| Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps | |
| Location: | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Division: | World Class |
| Director: | Chris Holland |
| Titles: | |
| Website: | |
The Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps is a competitive junior drum and bugle corps. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the Boston Crusaders are a charter member of Drum Corps International.[1]
The Boston Crusaders were founded in 1940 as the Most Precious Blood Crusaders, a youth activity of the Most Precious Blood Catholic parish in the Hyde Park section of Boston. The Corps and the parish parted ways in 1956, and the corps took a new name, the Hyde Park Crusaders. During this period, two ardent, if unofficial supporters of the corps were two of the Kennedy brothers, John F. and Edward M. "Ted". Although John is often credited, Ted was responsible for acquiring West Point uniforms that the Crusaders converted to their own colors. The corps was honored by the newly elected President Kennedy by being invited to be the first drum and bugle corps to march in a Presidential Inauguration Parade. The corps' tight financial situation prevented their attendance in 1961, but the corps marched in President Lyndon B. Johnson's Inauguration Parade in 1964. JFK was formally made an honorary member of the corps only 34 days before his assassination.[2] [3] [4]
By 1959, the corps had become the Boston Crusaders, although they often were (and still are) referred to as "BAC" or the Boston Area Crusaders, and BAC was one of the East Coast powerhouse corps of the 1960s. They won the first CYO National Drum and Bugle Championship in 1964 and repeated as CYO champions in 1967 & '68. In 1966 and again in 1967 the Boston Crusaders were crowned World Open (class A) Champions. The corps was a finalist at VFW Nationals in 1969 & '70 and would have won the 1967 American Legion Junior Championship, if the powers-that-be had not voided the scores for the corps' inspection, allowing the Cavaliers to outscore them.[2] [3]
In 1971, the Boston Crusaders, along with the 27th Lancers, Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights, Blue Rock, and Garfield Cadets formed the United Organization of Junior Corps (also known as the "Alliance"). This action was taken in reaction to the rigid, inflexible rules of the American Legion and VFW (the primary rule makers and sponsors of both corps and shows) and the low or nonexistent performance fees paid for appearing in the various competitions. The corps felt that not only were they having their creative potential as artistic performing groups stifled, but they were being financially starved. (A similar group of Midwestern corps, the Midwest Combine, was formed by the Blue Stars, Cavaliers, Madison Scouts, Santa Clara Vanguard, and the Troopers.) The Alliance members felt that the corps should be making their own rules, operating their own competitions and championships, and keeping the bulk of the monies those shows earned. For the 1971 season, the corps stuck together, offering show promoters the five corps as a package. Despite pressure on show sponsors, judges, and other drum corps, the corps were booked into a number of shows together.[2] [3] [5]
In 1972, the Boston Crusaders, along with the nine other corps from the Alliance and the Midwest Combine, plus the Anaheim Kingsmen, Argonne Rebels, and De La Salle Oaklands were founding members of Drum Corps International, which remains as the sanctioning body for junior corps in North America. That summer, there was a fire in the corps hall that destroyed much of the corps' equipment. The corps was forced to withdraw from many of its scheduled contests, and at one point, could claim only nineteen active members. Rather than attending the first DCI World Championship in Whitewater, Wisconsin, BAC returned to the field to compete at CYO Nationals, where they finished ninth of thirteen corps and solidified their reputation as, "the corps that would not die."[2] [3]
