Royal Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps
The Royal Crusaders was a competitive junior drum and bugle corps based in Finleyville, Pennsylvania and, later, Clairton, Pennsylvania), and represented the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The corps competed in Drum Corps International and was a Top-12 Finalist in 1975.[1] Their uniforms consisted of red, white and blue Cadet-style jackets, white slacks with a red stripe, and a blue hat with a white plume. The corps disbanded in the early 1980s.
History[edit]
Formation[edit]
The Royal Crusaders began in 1969 as a local corps from Finleyville, a small town in southwestern Pennsylvania. Later, in the 1970s, the corps purchased a corps hall in Clairton, Pennsylvania, a nearby industrial town and changed the name to "Pittsburgh" Royal Crusaders. Nevertheless, the corps most often was referred to as "Finleyville."
1970s[edit]
The corps scored well in DCI competitions where they were generally associate members, placing in the top 25 for eight straight years from 1972 to 1980. The Royal Crusaders' best year was in 1975 when they placed ninth in DCI competition and made the finals.[2]
1980s and disbandment[edit]
Although the Royal Crusaders had success in competitions, they were in serious financial trouble by the late 1970s. The corps collapsed after the 1980 tour, due to a lack of solid financial support. The Board of Directors attempted to field a corps in 1981, but ceased their efforts, due to a low number of members (particularly in the horn line) and a lack of sufficient funding. This marked the end of the original version of the corps, which disbanded after the 1980 season.
In 1982, a small group of younger members marched in local parades using the Royal Crusaders equipment, and were referred to as the Royal Crusader Cadets. Even this small effort, approximately the size of a modern-day mini-corps, folded after a year. By this time the Crusader's corps hall in Clairton was sold and the buses were disposed of.
Musical style, innovations, and influence[edit]
In their heyday, the Royal Crusader's most popular tune was "The Coronation of Boris Godunov." The Corps also played jazzy numbers and had a very crisp M&M[clarification needed] style.
The Royal Crusaders were known for several drumline innovations. They were among the first drumlines to switch to a matched grip (as opposed to the traditional snare grip) in the mid-1970s. By the early 1980s, every significant drumline in the region, including the Vagabonds, the University of Pittsburgh drumline, and most local drum and baton corps, had followed the Royal Crusaders' example of using the matched snare grip.
In addition to pioneering the matched snare grip, the Royal Crusaders, along with the Santa Clara Vanguard, pioneered the shift away from snare drum slings and began to use harnesses in the late 1970s. The snare harnesses were original designs featuring a clear plastic body plate that eliminated the need to wear the harness under the uniform.
Technical and stylistic innovations aside, the corps also developed a strong drumline that produced two outstanding late 1970s tenor players, Brian Berry and Doug Jefferson. Other drummers who were influential in the Western Pennsylvania corps scene were Tom Milchek, Vince Schaeffer, Frank Miller, Scott Koter, and Mark Ortega (Blue Devils). Other members joined the Crossmen, Blue Devils, Santa Clara Vanguard, North Star, General Butler Vagabonds, Steel City Ambassadors, and other corps. Former horn-line member Jeff Danchek is now President of the new DCA corps, the Mon Valley Express.[3] Many other members of the Royal Crusader family remain active in marching circles in Western Pennsylvania twenty years after the corps' demise.
The corps was the highest-scoring, and largest, drum corps from western Pennsylvania to ever compete in Drum Corps International. Along with the General Butler Vagabonds, Cambria Cadets, and other corps, the Royal Crusaders showed Western Pennsylvania to be a thriving mecca of drum corps in their heyday in the mid-1970s. The Royal Crusaders are said to have set a high standard of excellence for future corps.
Guinness Book of World Records[edit]
The Royal Crusaders made the Guinness Book of World Records in the early 1970s by marching 20 consecutive miles through the streets of Finleyville.
Show Summary[edit]
Source= [1]
| Year | Theme | Repertoire | Score | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | You'll Never Walk Alone (from Carousel) by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II / Scythian Suite by Sergei Prokofiev / What's Good Enough For My Father Is Good Enough For Me (Unknown) / Onward Christian Soldiers by Arthur Sullivan and Sabine Baring-Gould |
Did not attend | ||
| 1973 | Repertoire not available | 73.850 | 16th | |
| 1974 | Repertoire not available | 75.750 | 17th | |
| 1975 | Coronation of Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky / Hallelujah Chorus George Frideric Handel / Amazing Grace (Traditional) & John Newton, adapted by William Walker * Old-Time Religion (Traditional) / Colour My World & Make Me Smile by James Pankow |
82.400 | 9th | |
| 1976 | Coronation of Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky / One, The Music and The Mirror & At The Ballet (all from A Chorus Line) by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban |
79.550 | 15th | |
| 1977 | Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin Richard Wagner / One & What I Did For Love (from A Chorus Line) by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban / T&A (Unknown) / Play Me the Music (Unknown) |
78.550 | 21st | |
| 1978 | Repertoire not available | Did not attend | ||
| 1979 | Coronation of Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky / They're Playing Our Song & If She Really Knew Me by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager / Home & Ease on Down the Road (from The Wiz) by Charlie Smalls |
76.350 | 17th | |
| 1980 | Celebration Suite by Chick Corea / To the War by Gino Vannelli / They're Playing Our Song by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager / On Broadway by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller / One (from A Chorus Line) by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban |
64.450 | 24th |
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Royal Crusaders". DCX: The Drum Corps Xperience. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ↑ Boo, Michael. "Download of the Week 1975 Royal Crusaders". Drum Corps International. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ↑ "Mon Valley Express".
External links[edit]
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