- Colts Drum and Bugle Corps
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Colts
Location Dubuque, Iowa Division World Class Founded 1963 Director Greg Orwoll Championship Titles None Corps Uniform Red and silver jackets with black pants and red shakos and red plumes. The Colts Drum and Bugle Corps are a World Class (formerly Division I) drum and bugle corps based in Dubuque, Iowa and founded in 1963, and are a member corps of Drum Corps International. Also known at times as the Dubuque Junior Dukes, the Legionnaires, and the Colt .45s, the Colts are a recurring DCI finalist corps, and may have been the first corps to perform in an irregular meter, using a piece in a 7/4 time signature during their 1970 show.
Slightly larger than LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Dubuque is the second smallest metropolitan area in the nation with a World Class touring corps, and as such they enjoy strong community support. Friday night bingo at the corps hall is extremely popular.
The Colts are eight time DCI finalists. Their highest finish was in 1995, when they placed 9th.
The Colts are currently directed by Greg Orwoll.
Their 2011 show is entitled DECEPTION : The Jagged Edge
Contents
The Dubuque Junior Dukes
In the spring of 1963 The American Legion of Dubuque Iowa decided to start a junior drum corps and an ad was placed in the paper asking for boys who were interested to come to the Legion hall for a meeting. There they were given old drums and bugles from the senior drum corps, the "Dukes of Dubuque". They adopted the name, the Dubuque Junior Dukes, from the Senior Corp. Their first uniforms consisted of black pants, black shoes and while shirts. They wore black and white "overseas" caps with a red tassel. The name Junior Dukes appeared on the cap, as well as the "Fleur de lis." The Corps first Drum Major was Barry Buelow. The Junior Dukes consisted of 24 horns, 10 drums, 2 flags and 2 colorguards, who guarded the "colors" or the American Flag. The first two years were parade units, and when the Dukes of Dubuque founded the corps was taken over by Dick Davis, Clerance Hagge and Bob Buelow. In 1965 the Dukes decided it was time for a name change.
The Legionnaires
From 1965–1968 the corps was known as The Legionnaires. The corps only had 15 returning members, so it expanded to include 13–15 year olds as well. The uniforms changed to black shirts, pants and shoes with white scarves. In the fall of 1965 girls were allowed to join the corps. The corps numbered 42 and the 1965–1969 Drum Major was Rob Astgen.
In 1966 the corps had 75 members, ranging from 11–16 years old. The corp earned its first trophy taking 2nd place in Hazel Green, WI.[clarification needed] In 1967 the Legionnaires had 80 members with an average age of 16. The cadets were started as a feeder corps for the Legionnaires. In 1968 the corps traveled over 4000 miles and had 82 members whilst the Cadets had 80. The Legionnaires took 8 first-place trophies and 4 second-place trophies. The city of Dubuque proclaimed the Legionnaires as "Junior Ambassadors of Goodwill" for the city and presented them with the Dubuque flag.
The corps parents and booster club was founded on November 16, 1969.
Colt .45
The Legionnaires changed their name to Colt .45 on November 14, 1968. The "Colts" wore western themed uniforms and played western themed music. The Colts participated in 18 events throughout Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan and won the Iowa VFW Junior Championship. The Cadets were numbered at 86 and had their first field drill.
In 1970 the corps won the Iowa State American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps Show and the color guard won the Iowa State American Legion Color Guard Championship with less than three weeks to prepare. They also performed the Colt. 45 stomp, which was the first non-standard meter arrangement in drum-corps activity. The Drum Major from 1970–1973 was John "Fuzzy" Hartman.
In 1971 Harlow Haas took over as director, the corps took first place at the American Legion Color Guard Championships. They also purchased new horns and drums for roughly $6000. In 1972 Eldon "Fritz" Biver took over as the director. The corps traveled over 6,000 miles this year and placed 12th in the American Legion Nationals, and 9th in the VFW Nationals. The budget of the corp increased to $42,000 this year. In 1973 the corps placed 2nd at the state legion championships and went on tour to New Orleans, Louisiana for the VFW nationals placing 5th. The also played during half-time Bears/Lions game at Soldier Field in Chicago. In 1974 the corps placed 3rd at the American Legion Championship. Joe McFarlane took over as Drum Major. In 1975 the corps was directed by Dick "Sarge" Feipel, and the Drum Major was Kevin O'Toole.