Disaster struck again a decade later when, while on a 1982 tour in the United Kingdom, the corps' funds were embezzled, leaving members and staff stranded and financially insolvent in England. The Corps made it back home with the assistance of the US State Department for members under the age of 18, and all others paid their own way or received assistance from a handful of very generous supporters. The airline involved filed a receivership action, and several alumni stepped in to negotiate the release of title to the Corps' assets. Once more, the corps refused to die, fielding a small unit in 1983 as the Boston Drum and Bugle Corps. The instructional staff produced a first-class program, working tirelessly without compensation. During that year, the Corps marched in every parade possible within a day's drive of Boston, and repaid all of the Corps' debts, with the exception of the airline, which was never pursued. Three years later, the Corps resumed the use of the Boston Crusaders name.[2] [3]
Through the years, BAC had fostered a well-earned image of toughness. Prior to DCI Prelims in Miami in 1983, a gang of street thugs was harassing corps as they prepared to enter the Miami Orange Bowl. The Boston Crusaders, "...as adept with fists as with bugles..." solved the problem by chasing the gang away. However, this attitude was not conducive to attracting sufficient numbers of talented members to be a truly competitive corps, and in combination with a reputation for being troublemakers, the corps was relegated to middling rankings within DCI through the 1980s and '90's.[2] [3]
Under corps director Jim Cronin from 1996 to 2000, the corps adopted a new philosophy of "professionalism, accountability, and responsibility" for its members. In 1999, the Boston Crusaders finally earned a place among DCI's Top Twelve Finalists. They have returned to Finals in every year since, placing as high as fifth in 2000 & 2002 & 2018. In 2022 the corps had its best ever showing finishing in a 2nd place tie.[2] [3]
Historically, the Boston Crusaders have often been drum corps innovators. They were the first corps to march double tenor drums in 1967; the first to march tympani in 1968 (as the Majestic Knights of nearby Charlestown also did); the first with slides on their horns to allow playing a chromatic scale; and, although they were penalized for it in every show, the first to use a synthesizer in 1985.[2] [3]
On January 21, 2013, the corps marched in President Barack Obama's second inauguration parade.
The Boston Crusaders experienced one of its most competitive and successful seasons in the summer of 2018. The corps finished in 5th place at the 2018 Drum Corps International World Championships, with the color guard winning the George Zingali caption award for Best Guard--- the first time the Boston corps had ever won a caption at the world championships. This was followed in 2019 by a 6th place finish, despite an improved score, and a second successive Zingali Award. In 2022, Boston received their third Zingali and finished 2nd place tying with the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps.
The Crusaders Senior Drum and Bugle Corps of Boston was founded in 1991 as the alumni corps of the Boston Crusaders. It was founded by twin brothers Neil and Terry Connolly, both alumni of the Boston Crusaders. The first Senior Crusader performance took place in 1992, at the Patriots' Day Parade in Medford, Massachusetts.
The first home for the “Saders” (now officially renamed the Crusaders Senior Drum and Bugle Corps of Boston) was at the City Hall in Waltham, Massachusetts, though, over the years, the corps has had numerous practice facilities in the greater Boston area. The corps now calls the Lt. Norman Prince VFW Post (also known as Prince Palace) in Melrose, Massachusetts its home.[6]
Source:[7]
| Pale green background indicates DCI World Class Semifinalist | |
| Pale blue background indicates DCI World Class Finalist |
| Year | Repertoire | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Placement | |||
| 1972 | Did not attend World Championships | |||
| 1973 | 51.85 | 39th Place Open Class | ||
| 1974 | Oklahoma Crude by Henry Mancini / Pop Goes the Weasel (Traditional) / Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield / Hatikvah (Israeli National Anthem) by Naftali Herz Imber & Shmuel Cohen / Theme from The Man by Jerry Goldsmith / "California Dreamin'" by John Phillips & Michelle Phillips / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 62.60 | 37th Place Open Class | |
| 1975 | Lohengrin by Richard Wagner / Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield / Cast a Giant Shadow by Elmer Bernstein / Sader Stomp / Captain from Castile by Alfred Newman / Eberhard / Love's Theme by Aaron Schroeder / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 67.20 | 27th Place Open Class | |
