Blue Rock Drum & Bugle Corps

Blue Rock of Wilmington, Delaware, was a Drum & Bugle Corps, formed in 1959. They were sponsored by the Blue Rock VFW Post 7598, and the Walker Dyer American Legion Post 181 of Penns Grove, New Jersey. Among the corps' titles were the Delaware State VFW Champions 1959-61, Canadian Open Champion 1962, and New Jersey Elks Championship 1963. In their black and gold uniforms (with not a trace of blue), they also sponsored the Music Festival annually in July. Coming into their entrance into DCI, Blue Rock had been a VFW finalist since 1967, placing as high as third in 1971, a placement that included the high drum trophy. They were also the first U.S. Open Champions in 1968 and won that title again in 1971; the CYO Nationals was also their the same year. The corps gave drum corps many great classics, perhaps the most popular being "Baby Elephant Walk" (with Chuck Quakenbush's contra scream at the end). They also showcased one of the best drum majors of all time in Vicki Drummond. The corp had the distinction of boasting three feeder corps in 1968. Blue Rock did not attend the first Drum Corps International (DCI) contests in 1972, but did go in 1973 and 1974. After all three busses died on tour in 1974, leaving the corps stranded in Anaheim, California, the corps had to fly home and the expense bankrupted them. Thereafter the corps went senior and competed in DCA in 1975, finishing 18th.