Blue Devils
The Blue Devils
| Location | Concord, CA |
|---|---|
| Division | World Class |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Director | David Gibbs |
| Championship Titles | 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 |
| Corps Uniform | 2011: Blue jacket with black stripes going down the right arm and white stripes down the right abdomen. Black and blue striped half skirt on the right side. Black pants with two white stripes running down the right leg. Black show. Black shako with a white plume. |
The Blue Devils are a Junior Drum & Bugle Corps based in Concord, California. As 14-time champions of Drum Corps International since their first championship in 1976, the "Devs" offer young men and women between the ages of 7 and 21 quality educational and performance experiences in the areas of musical and dance performance. Founded in 1957, The Blue Devils’ objective is to develop personal character through challenging physical, emotional, mental, and social activities while promoting the values of dedication, hard work, and commitment to a team effort. Over 450 young people currently participate in The Blue Devils programs, and over 6,000 young people, in 1,800 families, have been served by The Blue Devils organization in its 44-year history.
The Blue Devils organization ("BD Performing Arts") currently consists of the "A", "B", and "C" Drum & Bugle Corps, the Diablo Wind Symphony, "Open" and "A" Winter Guards and a Twirling program. A new organization, BD Entertainment has been formed to provide you the opportunity to witness dazzling visuals and spectacular sound at Corporate meetings, conventions and tradeshows and special events, offering only the finest theatre art, music and dance.
Contents |
History
The Blue Devils began as a drum-only corps in 1957, and later added glockenspiels to the marching ensemble. In 1961, the Color Guard section was added, followed by the Brass section in 1970.
Ann and Tony Odello and the Concord, California, branch of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) acquired the defunct Martinettes drum corps and drill team in 1957. On that foundation they created the Blue Devils (named "Blue" for the VFW color and "Devils" after Concord's local landmark, Mt. Diablo). Starting with fewer than 50 young members, the organization was an all-boy drum corps unit using only percussion instruments, with a separate all-girl marching team. During the late 1950s and early 1960s the Blue Devils organization oversaw several drum and bell and twirling corps. The drum and bell corps won many major competitions and held the California state championships for a number of years. The junior and senior twirling corps won every major state, regional, and national competition.[citation needed] The senior twirling team, the Devil's Advocates, was also very successful during the 1980s. The team won seven national championships as well as the world championships in 1983 and 1984.
Tony Odello resigned as manager of the bell corps in 1964, and Jerry Seawright assumed the position, with Erlene Shaffer as manager of the majorettes. In 1965 the twirlers fielded a group with twelve members to compete in field shows and parades.
In 1968, a third unit was added to the Blue Devils when a new junior corps was established after the original junior drum and bell corps elected to compete as a senior unit. All of these units did so well that in the late 1960s the senior drum and bell corps decided to make the transition to a full drum and bugle corps.
In 1970, the Blue Devils recruited ten brass players to join the talented percussion line and color guard from the bell corps, and on February 14, 1971, the Blue Devils attended their first standstill competition in Downey, California. By the spring of 1972 the drum and bugle corps had grown in size to more than 70 members and traveled on their first summer tour to compete with groups in the Pacific Northwest. The corps did very well on this tour and changed their category from B to A status that same year.
The new Blue Devils toured on a national level for the first time in 1973 and gained associate membership in Drum Corps International by placing 23rd at the DCI Championships in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Also during 1973, the junior drum and bell corps was converted to a "B" bugle corps, and an even younger-aged "C" bugle corps was established.
In 1974 the corps earned a full DCI membership by virtue of their ninth place finish in Ithaca, New York. In 1975 the Blue Devils placed third, and in 1976 they won their first Drum Corps International Championship, topping every caption.
Since 1975 the Blue Devils have never placed out of the top five at Championships and have won the DCI World Championship title in 1976, '77, '79, '80, '82, '86, '94, '96, '97, '99, '03, '07, '09 and 2010, more than any other corps in history. The Blue Devils is the only corps to have scored in the 90s every year since 1975.
