Bill Schaefer recently posted a Forum item about ways to honor the "jillions" of drum corps which have preceded the current DCI offerings. An admirable goal, but DCI will NEVER do that.

His post made me reflect on all the Chicago/ Northern Illinois area corps which have disappeared. Many just lost funding or membership, often due to a changing society. Others couldn't keep up with the new demands of DCI.

Here are some which came to mind .. maybe you can add to this sad list. This was from the "glory days" of community based drum corps, a YOUTH actvity.

Austin Grenadiers ( a National champion)
Cougars, Morton Grove
Custers Brigade, Mundelein
Debutantes, Quincy, IL (all girl)
Evanston Lancers
Franklin Park Colonels
Fox Valley Raiders
Giles Yellow Jackets
Gladstone Park D & B corps
Illinana Lancers
IMPERIALS (Norwood Park, Skokie, Mt. Prospect)
Kankakee Lancers
McHenry Viscounts
Nisei Ambassadors
Quincy Trojans (IL)
Rockford Purple Lancers
Royal Airs (another National Champion)
St. Alexis Vikings, Bensenville
Scarlet Lancers, Round Lake?
Vanguard (Logan Square, Mel Tierney, Skokie, Des Plaines)
Vaqueros, Elmhurst
Vaqueros, Aurora
Windy City Cadets, Chicago

The Gay Blades (seriously - an all-black corps that competed against the Cadets in the early 70's)

The Berwyn Centurions (I only remember this because their old truck was parked next to the White Castle we used to go to on the way home to Joliet)

Guardsmen (an old Imperials nemesis from the early 70's, and later a DCI corps)

Kewanne/Geneseo Knights (earlier the Black Knights); they were first a senior corps, then a junior and were pretty good in 71-73

What did you do in the Corps? Snare; Drum Major; Drum Instructor/Arrnager

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

More:

St. Michael's Chi-Angels (from the west side)

Also: the Scarlet Lancers is wrong, it was the Scarlet Knights, from Grayslake.

Gosh, how could I have overlooked the Guardsmen?

I only looked at Northern Illinois corps .. omitting Wisconsin and southern Illinois

You Mentioned the Chi-Angels. They merged with the Morton Grove Cougars at end of 1963 season and competed as the Spartans in 1964. Think they broke up after 1964 and members joined other corps including Norwood.

Couple of Senior Corps to add - Skokie Indians, Men of Brass, McHenry Red Devils, Winfield Scott Rebels. Juniors - Momence White Tornadoes, Milstadt Crusaders, Maple City Cadets (Indiana?), Bellettes (all girl), Ottawa Crusaders.

What did you do in the Corps? Drum

What years were you a Corps member? 61-69

Berwyn Blue Knights - probably the precurser to the Centurions, Wah Mei (Chinese).

What did you do in the Corps? Drum

What years were you a Corps member? 61-69

yep, I remember most of them. This is a long, sad list.

How about Jackson Raiders & St Andrew's Hornets from Chicago and the Regal Valiants from Villa Park

What did you do in the Corps? Drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1965-1971

Thanks Denny! This sad list just keeps growing!

I think the Regal Valiants remained as a color guard after the corps disbanded, because I remember them from the 70s, but not as a corps. My former drum sergeant in the Cavaliers married a Regal Valiant, as did my best friend there.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare; Drum Major; Drum Instructor/Arrnager

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

Wasn't there a Chessmen in there somewhere?

What did you do in the Corps? Sop

What years were you a Corps member? 1979

I the Chessmen. Thought they lasted till early '60's.

What did you do in the Corps? Drum

What years were you a Corps member? 61-69

The Regal Valiants kind of almost merged with NP in 1975 they thought they were merging We were trying to steal them. I went to march with Boys of 76 in July so I don't know if NP was successful.

This web site has recordings from all kinds of corps check it out. http://preserveourcorpsmemories.com ordercustomCDs.htm

Gosh! The list I have is now up to 39 corps!

And that is just Illinois. Add Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan. Yikes.

If this is true (as I suspect it is) for the rest of the country...
I can easily believe that we have lost HUNDREDS of local, community-based, YOUTH oriented drum corps.

Very sad.

Maybe someone could ask DCI if they care.

Wasn't there a Senior Corps called The Chicago Connection? All I remeber was that they dressed in ganster outfits and always tried stealing the trophies off the sidelines.

What did you do in the Corps? Drums & Horn

What years were you a Corps member? 1978-1981

Yes, the Chicago Connection was a fun corps. They used the Chicago gangster theme for their uniforms and program. The color guard used "tommy guns" instead of rifles. They were around for a few years.