| 1976 | Coronation March by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / Love's Theme by Aaron Schroeder / Simple Song & Kyrie (from Mass) by Leonard Bernstein / Hatikvah (Israeli National Anthem) by Naftali Herz Imber & Shmuel Cohen / Hava Nagila (Traditional) / Sabre Dance by Aram Khachaturian / When Will I See You Again by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 75.20 | 20th Place Open Class | |
| 1977 | Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri Shostakovich / Coronation March by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / Samba de Haps by Mark Taylor / Spanish Fantasy by Chick Corea / Hava Nagila (Traditional) / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 81.15 | 17th Place Open Class | |
| 1978 | Finale (from Symphony No. 5) & Festive Overture by Dmitri Shostakovich / Hatikvah (Israeli National Anthem) by Naftali Herz Imber & Shmuel Cohen / Hava Nagila (Traditional) / Spanish Fantasy by Chick Corea / Threshold by Patrick Williams / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 78.50 | 15th Place Open Class | |
| 1979 | Coronation of Boris Gudonov by Modest Mussorgsky / Symphony No. 9 (Ode to Joy) by Ludwig van Beethoven / Threshold by Patrick Williams / Birdland by Josef Zawinul / Fantasy by Maurice White, Verdine White & Eddie del Barrio / Time for a Change by Hank Levy / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 74.75 | 19th Place Open Class | |
| 1980 | Aristophanic Suite (The Wasps) by Ralph Vaughan Williams / Kid Charlemagne by Walter Becker & Donald Fagen / And on the Sixth Day by Patrick Williams / Symphony No. 9 (Ode to Joy) by Ludwig van Beethoven / Time for a Change by Hank Levy / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 63.90 | 25th Place Open Class | |
| 1981 | Coronation of Boris Gudonov by Modest Mussorgsky / Best Coast by John LaBarbera / Flamenco by Chick Corea / Wacky Dust by Oscar Levant & Stanley Adams / And on the Sixth Day, Threshold & Lady Beside Me by Patrick Williams / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 66.55 | 25th Place Open Class | |
| 1982 | Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saëns / Threshold by Patrick Williams / Kitty's Back by Bruce Springsteen / Spain by Chick Corea / While My Guitar Gently Weeps by George Harrison / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 65.30 | 26th Place Open Class | |
| 1983 | Mexicali Nose by Harry Betts / Billie Jean by Michael Jackson / Symphony No. 9 (Ode to Joy) by Ludwig van Beethoven / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 63.75 | 21st Place Open Class Semifinalist | |
| 1984 | Mexicali Nose by Harry Betts / The Rainmaker by Earl Klugh / Moments in Japan / "California Dreamin'" by John Phillips & Michelle Phillips / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 76.20 | 19th Place Open Class Semifinalist | |
| 1985 | Symphony No. 2 by Howard Hanson / Turquoise / Exception to the Rule / Axel F (from Beverly Hills Cops) by Harold Faltermeyer / The Rainmaker by Earl Klugh / "California Dreamin'" by John Phillips & Michelle Phillips / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 74.40 | 20th Place Open Class Semifinalist | |
| 1986 | Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri Shostakovich / Coronation March by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / Smooth Operator by Sade & Ray St. John / Bluesette by Toots Thielemans / Conga by Enrique García / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 79.90 | 16th Place Open Class Semifinalist | |
| 1987 | Music for Wind and Percussion by Elliot del Borgo / Havalah / Hava Nagila (Traditional) / "Unsquare Dance" by Dave Brubeck / Hello Again by Chick Corea / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 82.80 | 14th Place Open Class Semifinalist | |
| 1988 | Music for Wind and Percussion by Elliot del Borgo / At the End of the Day, Attack on Rue Plumet, One Day More & Do You Hear the People Sing? (all from Les Misérables) by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel & Herbert Kretzmer / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 77.60 | 20th Place Open Class Semifinalist | |
| 1989 | Man of La Mancha by Mitch Leigh & Joe Darion / A Whiter Shade of Pale by Gary Brooker, Keith Reid & Matthew Fisher / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 78.80 | 17th Place Open Class Semifinalist | |
