Bluecoats tenor drum players and guard perform at the 2014 DCI World Championship Finals in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps was founded in 1972 by Canton businessman Art Drukenbrod and Canton Police officers "Babe" Stearn and Ralph McCauley (the head and assistant directors of the Canton Police Boys' Club). The corps members chose the name both because of their sponsorship and to honor the city's police officers, particularly those who had retired from the ranks. The corps made its competition debut in 1974 and, in their first major show, finished thirty-second of thirty-seven corps in the U.S. Open Class A prelims in Marion, Ohio. The corps improved year by year, and began touring in both the U.S. and Canada and making U.S. Open finals in 1976, taking second place in 1977 and third in 1978, and making World Class Finals for the first time in 1987. The Bluecoats made their first DCI appearance in Denver, Colorado in 1977, scoring thirty-fifth place among forty-five corps.[1]
Although the corps was maturing musically, it was struggling to survive financially. In 1979, the corps only performed at local parades, as it attempted to reorganize its financial situation. With the return to the field in 1980, the corps was competitive in Class A competitions but only managed a thirty-eighth-place finish of the forty-four corps performing in Open Class at the DCI World Championships. In the next two seasons, the corps attempted to compete exclusively in Open Class, but they met with small success. In 1983, it was announced that the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps would cease operations.[2][3]
At the time that the corps' folding was announced, present-day corps President Scott Swaldo was a marching member. When he told his father, Canton industrialist Ted Swaldo, the elder Swaldo took over as director. Under the new director, the corps returned to the field after only a one-year hiatus. As a full-fledged Open Class corps, the Bluecoats improved with each passing year until, in 1987, the corps became the first corps from Ohio to earn a place in the DCI World Championship finals, finishing in eleventh place. Since then, the corps has failed to make finals only once in 1999.[2][3]
In 2010, the corps medaled for the first time at the DCI World Championships, taking the bronze with their production "Metropolis: The Future Is Now". In 2014, they once again took home the silver medal for their show "TILT", which is now cited as one of the most influential shows in the marching arts.[4]
In 2016, the Bluecoats won first place in World Class Finals, becoming only the tenth corps to be DCI Champions since the competition began in 1972. The winning show, "Down Side Up", earned the corps' highest score (at the time) of 97.650 while winning the General Effect and Music captions. For 2016, the Bluecoats abandoned their traditional uniforms in favor of a more informal costume designed with the show's near-constant motion in mind; the brass and percussion wore white and the color guard yellow, both with a swirling, sequined blue accent stripe running from the left hand to the shoulder, across the chest, and down the right leg; Bluecoats also became the first corps to win the DCI title while not wearing any type of headgear.[5] This trend of non-traditional uniforms has continued since then, and has been emulated by numerous other corps since.[6]
At the 2019 DCI World Championships, the Bluecoats came in second place while scoring the corps' highest ever score (at the time) of 98.238.[7] Post-COVID the activity resumed competitions in 2022 with Bluecoats landing in 2nd place for the third time since 2014. They also attained medalist standing for the sixth time in seven competition years, a feat to which only one other corps can currently attest.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022, the organization also produced an Alumni Corps that performed at the Drum Corps International semi-finals.[8]
In 2024, the Bluecoats won their second DCI World Class Championship title, and finished the season undefeated for the first time in the corps' history. The winning show, "Change Is Everything", earned the corps' new highest score of 98.750 while winning the General Effect caption and Visual and Brass captions for the first time in the corps' history.[9]
Pale green background indicates DCI World Class Semifinalist[a]
Pale blue background indicates DCI World Class Finalist[a]
Dark gold background indicates DCI World Class Champion
^ abFrom 1977-1991, the Bluecoats competed in Open Class, from 1992-2007 in Division I, and since 2008 in World Class. These are the same tier, just renamed.
