After talking with a few Old School drummers on DLO I thought it would be cool to start a thread for some of the older DCI guy's and gal's to have a place to put some of their history, pictures and stories down for the new generation to have and learn from.

So, any of you Old Timers have any good stories or history that you want to share, please put it all down for everyone to read.

I just knew someone on here would set the record strait, so HM you have any more you want to share? After reading some of the posts in the history section, the info just didn't go with what I remember. But I wanted to give those who were there a chance to put the record strait so there was no body able to depute the topic with what they heard.

I remember the very next year in 1977 most drumlines were using 10 snares and 5 tenors to balance the sound. I know Blue Devils won DCI drums that year and only marched 9 snares. But 10 was becoming common as the next season 1978, SCV won drums with 10 snares. I did see Madison Scouts in 1974 with 9 snares at DCI Midwest and must have had problems they marched 8 at DCI finals. Execution was a major factor in winning drums at nationals.

Ok, keeping in the theme of history lessons I am placing a time line of drumline moments in time if any one finds any info incorrect please feel free to post a correction. I do not claim that any of the info is / are the correct event.


Drumline's Greatest Moment;
28,000 BC Invention of Percussion Prehistoric Man

1400’s Tympani are strapped to the backs of horses and are marched into battle

1500,s Swiss establish first three rudiments Swiss Triplets

1610 The first written drum march. It was not broken into bars, but had sounds written to indicate each note; pou-tou, Rpoung, etc. (the early version of drummers’ mouth music?) The special march was first played in Prince Harry’s presence.

1863 Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to a drummer of Company D, 3rd Vermont Volunteer Infantry. Willie Johnston

1947 inception of back sticking as wrist a devoloper

1955 First Use of Mallet instrument in Competition – Bugle Bells Madison Scouts

1957 First Use of Plastic Heads Cavaliers

1958 Spinning Cymbals Appleknockers

1959 USAF Drum corps introduced back sticking to the public

1960 Suspended Cymbals Boston Crusaders

1961 first manual for back sticking is written by John R. Dowlan( sold for .50 cents)

1961 First on field use of timbales Hawthorne Caballeros

1962 Introduced the first rudimental bass drum Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights

1965 First use of tuned bass drums Chicago Royal Airs
?Mitch Markovich - Cavaliers?

1965 Use of multiple pitch tenor drums St. Josephs Cadets

1967 Marching of two attached bass drums horizontally – in competition Boston Crusaders
Gerry Shellmer

1967 First marching tympani Ludwig, Boston Crusaders,
Boston Crusaders, Des Plaines Vanguard, SCV, St Joes, Madison Scouts, Royal Airs

1967 Marching Timbale/Bongo set Emerald Statesmen

1968 First triple bass Reading Buccaneers

1968 Development of the early double/triple toms Ludwig, Boston Crusaders, Des Plaines Vanguard, Anaheim Kingsmen, St Joes, Norwood Park Imperials, Reading Bucaneers
Jerry Shellmer, Glen Smith

1969 First mallet instrument carried in DCA competition Sunrisers

1969 Marching Cymbal Rack (5 cymbals) St. Lucy’s Cadets

1971/1972 First quad bass drums carried Yankee Rebels

1971 Fielding of 8 snare drums Blue Rock, Yankee Rebels

1973 First use of carriers/harnesses Santa Clara Vanguard

1973 Fielding of 9 snare drums St. Andrew Bridgeman

1974 Troopers drumline first to use " split snare parts and split rolls" in their solo "Yankee Doodle Dandy" now known as "B-Flat splits"

1974, 73 54 Consecutive high drum – regular season Santa Clara Vanguard

1974,1975 First back to back I&E snare solo winner ( 74=94.30/75=95.40 )Steve Chorazy, Santa Clara Vanguard

1975, 74, 73 Three consecutive Drum Titles Santa Clara Vanguard

1976 Fielding of 14 snare drums New York Skyliners

1976 Blue Devils win their first drum title(19.10) and again in 1977(18.80)

1977 First time the highest scoring drumline at Nationals didn’t go home with the trophy Oakland Crusaders

1977 First use of sep-toms – seven drums per rack Spirit of Atlanta

1977 First use of cut-away style tenors Santa Clara Vanguard,Oakland Crusaders, Slingerland


1977/1978 Kevlar®Æ drumhead created – Introduced in 1978 as Duraline Peter De Bear and Sam Muchnick

1978 World record for constant drum playing during a march – 20 miles Royal Crusaders

1978 First use of Quints Cavaliers

1978 Tom-Tom’s "iso-drums" mounted on the snare drums Boston Crusaders

1978 Fielding of 12 snare drums Phantom Regiment, 27th Lancers, Madison Scouts

1979, 78, 77 Three consecutive DCA drum titles Sunrisers

1979 The "DC10" stick is introduced Promark

1979 Bongos mounted on the snare drums Blue Devils

1980 Spirit – Bridgemen "tie" for drums – Bananas win when the GE sheets are added. DCI Birmingham, Al.

1980 Use of two tenor lines [high & low] four players each Santa Clara Vanguard

1981 North snares and tenors for first tour – tenors are tri toms – Spirits Line that year consisted of 12 snares, 7 tenors, and 7 basses Spirit of Atlanta

