| Blue Knights | |
| Division: | World Class |
| Founded: | 1958 |
| Director: | Mark Arnold |
The Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps is a World Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps. Based in Denver, Colorado, the Blue Knights are a member corps of Drum Corps International (DCI).
Fred and Fae Taylor were a pair of former vaudeville comedians and musicians who had settled in Denver and operated the Fred and Fae Talent School, where they taught vocal and instrumental music to young people. Fred was an accomplished drummer and a member of the Denver American Legion Grenadiers Senior Drum and Bugle Corps, and he believed that a junior corps would provide an opportunity for their music students to perform before the public.[1] [2]
Although the intent was for the corps to be a parade corps, it entered its first field competition during its first season, and in 1959, the corps traveled to the VFW National Championships in Minneapolis. In 1963, the corps joined the Great Plains Drum and Bugle Corps Association and entered into a period extending through the sixties and seventies where they were regularly competing in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska.
The corps attended its first DCI Championships in 1975 in Philadelphia, finishing 11th in the Class A preliminaries. In 1977, 1978, and 2004 the Blue Knights were hosts for the Drum Corps International World Championships.[3] In 1979, the corps renamed its home competition, Drums Along The Rockies and turned it into both a major national competition and one of the corps' primary fundraising activities.[4] [5]
In 1984, George and Lynn Lindstrom became the corps directors. The Lindstroms were to instill the corps with a professional attitude toward competition; the successful bingo operation, in place since the early 80s, made it possible for the corps to purchase the equipment necessary to fulfill the goals of the new attitude. The Lindstroms departed after the 1985 season, and director Mark Arnold was hired. Under Arnold's leadership, the corps became a major competitor, earning its first finals spot in 1991.[6] Since then, the corps been a finalist twenty-four times across twenty-eight seasons.
After working as acting director during the 2021 season, Daniel Belcher was promoted to executive director.[7] After several seasons, Daniel Belcher moved on to other opportunities with Mark Arnold returning to his role as executive director for the 2024 season.[8]
The Blue Knights Percussion Ensemble was established in 1993 and first competed in the 1994 Winter Guard International season where they won their first world championship. They also won world championships in 1999, 2000, and 2003. The Blue Knights are also the longest continually running WGI Percussion Ensemble.
The Blue Knights also operated an open class ensemble that made appearances at WGI Percussion Independent Open finals in 2005 and 2006. After years of inactivity, the Blue Knights Independent Open ensemble returned for the 2024 WGI season.[9]
Source:[10]
| Pale green background indicates DCI World Class Semifinalist | |
| Pale blue background indicates DCI World Class Finalist |
| Year | Repertoire | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Placement | |||
| 1975 | Repertoire unavailable | 48.150 | 21st Place Class A | |
| 1976 | Did not attend World Championships | |||
| 1977 | Somewhere, When You're a Jet, Mambo & Tonight (all from West Side Story) by Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim / I Get Crazy & Hill Where the Lord Hides by Chuck Mangione / Evergreen (from A Star Is Born) by Barbra Streisand & Paul Williams / Maria (from West Side Story) by Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim | 57.900 | 41st Place Open Class | |
| 1978–82 | Repertoires unavailable | Did not attend World Championships | ||
| 1983 | Magic Flea by Sammy Nestico / Tuxedo Junction by Erskine Hawkins, Bill Johnson, Julian Dash & Buddy Feyne / That's a Plenty by Lew Pollack / Dixie Land Jazz / For Your Eyes Only by Bill Conti & Mick Leeson | 51.700 | 31st Place Open Class | |
| 1984 | If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot / Sweet Inspiration by John Cameron / Trilogy by Keith Emerson & Greg Lake / Magician by Andrew Leigh / Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Ashford & Simpson / I'm Gonna Make You Love Me by Gamble and Huff & Jerry Ross | 70.700 | 22nd Place Open Class | |
| 1985 | 68.200 | 31st Place Open Class | ||
| 1986 | 68.700 | 27th Place Open Class | ||
| 1987 | 73.400 | 22nd Place Open Class Semifinalist | ||
| 1988 | Moorside March by Gustav Holst / Divertimento for Band by Vincent Persichetti / Pie Jesu (from Requiem) by Andrew Lloyd Webber / March (from First Suite in E-Flat) by Gustav Holst | 78.600 | 17th Place Open Class Semifinalist | |
| 1989 | 81.200 | 16th Place Open Class Semifinalist | ||
| 1990 | Chichester Psalms, Offertory, I Go On, Sanctus & Agnus Dei All from Mass by Leonard Bernstein | 85.400 | 13th Place Open Class Semifinalist | |