One unique aspect of the 1994 championship program was the use of scuba tanks as percussion instruments in the pit.
Two segments of the Blue Devils' 2003 show, 'The Phenomenon of Cool,' were in 5/4 time, Dave Brubeck's "Unsquare Dance" and "Take Five." They are the only corps in memory to march more than half their show in odd time. That extraordinary show was the vehicle for a season-long slow-motion race as the surging Blue Devils finally caught and passed the streaking Cavaliers to capture their 11th DCI championship, after a three-year hiatus, with a finals score of 98.8.
Blue Devils founder Jerry Seawright died in early 2004. That year, BD ran a nearly perfect string of wins right up to DCI Championships in Denver on the strength of a muscular jazz show entitled 'SummerTrain Blues Mix.' This railroad-themed show featured train-like vocal sound effects from the guard, as well as tuned railroad rails in the pit. On Finals night, the corps captured high guard and high brass before yielding the championship back to the Cavaliers by a mere 0.075 point.
Along with the DCI Championships, the Blue Devils Winter Guard won the Winter Guard International Championship in 1995, in 1996 with a record score of 99.45, in 1997 and again in 1998.
In the fall of 1989, the organization moved into its current building complex in the North Concord Business Park. There the Blue Devils Music School was established and began enrolling students as young as four years old. The music program, teaching piano, percussion and basic music theory to youth aged four to nine, currently involves over 150 students. In 1996 the organization added yet another program, The Diablo Wind Symphony. The Symphony serves 60 to 80 students ages 14 to 18.
Today the Blue Devils organization encompasses a wide spectrum of programs. The Blue Devils family includes the A, B, and C drum and bugle corps, three winter guard programs, and a world-class twirling program, in addition to the music school and the wind symphony. Over 500 young people, ages seven to twenty-one, are currently members of the Blue Devils performing units. More than 6000 young people have been served by the Blue Devils in its 47-year history.
Apart from their competitive performances, the Blue Devils are committed to offering the educational and cultural experience of international travel to their members. In 1983 the Blue Devils drum corps attended the 21st Century Celebration in Osaka, Japan. Teams from the Blue Devils twirling programs have traveled to Tokyo in 1982, Milan in 1983 (gold medal team winners), Calgary in 1984 (gold medal team winners), Turin, Italy in 1986 and Lyon, France in 1998. The percussion section was featured in 1988 as the centerpiece of a week-long schedule of performances at Japan Greenland. In the spring of 1988, the Blue Devils Winter Guard traveled to the Netherlands for clinics and performances. The drum corps returned to Japan in the fall of 1996 for a ten-day tour that included field show, parades, and indoor theatre performances, as well as clinics. The 2000, the Diablo Wind Symphony had a very successful fourteen-day Australian tour with performances in major Australian schools.
The Blue Devils have offered performances and clinics with great artists in the musical world. They have in concert with Maynard Ferguson, Bobby Shew and Chuck Mangione, as well as the late Stan Kenton and Buddy Rich. Clinics sponsored by the Blue Devils have featured Ralph Humphrey, Dave Weckl, Steve Houghton, Peter Erskine, Bob Montgomery and many others. The Blue Devils have highlighted musical selections from these great bands and artists in their repertoires over the years.
For an opportunity to entertain and perform in an intimate theater environment, the 1997 Blue Devils created 'Exhaltation,' combining the intimacy of the theater with the exhilarating power of field performances. 1998 saw an expansion of these performance opportunities with the creation of 'Exubero,' which traveled throughout the U.S. In 1999 audiences across the midwest and in Europe were treated to the exciting '{Jazz} Man in the Moon,' utilizing the talents of all sections to create a study of the ever present mystery of the effects of the moon on the cycles of life. The 2000 On-Stage production thrilled fans throughout Europe and was the centerpiece of the European tour.
Backed by a strong administrative program, The Blue Devils from Concord, California, rank unquestionably as the highest ranking and most consistent corps in the history of DCI.
The corps has been awarded Fifthteen Drum Corps International World Championship titles.