1981 "Hi Volume" snares from Ludwig – middle section of snare shell removed Guardsmen, Phantom Regiment, Marty Hurley

1982 Last use of sling in DCI Bayonne Bridgemen

1982, 81, 80 Three consecutive DCI drum titles Bayonne Bridgemen

1983 Blindfolded Snare Line performs Dennis Delucia’s "Black Market Juggler" Bayonne Bridgemen

1983 Full conga/bongo/timbale line instead of traditional snare/tenor lineup San Jose Raiders

1983 Use of Hi Hats From Sideline Spirit of Atlanta

1984 Three stick toss during solo Spirit of Atlanta

1984 Feature of marching xylophone solo Cadets

1985 25 sets of marching cymbals for feature Blue Devils

1985 Synthesizer used as a feature instrument in drum solo Boston Crusaders

1983-1986 DCI – Most Consecutive High Drum Trophy Wins (4) Blue Devils

1986 100 score in snare drum individuals at DCI Steven Campbell – Blue Devils

1987 Development of the first "Free Floating" snare drum PREMiER

I find this partial to various groups and instructors. If your corps dosen`t make finals you can`t possibly be the best drumline. I have witnessed other lines that won prelims and did not win finals it is a completely different event(different judges as well). So for the year 1977 the Blue Devils were DCI Drum caption winners and played a very difficult and exposed book that should have been rewarded more than what was given. Tom Float played the game with drumlines and was known as the "Water King" since he would take anything out of the book that was a tick or .1 mistake! His writing style was geared toward execution and sounded like check patterns to the music. He did not win GE Drums at all except when in 1986 they played the 1976 Channel One Suite Buddy Rich big band chart and his parts were not drum set sounding as the original but check patterns to music again! GE is more of a music effect score and check patterns are mechanical in sound. BD`s did not change a note all season! I was their snare tech!

Oh, I saw 1973 St Andrews Bridgemen and they were not clean, I think you should have given credit for a championship line not who threw a bunch of drums on the field. The Troopers beat them in drums by points!

In 1976 you give credit for a senior corps with 14 snares which I also witnessed and they were not clean at all. The BD`s in 1976 won drums at DCI and no mention is made and they did it with 10 snares. The first line with 10 snares to win DCI. I`d like to add that BD`s winning drums in 1977 DCI was also a first with 9 snare drums! Before the most snares in a DCI championship line was 8.

Ok, I was reading some of the older posts in the history catagory and I find no credible anwser to this question and since we have a few members that were around when this was implemented:

1. How did the high percussion award come about?

Nationals has always awarded a high caption award for Drums, Brass and M&M. They have just recently gave it the name Sanford to honor Fred for his work and his life. I remember when DCI first started Slingerland gave out the 1st place trophy for Corps. It was a TDR with a Trophy on top. I think they also gave the high drums but with no mention to any person.

O.k. there was a question about snare visuals and a part of the answer about backsticking was incorrect. I don't know about the part on the British starting backsticking in the 1700's. I can find no proof of this, maybe, maybe not. But the Skyliners were not the first to use backsticking. I am using John Dowlans manual as the reference for this since this is the first written manual (1961) for the subject. Now the first mention of backsticking that I can find is the mention of it being implemented in 1947 as a wrist conditioning exercise. The second time it is mentioned is in 1959, it was implemented by the USAF drum corps, not the Skyriders.
Now I tend to believe the information since Mr. Dowlan has been involved in our art of drumming since 1937 and an instructor for many of the early drum corps that have paved the way for us.
A bit of trivia on Mr. Dowlan... He was the national snare drum champion 6 times 1949,50,52 also 1959 and 1960. On the board of N.A.R.D. during his time and in the DCI hall of fame as one of the forefathers of DCI. His manual, 'Introduction to Backsticking', was published in 1961 and sold for the enormous price of $0.50, LOL! It is a small book of 8 pages and though the exercises are not that difficult compared to the backsticking of our age, it is nice to have for history's sake.
On the other originators of stick tricks I will leave to the ones who were there in the beginning, there are a few members who can answer this question "The History of Snare Visuals".

I do remember that chart well taken right from the album with Steve Gadd playing drum set on "My Spanish Heart". It even had orchestral ideas in some of the dynamic passages and the timing was not easy to execute. That line played a lot of notes that year they were really working for that show! One drum tape came back saying that Odello wrote one of his best pieces when it was Terry Shalbergs composition. He had a good laugh at that one. Shalberg was the center snare not Scott Johnson. The concert was called Spanish Fantasy!

Ok, can someone shed some light on these statements found in an old post on snare visuals?

(copied from another post) "I think you can look up Rich Viano for some balance tricks (on arm and on rim). Backsticking was invented in the 1700's by the British. It was introduced again in 1959 by the Skyliners I believe. Mickey Burmer invented the one stick pass roll. I think Mike Mcintosh invented some 3-stick stuff. Mark Casey invented the claw in the early 90's. I've heard rumors that Queen invented 3-way backsticking, but I'm not sure. That's all I can think of right now.

As of when they started being judges, the tricks were always being judged. Or at least as long as general effect and demand have been. They express your solo more and are often challenging."


I already talked about the back sticking info, but the 3-way back sticking has Queen as a possible originator, but in one of Scott Johnson's LOTW he claims to have been the originator for his snare line to use.

Anyone have the facts?