| 1991 | Savannah River Holiday by Ron Nelson / Outdoor Overture by Aaron Copland / Aspen Jubilee by Ron Nelson | 87.700 | 9th Place Open Class Finalist | |
| 1992 | Portraits of Aaron Copland Billy the Kid, Corral Nocturne (from Rodeo) & The Red Pony by Aaron Copland / Chorale & Shaker Dance by John Zdechlik | 90.000 | 9th Place Division I Finalist | |
| 1993 | 85.000 | 10th Place Division I Finalist | ||
| 1994 | 88.400 | 7th Place Division I Finalist | ||
| 1995 | 81.300 | 13th Place Division I Semifinalist | ||
| 1996 | Music of Ron Nelson Rocky Point Holiday & Sonoran Desert Holiday by Ron Nelson | 80.700 | 12th Place Division I Finalist | |
| 1997 | 88.200 | 9th Place Division I Finalist | ||
| 1998 | 89.500 | 9th Place Division I Finalist | ||
| 1999 | 92.500 | 7th Place Division I Finalist | ||
| 2000 | 92.000 | 6th Place Division I Finalist | ||
| 2001 | 83.900 | 14th Place Division I Semifinalist | ||
| 2002 | Fear and Trembling Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 35 by Dmitri Shostakovich / Piano Concerto Op. 38 by Samuel Barber | 85.500 | 13th Place Division I Semifinalist | |
| 2003 | Primary Colors Kaval Sviri (Traditional), adapted by Peter Liomdev / Izpoved by Krassimir Kyurkchiysky / Prologue by Mike Nevin | 85.350 | 13th Place Division I Semifinalist | |
| 2004 | A Knight's Tale A Knight's Tale by Mike Nevin / Trittico For Brass Band by James Curnow / I Go On (from Mass) by Leonard Bernstein | 87.600 | 10th Place Division I Finalist | |
| 2005 | A Midsummer Knight's Dream Some Enchanted Evening (from South Pacific) by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II / A Midsummer Knight's Dream by Mike Nevin, Russ Newbury & Pat Amann | 88.225 | 10th Place Division I Finalist | |
| 2006 | Dark Knights Piano Concerto by Samuel Barber | 90.125 | 7th Place Division I Finalist | |
| 2007 | 90.275 | 8th Place Division I Finalist | ||
| 2008 | Knight Reign Cloudburst by Eric Whitacre / Turbine by John Mackey / Jeux d’eau by Maurice Ravel / Amazing Grace by William Walker & John Newton | 88.250 | 9th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2009 | 86.450 | 11th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2010 | 87.100 | 11th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2011 | An English Folk Song Suite First Suite in E-Flat by Gustav Holst / English Folk Song Suite by Ralph Vaughan Williams / Shepherd's Hey & Molly on the Shore by Percy Grainger / Five Variants of Dives & Lazarus by Ralph Vaughan Williams | 89.200 | 9th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2012 | 86.700 | 10th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2013 | 87.750 | 10th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2014 | That One Second A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics (from A Beautiful Mind) by James Horner / Brief Eternity by Don Rosler & Roger Treece / Hand of Fate – Part 1 (from Signs) by James Newton Howard / To Build a Home by Patrick Watson, Phil France & Jason Swinscoe (The Cinematic Orchestra) | 91.150 | 8th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2015 | Because... Because by Lennon–McCartney / Head Rush by Jay Bocook, Kevin Shah & Mike Jackson / Après Moi by Regina Spektor / I’m Alive by Adam Watts / Heart of Courage by Two Steps From Hell / Fly to Paradise by Eric Whitacre | 91.850 | 6th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2016 | The Great Event Gorgon by Christopher Rouse / Flight to the Wasteland, Adagio and Transfiguration & Arrows of the Gods Medley by Elliot Goldenthal / Fratres by Arvo Part / The Great Event by Leonard Cohen / Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven / Air Waltz by Oliver Davis / Saturn by Ryan O'Neal (Sleeping at Last) | 90.738 | 7th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2017 | 90.400 | 8th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2018 | 88.925 | 9th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2019 | 92.050 | 7th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2021 | No scored competitions | |||
| 2022 | Vibe Neglected Space by Imogen Heap / Wailers & Don’t Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin / She by Laura Mvula / Locked Out of Heaven by Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence & Ari Levine | 85.787 | 14th Place World Class Semifinalist | |
| 2023 | Unharnessed Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi / Released by Jeff Ausdemore & James Catherall / Break On Through (To the Other Side) by The Doors / Submission by Leslie Gilreath & Jeff Ausdemore / Absolution of Word by Jeff Ausdemore & James Catherall / Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz / Freedom by Pharrell Williams | 86.375 | 12th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2024 | Busk Signal to Noise by Peter Gabriel / Busk by James Catherall, Jeff Audesmore, and Leslie Gilreath / Pampeana #3 by Alberto Ginestera / Rings by James Catherall, Jeff Audesmore, and Leslie Gilreath / New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms by Michael Kamen / Orbital by John Psathas / Baba Yetu by Christopher Tin | 85.600 | 14th Place World Class Semifinalist | |