Quejada by Kenneth Snoeck / Drum Fugue by Richard Janes / I Believe by Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl & Al Stillman / Turkey in the Straw (Traditional) / Theme from Gold by Elmer Bernstein / Theme from S.W.A.T. by Barry De Vorzon / Bridge Over Troubled Water by Paul Simon
Homefront: 1945 Come Rain or Come Shine by Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer / Shippin' Out by Bruce McConnell / I'll Be Seeing You by Sammy Fain & Irving Kahal / Newsreel by Bruce McConnell / Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) by Louis Prima
Music of Chick Corea Armando's Rhumba, Duende, Leprechaun's Dream & Celebration Suite All by Chick Corea
83.000
13th Place Division I Semifinalist
2000
Threshold Intro by Doug Thrower / And on the Sixth Day & The Witch by Patrick Williams / Air Antique by Claus Ogerman / Finale by Doug Thrower
84.400
12th Place Division I Finalist
2001
Latin Sketches Intro, Candelabra Rhumba, Red Cape Tango & Tango-Finale All by Michael Daugherty
90.750
8th Place Division I Finalist
2002
Urban Dances Sunrise (Original Music) / Paradise Utopia (from Concerto for Bass Trombone) by Chris Brubeck / Reflection (from Dancer in the Dark) by Björk / Pedal to the Metal (from Motor City Triptych) by Michael Daugherty
91.500
7th Place Division I Finalist
2003
Capture and Escape Time to Take Back the Knights by Stephen Melillo / Adagio for Theresa by Al Di Meola / Mediterraneo by Giancarlo Bigazzi / Libertango by Astor Piazolla / Code Name: Eternity by Trevor Morris / Original Music by Doug Thrower
The Bluecoats Revolution Number 9 by John Lennon, Yoko Ono & George Harrison / Strawberry Fields Forever by John Lennon (as Lennon-McCartney) / Penny Lane & Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by Paul McCartney (as Lennon-McCartney) / A Day in the Life by Lennon–McCartney / What Goes On by John Lennon, Paul McCartney & Richard Starkey / "Love Me Do" & I Want to Hold Your Hand by Lennon–McCartney / Yesterday & Eleanor Rigby by Paul McCartney (as Lennon–McCartney) / Within You Without You & Here Comes the Sun by George Harrison / A Little Help From My Friends by Paul McCartney (as Lennon-McCartney) / Blackbird by Lennon–McCartney / Dear Prudence, Come Together & I Want You (She's So Heavy) by John Lennon (as Lennon–McCartney) / The End & Hey Jude by Paul McCartney (as Lennon-McCartney)
98.238
2nd Place World Class Finalist
2020
Season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021
Lucy The End, With a Little Help from My Friends & Hey Jude by Paul McCartney (as Lennon–McCartney) / 6 by AAESPO / Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, I Am the Walrus, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite, Tomorrow Never Knows, & I Want You (She's So Heavy) by John Lennon (as Lennon-McCartney) / What Happens Now? by Porcupine Tree / Golden Slumbers & Carry That Weight by Paul McCartney (as Lennon-McCartney)
^In 2022, the Bluecoats and the Boston Crusaders tied for 2nd place.
Caption awards
At the annual World Championship Finals, Drum Corps International (DCI) presents awards to the corps with the high average scores from prelims, semifinals, and finals in five captions. The Bluecoats have won these captions:[11]
Don Angelica Best General Effect Award
2016, 2019, 2024
John Brazale Best Visual Performance Award
2024
Jim Ott Best Brass Performance Award
2024
Fred Sanford Best Percussion Performance Award
2022
Traditions
2014 Drum Major Willie Veenstra turns to the crowd during the corps' encore performance.
Blooooo...
At the Bluecoats first appearance at DCI Finals in 1987, their over-the-top arrangement of the "Autumn Leaves" brought forth the spontaneous long shouts from the audience of "Bloooo..."– a crowd reaction that began with one former member during the 1985 and 1986 seasons and amplified by Drum Corps Midwest announcer Joe Bruno and grew throughout the 1987 season. This has since come to be the audience's traditional greeting as the corps enters the field and response as they finish their show, which has become one of the most recognizable acts of audience participation in the drum corps activity.[12][13]
Corps song
The Bluecoats' corps song is, "Autumn Leaves", which became the corps' song after the 1987 season, in honor of the corps making its first Finals appearance. The song has remained a part of the corps' repertoire since 1987, and it reappeared in their 1988 and 1998 shows.[14]
Home show
Like most drum corps, the Bluecoats hold an annual home show near their hometown, usually in Massillon, Ohio. Through 2018 it was a local tradition that the Bluecoats' home show is a part of the induction festivities for Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is located in Canton. In 2019, the corps performed during halftime for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.[15]