The Colts
In 1976 the corps dropped the ".45" from their name due to limitations on western music. The Colts consisted of 105 members although 23 quit during the summer. The corps had two uniforms for marching both parade and field shows.[clarification needed] Tom Faulkner took over as director and Kevin O'Toole remained the Drum Major. The Colts took 25th at the VFW[clarification needed] championships in New York. The Color Guard scored the highest number of points in DCI[clarification needed] history.
Jim Killoran took of as Executive Director and Jim Mason took over as Director in 1977. Bob Vasquez took over as the Drum Major of the corps. The corps reached its largest size of 120 members only 9 of which were from outside Dubuque. The corp played 26th at DCI but, due to a disqualification, ended up in 25th. They placed 12th at the American Legion Championships. In 1978 Jim Killoran left the Colts. The corps also purchased new bugles for $21,543 and they practiced for 12–15 hour days. Bob Vasquez was named 3rd runner-up for Best Drum Major of the Year by Drum Corps World and Jolene Miller-O'Toole was named Color Guard Captain of the Year by Drum Corps World.
In 1979 the Drum Line and Color guard received new uniforms and the corps also played for President Jimmy Carter. Dave Kapp, the corps Drum Major, shook hands with the president, who said the corps "sounded great". The corps established the Robert M. Buelow Award 1980 which paid tribute to Bob for his 17 years of service. In recent years semi-finals has been referred to as "Colts Finals" due to lackluster performances.
The corps purchased three buses which they named the Poseidon, Lusitania and Titanic. They also received a lot of publicity in Dubuque as the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps and Larry Rothbard took over as Drum Major. In 1982 the corps had two Drum Majors, Keith Scharnau and Tim Shirey. Greg Orwoll joined the staff and the Colts placed 24th in DCI. This placement finally met their goal of placing in the top 25.
In 1983 the Colts introduced the first complete show design in DCI history, using it to tell a story. In North Carolina the crowd actually booed their 2nd-place finish believing they should have gotten first.[citation needed] In 1984 The Colts used four trap sets in their show and bought horns from the bankrupt Memphis Blue Brass Band. After seven years Jim Mason left the Corps abd Greg Orwoll took over the corps in 1985, still serving as director today. The corps placed 16th in the DCI final, their highest yet. During the summer the corps was proclaimed "Iowa's Ambassadors of Music" by Governor Terry Branstad.
In 1986 JJ Miller took over as the Drum Major of the corps and the corps received new uniforms. They placed 20th in DCI finals that year. In 1987 Julie Yanda and Bart Miller were the corps drum majors. Julie was the Colts first female Drum Major. The corps dropped the trapset line and the Colts finished 20th that season. Ky Hascall was the Drum Major in 1988. The corps' musical arrangers brought a different approach that season using Jazz. 75% of the corps were Iowa high school and college students. The corps placed 18th that year. The corps also defeated their rival "Troopers" that year.
In 1989 during Dubuque's Music on the March show disaster stuck when it rained 3/4 of an inch after the first 90 minutes of the show. 15 buses were stuck in the mud and it took until 3 am for tow trucks to pull them out. The show was dubbed the "Music in the Mud" for several years after. In 1990 the corps had another uniform change and also switched to silver-plated instruments. Shane Oswald took over as Drum Major. The corps placed 23rd in the DCI Finals. 1990 was a turning point for the Colts.
In 1991 the Colts' pants changed to white from the previously worn black and were sewn by over 90 volunteers in a two month period. Anne Keller was the Drum Major and the corps placed 22nd at the DCI Finals. In 1992 the Colts placed 20th at the DCI Finals and also continued to build a strong member base in Iowa. In 1993 the Colts took 12th at the DCI world finals and The Corps also purchased 10 new mellophones. The Colts Alumni Association and the Colts Hall of Fame were formed. The Hall of Fame is a way to recognize the people who have been a vital part of the Colts history. Inductees were Eldon "Fritz" Biver, Bob Buelow, Dick Fox, Harlow Haas, Clarence Hagge, Mel Hein and Merle Mathis. Christian Baughman served as Drum Major.