Management
BD Performing Arts is the corporate entitiy that manages the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps (also known as the Blue Devils A-Corps). Along with the A-Corps, BD Performing Arts supports the B-Corps, the C-Corps, the Blue Devils Winter Guard program, the Diablo Wind Symphony, and BD Entertainment. The Executive Director of BD Performing Arts is David Gibbs. The Board of Directors of BD Performing Arts are [1]:
- Kit Rodgers - President
- Donna Batchelor - Vice President
- Tom VandeWater - Chief Financial Officer
- Dodie Martz, Secretary
- Toby Cummings
- JoEllen Abate-McEntire, Alumnus
- Maile Collmer, Alumnus
- Jeff DeMello, Past Secretary, Past President, Alumnus,
- Rosa Lee Harden - Past President
- Doug Peterson, Alumnus
- Brian Ripley - Past Vice President
- Brandon Wilson, Alumnus
Mission
Music and the performing arts connect youth with their culture through a common language crossing generational, social, and racial barriers. The activities that a young person pursues influences the type of person he or she becomes. The experience that comes with participation in a performing arts organization builds discipline, character, pride, and self-confidence at a crucial age and forms the springboard to even greater achievements in adulthood.
BD Performing Arts programs permanently enrich the lives of young people through a commitment to youth development and performance excellence while providing enjoyment for our local community and audiences worldwide.
Shows by year
| Year | Program Title | Repertoire | Placement | Score | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Theme from Lawrence of Arabia
Symphony No. 9 America The Beautiful Big Spender (from Sweet Charity) Stoney End Shadow Of Your Smile (from The Sandpiper) |
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| 1972 | Strike Up The Band
Ave Maria Venus The Man I Love I Got Rhythm (from Girl Crazy) Day In The Life Of A Fool |
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| 1973 | Chant And Jubilo
Jupiter Ave Maria This Could Be The Start Of Something Big Miserlou Caravan Morning Of The Carnival |
24th | 66.10 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1974 | Chant And Jubilo
Bess, You Is My Woman Now (from Porgy and Bess) It Ain't Necessarily So (from Porgy and Bess) Legend Of The One-Eyed Sailor Feel Of A Vision Touch Of Venus Lady Sings The Blues |
9th | 79.15 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1975 | Space Shuttle
Love's Been Gone So Long What Is Hip? Squibb Cakes Legend Of The One-Eyed Sailor Feel Of A Vision Chase The Clouds Away |
3rd | 88.60 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1976 | Channel One Suite
Legend Of The One-Eyed Sailor Chase The Clouds Away |
1st | 92.70 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1977 | Channel One Suite
Spanish Fantasy Gonna Fly Now (from Rocky) |
1st | 92.05 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1978 | Chicago III Suite
Spanish Fantasy Legend Of The One-Eyed Sailor |
3rd | 91.20 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1979 | Chicago III Suite
La Suerte De Los Tontos My Heart Belongs To Me |
1st | 93.55 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1980 | New York Fantasy
Ya Gotta Try Pegasus Free La Suerte De Los Tontos Pauper In Paradise Dindi |
1st | 90.60 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1981 | New York Fantasy
Ya Gotta Try La Danse Bonheur One More Time Chuck Corea Johnny One Note (from Babes in Arms) La Danse Bonheur Dindi |
2nd | 93.70 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1982 | T.O.
Pegasus Paradox One More Time Chuck Corea People Alone (from The Competition) |
1st | 95.25 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1983 | T.O.