| 1990 | Coronation of Boris Gudonov by Modest Mussorgsky / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 84.05 | 15th Place Open Class Semifinalist | |
| 1991 | 81.00 | 16th Place Open Class Semifinalist | ||
| 1992 | Pictures at an Exhibition Promenade, Hut of Baba-Yaga, Tuileries, Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks, The Old Castle, Market Place at Limoges & The Great Gate of Kiev All from Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky | 82.20 | 14th Place Division I Semifinalist | |
| 1993 | 82.40 | 14th Place Division I Semifinalist | ||
| 1994 | 82.60 | 13th Place Division I Semifinalist | ||
| 1995 | Pat Metheny Music Are We There Yet? by Lyle Mays / Beat 70 by Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays / Cathedral in a Suitcase by Pat Metheny / The First Circle by Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays | 74.40 | 16th Place Division I Semifinalist | |
| 1996 | 74.70 | 17th Place Division I Semifinalist | ||
| 1997 | 80.50 | 15th Place Division I Semifinalist | ||
| 1998 | Seascapes: From the Big Screen The Sea Hawk by Erich Wolfgang Korngold / Captain from Castile & Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman | 81.20 | 15th Place Division I Semifinalist | |
| 1999 | 88.60 | 9th Place Division I Finalist | ||
| 2000 | RED Bolero by Maurice Ravel / Intensity by Marty McCartt / Time To Say Goodbye by Francesco Sartori & Lucio Quarantotto / Day Danse by Chick Corea / Symphonic Dance No. 3 – Fiesta by Clifton Williams | 92.35 | 5th Place Division I Finalist | |
| 2001 | Harmonium Wild Nights (from Harmonium) by John Adams / Marimba Spiritual by Minoru Miki / Brothers & Gabriel's Oboe (from The Mission) by Ennio Morricone / Dance of the New World & Shakata: Singing the World into Existence by Dana Wilson / Original Music by Marty McCartt & Rich Viano | 88.80 | 9th Place Division I Finalist | |
| 2002 | You Are My Star Introduction to Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland / The American President by Marc Shaiman / Allegro (from Appalachian Spring) by Aaron Copland / America / Clarinet Concerto by Artie Shaw / You Are My Star by Robert Seeley / Simple Gifts (from Appalachian Spring) by Aaron Copland | 92.40 | 5th Place Division I Finalist (tie) | |
| 2003 | 90.95 | 6th Place Division I Finalist | ||
| 2004 | The Composition of Color Introduction, Colored Rhythms, Colored Harmonies, Colored Dynamics, Colored Combinations & Closing All Original Music by the Staff of the Boston Crusaders | 90.525 | 9th Place Division I Finalist | |
| 2005 | 88.40 | 9th Place Division I Finalist | ||
| 2006 | Cathedrals of the Mind blue cathedral & Concerto for Orchestra by Jennifer Higdon / The Windmills of Your Mind (from The Thomas Crown Affair) by Michel Legrand / Original Music by Jay Kennedy, Rich Viano & Jerry Carpenter | 87.325 | 10th Place Division I Finalist | |
| 2007 | A Picasso Suite In Pace by Patrick Doyle / Cruzados by Jay Kennedy, Rich Viano & Jerry Carpenter / Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla / La Fiesta by Chick Corea | 89.10 | 9th Place Division I Finalist | |
| 2008 | 87.275 | 10th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2009 | 90.70 | 7th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2010 | Thy Kingdom Come Throne Procession and Fanfare by Jay Kennedy / Symphony No. 10, Mvt. 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich / Power Shift by Jay Kennedy / Planet Damnation by John Psathas / Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Variation 18) by Sergei Rachmaninoff / The Quest for Glory by Jay Kennedy | 89.35 | 9th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2011 | 90.65 | 8th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2012 | 89.10 | 7th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2013 | Rise Sit Down, Stand Up by Thom Yorke / Water Night by Eric Whitacre / Falling Slowly (from Once) by Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová / Lean on Me by Bill Withers / Test Drive (from How to Train Your Dragon) by John Powell / Time (from Inception) by Hans Zimmer / Original Music by Ryan George | 90.40 | 8th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2014 | Animal Farm The Battle on the Ice (from Alexander Nevsky) by Sergei Prokofiev / Polyuska Polye (O Field, My Field) & Symphony No. 4 in D Minor by Lev Knipper / Symphony No. 11, Mvt. 