The corps took 12th again in 1994 and Beth Miller and Alan Becki were inducted into Colts Hall of Fame. The corps saw six members from Japan in 1995 and the corps bought 10 new Yamaha Tubas. Derald and Jean Schrobilgen and Steve Delaney were inducted into the Colts Hall of Fame. The corps finished 9th in the DCI finals. In 1996 the Corps aged out[clarification needed] 31 members, which beat 1995's record of 17. The corps also had three European and two Japanese members. The corps placed 11th that year. The corps placed 13th in 1997, and Emily Neuendorf and Bryan Sulzer took over as Drum Majors. The corps had 11 age-outs. This was also the first time the corps had a two-time age-out. A recent rule change allowed 22 year olds to march, provided they turned 22 during the summer. Jessica Bibb was eligible for this rule but opted to age-out at 21 in 1996. With two weeks left in the season a member unexpectedly had to leave the tour. Jessica was traveling with the corps as a cook. She was persuaded to come out of her "retirement" to fill the newly opened spot. After three days of rehearsal she made her final appearance as a Colt.
1998 involved a disaster when the corps buses got into an accident and six injured members were sent to hospital. The rest of the corps arrived at the show where the other corps pitched in to help the Colts by donating food, supplies, and their time. The Phantom Regiment played "Amazing Grace" for the Colts. The Colts bounced back from the accident and placed 12th in the finals. In 1999, while in Denver, Colorado, the corps kitchen truck caught fire. They stayed in a town in Nebraska who helped out by donating time, supplies, and money so the truck could rejoin the corps. At the DCI finals all of the corps participating gathered on the field to play "America/Oh Canada". On that Wednesday a number of participants went to Solo/Ensemble contest winning the World Champion Cymbal Line. Consisting of Mark Sulzer, Heather Stoner, Susan Stockseth, Lauren Paul, Adam Steffen, and Ryan Whitehouse, the line had a score of 97 out of 100. The corps once again placed 12th that year.
In 2000 Jeremiah "Dusty" Johnson took over as the corps Drum Major and Jason Czaja/Aniela Lemanski served as Backfield Conductors. The corps placed 14th that year. The corps also bought the corps hall, which happened to be the same building which the Colts lost their lease to in 1981. In 2001 Brian Greenleaf came in as the new Color guard caption head, and Michael James was the Color guard designer. Brett Hall came back to the brass staff, but in the position of caption head. The Colts also welcomed Dr. Mike Robinson in as the new Music Coordinator, and Michael Klesch wrote the brass book. Mark Smith (percussion caption head) and Ryan Thomas wrote an intense and innovative percussion book that year as well. The corps performed at Bands of America in Normal, Illinois and defeated the Madison Scouts for the first time. Seth Banwell took over as Drum Major.
The Colts marched in the inauguration parade for President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2009.
Colt Cadets and other local programs
The Colts Youth Organization also supports the Colt Cadets, an Open Class (formerly Division II) drum corps for ages 11–17. It is one of only three cadet corps remaining in DCI and the only one of such a young age group.
The Colt Cadets and youth programs director is Vicki Schaffer who has been with the Colts organization first as a member in 1994 and 1995 and on the administrative staff since 2001.
The Colts Youth Organization also sponsors additional local programs including: Vocal Fusion – a school-year song and movement program for grades 3–8, the Colts Summer Band Program – offering private lessons and a concert band experience in the summer, and PanrhythmiX – a steel drum and percussion program based at Prescott Elementary School, a fine arts magnet school.
A total of 360 young people, grade 3 through age 21, are members of Colts programs and 240 of them are local and immediate area residents.
Iowa Governor Chester Culver named the Colts "Iowa's Ambassadors of Music" in 2007.
External links
The Academy • Blue Devils • Blue Knights • Blue Stars • Bluecoats • Boston Crusaders • The Cadets • Carolina Crown • Cascades • Cavaliers • Colts • Crossmen • Glassmen • Jersey Surf • Madison Scouts • Mandarins • Pacific Crest • Phantom Regiment • Pioneer • Santa Clara Vanguard • Spirit • Teal Sound • Troopers
Categories:- DCI Open Class corps
- DCI World Class corps
- Dubuque, Iowa
- Musical groups established in 1963
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