Everybody Loves the Blues Paradox One More Time Chuck Corea A New Beginning |
2nd | 93.80 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1984 | Bacchanalia
Latin Implosion Karn Evil 9 La Fiesta Like A Lover |
2nd | 97.90 | DCI Open class | |
| 1985 | Liferaft Earth
Trilogy Karn Evil 9 Piano Concerto No. 1 First Circle |
3rd | 97.10 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1986 | Channel One Suite
Conquistador Spanish Fantasy Chick Corea Suite |
1st | 98.40 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1987 | Fanfare For The New
Harlem Nocturne Echidna's Arf (Of You) Free Spanish Dreams |
4th | 94.40 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1988 | Happy Days Are Here Again
Old Black Magic Goodbye Yesterday Since I Fell For You |
3rd | 96.30 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1989 | Ya Gotta Try
If We Were In Love (from Yes, Georgio) Allegre Johnny One Note (from Babes in Arms) |
4th | 95.90 | DCI Open Class | |
| 1990 | Tommy | Sparks
See Me Feel Me Tommy Can You Hear Me? Pinball Wizard Underture Listening to You Overture Finale |
4th | 95.30 | DCI Open Class |
| 1991 | Conversations In Jazz | Commencement
(from Adventures in Time) Bird and Bela in B Flat (2nd Movement) Bird and Bela in B Flat (3rd Movement) |
5th | 93.80 | DCI Open Class |
| 1992 | Big, Bad, and Blue | Someone's There
El Congo Valiente (from Cuban Fire Suite) Fuego Cubano (from Cuban Fire Suite) La Suerte de Los Tontos (from Cuban Fire Suite) When a Man Loves a Woman |
4th | 95.40 | DCI Division I |
| 1993 | A Don Ellis Portrait | Open Wide
Great Divide Chain Reaction Strawberry Soup Niner-Two |
4th | 95.10 | DCI Division I |
| 1994 | My Spanish Heart | Spanish Fantasy Part 1
Night Streets Day Danse My Spanish Heart Spanish Fantasy Part 4 |
1st | 98.40 | DCI Division I |
| 1995 | Carpe Nocturn | Buleria (
from Jazz Pana) Conquistador Coronation Of The Dead Queen (from The Legend of Alcobaça) Ines (from The Legend of Alcobaça) No Heroes Commencement (from Adventures in Time) Caribe (from One More Once) Day Danse Dom Pedro's Revenge (from The Legend of Alcobaça) |
3rd | 96.70 | DCI Division I |
| 1996 | Club Blue: A Gangster Chronicle | Children's Hour of Dream
Desi Tess' Theme (from Dick Tracy) Trouble (from Mission Impossible) |
1st (tie) | 97.40 | DCI Division I |
| 1997 | As Time Goes By... | Casablanca
Bangkok A Night in Tunisia As Time Goes By |
1st | 98.40 | DCI Division I |
| 1998 | One Hand, One Heart | Romeo and Juliet
West Side Story |
3rd | 97.70 | DCI Division I |
| 1999 | RHYTHMS... At The Edge Of Time | Estancia Ballet
(Rhythm 1 - Afrocuban/Malambo) Powerhouse: Rhumba for Orchestra (Rhythm 2 - Rhumba) Powerhouse: Rhumba for Orchestra (Rhythm 3 - Samba) Adios Nonino (Rhythm 4 - Tango) Unchained Melody (Rhythm 5 - Jazz) The Dirty Boogie (Rhythm 6 - Swing) |
1st (tie) | 98.40 | DCI Division I |
| 2000 | Methods of Madness | Night Piece For Saxophone and Orchestra
(from Taxi Driver) Prelude & Blues (from Taxi Driver) Prelude (from On Dangerous Ground) Prelude (from Psycho) Scene d' Amour (from Vertigo) The Wild Ride (from North By Northwest) |
3rd | 96.90 | DCI Division I |
| 2001 | Awayday Blue | Awayday
Fantasy Variations (on George Gershwin's Second Prelude for Piano) |
2nd (shared with The Cadets) | 97.60 | DCI Division I |
| 2002 | Jazz: Music Made In America | Ragtime
I Got Rhythm (from Girl Crazy) Fascinating Rhythm House of the Rising Sun Channel One Suite |
2nd | 97.30 | DCI Division I |
| 2003 | The Phenomenon Of Cool | Concierto de Aranjuez
Take Five Blue Rondo A La Turk Unsquare Dance |
1st | 98.80 | DCI Division I |
| 2004 | Summertrain Blues Mix | Blues Train
Summertime Take The "A" Train |
2nd | 98.525 | DCI Division I |
| 2005 | Dance Derby of the Century | Redline Tango
Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? Prelude, Fugue & Riffs On The Town In Wartime |