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich / Concert Românesc, Mvt. 4 by György Ligeti / Concerto for Violin and Orchestra by Samuel Barber / Original Music by Ryan George | 88.950 | 10th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2015 | Conquest Game of Thrones Theme by Ramin Djawadi / Conquest (from Captain from Castile) by Alfred Newman / Palladio by Karl Jenkins / Take What is Ours (from) by Brian Tyler / Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus by Ralph Vaughan Williams / The Battle (from Gladiator) by Hans Zimmer / Original Music by Ryan George & Ellis Hampton | 86.800 | 10th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2016 | Quixotic "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)", Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote) & Dulcinea (all from Man of La Mancha) by Mitch Leigh & Joe Darion / Asturias (Leyenda) from Suite España, Op. 47 by Isaac Albéniz / Kiriki Film (from Iris) by Danny Elfman / Quixotic by Ryan George, Ellis Hampton & Marty O'Donnell | 84.800 | 12th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2017 | Wicked Games Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven / The Adoration of Veles and Ala (from Scythian Suite) by Sergei Prokofiev / Whispers by Colin McNutt, Iain Moyer & Michael Zellers / Cortege Macabre (from Grohg) by Aaron Copland / Wicked Game by Chris Isaak / Toccata (from Piano Concerto No. 1) by Alberto Ginastera / The Verdict by Ryan George, Colin McNutt & Iain Moyer | 92.963 | 6th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2018 | 94.3125 | 5th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2019 | 94.488 | 6th Place World Class Finalist | ||
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2021 | Zoom Lights Out by Ryan George, Colin McNutt & Iain Moyer / The Green Hornet by Billy May / Mercury (from The Planets) by Gustav Holst / With or Without You by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen Jr. (U2) / The Distance by Gregory P. Brown / Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams | No scored competitions | ||
| 2022 | Paradise Lost A Child’s Garden of Dreams by David Maslanka / What a Wonderful World by Bob Thiele & George Weiss / Bad Hombres (y mujeres) by Antonio Sanchez / Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Bob Crewe & Bob Gaudio / Symphony No. 7, Mvt. 3 by David Maslanka / Requiem in D Minor, K. 626: VII. Lacrimosa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | 97.325 | 2nd Place World Class Finalist (tie) | |
| 2023 | White Whale Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams / Out to Sea by Ryan George, Colin McNutt, Iain Moyer & Mike Zellers / The Whale by Colin McNutt, Iain Moyer & Mike Zellers / Swallowtail Jig (Traditional) / The Wellerman (Traditional) / Show Me the Way to Go Home by Jimmy Campbell & Reg Connelly / Shipping Up To Boston by Dropkick Murphys / On the Waterfront by Leonard Bernstein | 96.925 | 4th Place World Class Finalist | |
| 2024 | Glitch Shaker Loops by John Adams / G-Spot Tornado by Frank Zappa / Orchestral Suite #2 by Johann Sebastian Bach / Take Five by Paul Desmond / True Colors by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg / State of Independence by Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou and Jon Anderson / Worm Hole by Ryan George, Colin McNutt, Iain Moyer & Mike Zellers | 97.413 | 2nd Place World Class Finalist | |
At the annual World Championship Finals, Drum Corps International (DCI) presents awards to the corps with the highest average scores from prelims, semifinals, and finals in five captions. The Boston Crusaders have won these caption awards:[8]
George Zingali Best Color Guard Award
The Boston Crusaders first performed Alfred Newman's "Conquest" from the 1947 swashbuckling motion picture, Captain from Castile, in 1969 and repeated it in 1970. The corps brought the tune back in 1973 and 1974, then performed it as a part of their show every year from 1976 through 1990. Since then, "Conquest" had become a signature piece for the Crusaders.[9]
The Boston Crusader's symbol is King Richard's split-tailed lion. Affectionately known as "Waldo", the lion can be seen on all of the corps' vehicles, on the corps members' jackets, on corps merchandise, and as tattoos on many members and alumni of the Crusaders.[9]
The Crusaders' corps song "Giant" is based on the main theme from the 1956 movie, Giant.[9]