Cavies on the starting line ?
Go Kenosha Kingsmen Go Army
Stadium is Fenway Park (yes, the one in Boston.)
W.P. Sullivan gatesmen
Gatesmen
What happened to the Gatesmen Drum & Bugle Corps So. Boston. Mass?
REMEMBER THE 36 INCH CYMBALS
DENNIS LESNIEWSKI: Oh I remember those. Awkward to carry but what a sound they had...
A friend carried large concert cymbals for Madison around 1976. His waist was skinny but he looked like the hulk. He used to trim his callouses with a pocket knife.
If this is when the troopers where in Jersey city I was there
I wish DCI would go back to this kind of drum corps instead of the crap we are forced to watch today.
Dan Currier: I remember PBS TV carrying the broadcast of the drum corps championships LIVE FOR FREE instead of this 💩 pay per view crap!! 😐 💩
Dan Currier: One thing I miss is the presentation of the colors. What do you think about the instrumentation? Trombones?
I remember the old style bugles with 1 valve and a slide. Then they added the rotor valve. They were good enough back then.....
Agree with ya Dan, I watched the DCI corps on PBS also. A bunch of know nothing hucksters, who don't know drum corps from a hole, only want to make a quick buck with this pay TV crap. They should all get lost.
They can't Dan, it was taken over by arrogant band and orchestra instructors, backed by left wing community activists.
@@tommcconville4270 They just might. They're not making all.that much $ these days & there are reports from everywhere of corps after corps going under. The "crowds" they draw are pathetic so they really need those PPV bucks now. But worst of all, I keep.reading abt how membership is going way down & it's hard for them to hang on to warm bodies. Gee, you mean that system of how not everybody will be allowed to.march while those that don't make it will have to like languishing in lower class feeder orgs or lump it isn't working?? I cannot believe it! The publicity/press organs for the head honchos blame it on COVID, for one thing, the lousy economy for another, and last I read online they're now blaming the kids themselves & tearing out their hair over "How in the world can we get them to come back if we can't make it possible for them to march with a 'winner', like they all seem to want to do??" Back on '73, the powers that be made like the revolutionary thing they were going for was to set the whole organization up as a major gateway into big time show business.
Broadway!
Bulls**t.
Now they can't deliver & they don't wanna talk abt why.
I do not feel sorry for them.
They avidly worked to throw the heart out of drum corps.
Let them make fools out of themselves dancing w/the corpse.
So,why a "pit?". Everything needed was carried onto the field.
And they marched! Ok, sometimes pretty badly but, hey, it was the drum.line!
生まれてまだ1歳、15年後日本のdrum corpsに入隊したよ〜。
Who is the soprano soloist in concert
George Barr. He's still around.
Is that a Splooie at 0:22
The Crusaders went on first at the AL Nats. It hurt them. Crusaders won several times against the Cavs. I personally liked the Crusaders best.
The color is kind of dull
Lolol!😂😂😂
CAVALIERS RANDY CZAPAGA RONNIE METRO BOB ROSS
I have to laugh at seeing this show. My cousin was in the color guard as one of the riflemen.. My dad was one of the bus drivers for the Royalaires. I myself was in getting ready to enter the Marine corps. I had marched with Norwood Park Imperials until the summer. Randy Czapaga's parents owned the Dairy Queen in Wheeling. My Cavies connection was very close, and sometimes pressured to become a Cavalier.
Once out of boot camp, my company Commander got a phone call from Washington D.C. This call came from Colonial Truman Crawford. At this point, you can imagine, 8th. and I , the home of the Marine Corps Commandant, gets peoples' attention. Especially being I was just out of basic training. I get to my Commanders office, and our Battalion Commander was there and his aides, wanting to know why 8th. and I, was calling especially for a PFC. the second lowest rank of the Marines. My Commander called back and spoke to the base operator and ask to be put through to a specific extension. Next thing I hear was Colonial Crawford speaking. Yes , the real Colonel Crawford asking to speak to me. Being on speaker phone, Colonial Crawford, gently asked, "we are transferring you to Marine Corps. Drum and Bugle Corps". We need a baritone, and you would fit in. I would have to extend my enlistment another 6 years making my service 10 years, plus I would be promoted to Staff Sargent, and no more promotions. My battalion Commander pipes up with Private Boyes, has orders cut for Vietnam with the 3rd. 155 guns. He is leaving with his new unit in 3 weeks. We desperately, need him in this move. Colonial Crawford conceded, and made it clear when I get back. to please call him and the transfer would still be there. The Imperials, Cavies, and Royalaires battles were legendary at that time. Don Warren, Bob Briske, and Sye Laurie, plus Truman Crawford, my girlfriend a Royalaires color guard member, my cousin, and Randy Czapaga was enough to make people wonder. I regret today , not taking the 8th. and I position. All Colonial Crawford had to do is call the Commandant and my transfer would be done.
I ended up making the first assault on Vietnam in 1965 August in fact. 20/20 in hindsight is perfect vision. I left the Marine Corps in July 68, at 23 years old. DCI has ruined drum corps. Now they use gimmicks, trombones, a cello, and bugles that are more trumpets than bugles.
An Imperial to this day. So sad to see them fall away.