4th | 95.250 | DCI Division I |
| 2006 | The Godfather: Part Blue | Love Theme
Sicilian Pastoral The Godfather Waltz |
3rd | 96.550 | DCI Division I |
| 2007 | Winged Victory | Pegasus Fantasy
The Ascension Heaven |
1st | 98.000 | DCI Division I |
| 2008 | Constantly Risking Absurdity | Sweeny Todd-Main Theme
Phrygian Gates Bach Invention Serenada Schizophrana Pianos I Will Wait for You The Untouchables:The City of Prague |
2nd | 98.100 | DCI World Class |
| 2009 | 1930 | Get Happy
Happy Days Are Here Again Playing Love Piano Variations Rialto Ripples I Got Rhythm Concerto in F Caravan Happy Days Are Here Again Rhapsody in Blue |
1st | 99.050 | DCI World Class |
| 2010 | Through A Glass, Darkly | City of Glass Suite
Conflict Mirage Trajectories Incident in Jazz Laura La Suerte de Los Tontos |
1st | 98.900 | DCI World Class |
| 2011 | The Beat My Heart Skipped | A House Is Not a Home
Summer of 77 Walk On By One Less Bell To Answer Woman I Say A Little Prayer Wives And Lovers God Give Me Strength |
2nd | 97.800 | DCI World Class |
| 2012 | Cabaret Voltaire | Harmonielehre
Morrison Manie The Children's Hour of Dream Symphonies: V Bird & Bela in B Flat Gymnopedies Ballet Mecanique Peppy and George Dr. Bones New Arrival Tevot Rhapsody in Blue |
1st | 98.700 | DCI World Class |
Traditions
- The Blue Devils hornline are known to wear their Championship rings outside of their gloves.
- "Hack Fest", which occurs on the last day of practice at MARS before Nats Tour, is a run-through of the previous year's show by memory. (performed by corps veterans).
- Was the first corps to play "F Tuning" as a on-field warm-up. It is now called "Bb Tuning"
- BD hornline members sing "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" and "Californian Girls" before shows to lucky females at the horn warmup. (Which was started in the 1998 season)
Trivia
- Tom Float, Blue Devils Percussion Caption Head from 1982 to 1990, is often credited for creating the snare drum "scoop," which is a curved plastic arc attached to the bottom of a snare drum. The purpose of the scoop is to project sound from the snare side head in front and away from the player, rather than into the ground.
- The Blue Devils possess the most hornline caption awards in DCI history. "D.C.I. High Brass Titles (23): 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984 (tie), 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993 (tie), 1994, 1995 (tie), 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008 & 2010."
- The Blue Devils also possess the most consecutive drum titles -- four years, from 1983-1986. In fact, it took the only perfect score in drumline history, scored by the Cadets of Bergen County in 1987, to break the streak.
- In 1985 their season was nearly ended prematurely when a fire broke out in the brand new 'kitchen' trailer, which was holding all the percussion, most of the brass, and much of the colorguard equipment. The equipment truck broke down earlier that evening leading to the equipment move.
- In 1994, they were so confident of a finals victory that they already had baseball style jerseys printed out and being sold with DEVILS across the top back and the number 7, signifying their 7th title which they later won that season.
- In 1995 the bass drum instructor was non other than Jim Casella (a Vanguard bass drum alumnus himself) who later went on to percussion composer/arrangement fame with the Vanguard and now Cavaliers
- The Blue Devils F-Tuning Warmup as well as excerpts from their 1999 show can be faintly heard in the background of American Pie: Band Camp.
- Since 2006, The Blue Devils have won 3 World Championships, placed 1st in 122 competitions, 2nd in 10, and 3rd in 1.
- The Blue Devils went undefeated in both the 2009 and 2010 season.
See Also
External Links
- Blue Devils: Official Website
- DCI Telecast Intro
