Argonne Rebels Drum and Bugle Corps: Difference between revisions

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}

{{Infobox drums corps

| name=Argonne Rebels

| logo=argonnelogo.jpg

| location=[[Great Bend, Kansas]]

| division=Open Class

| founded=1947

| folded=1984

| titles = American Legion Nationals Champion <br>1971-72 in competition<br>1973 by proclamation

| director=

| uniform=

}}

The '''Argonne Rebels Drum and Bugle Corps''' (also known as "Argonne" or "The Rebels") were an Open Class (a distinction now known as World Class) competitive junior [[Drum and bugle corps (classic)|drum and bugle corps]]. Based in [[Great Bend, Kansas|Great Bend]] and [[Barton County, Kansas]], the Rebels were one of the thirteen founding member corps of [[Drum Corps International]].<ref name="Hist">A History of Drum & Bugle Corps, Vol. 2; Steve Vickers, ed.; ''Drum Corps World'', pub.; 2003</ref>

==History==

In August 1947, musician John Taff and the Rev. Joseph Tockert of the St. Rose [[Catholic]] Church started a drum and bugle corps for the [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scouts]] and [[Girl Scouts of the USA|Girl Scouts]] of the St. Rose [[Parish]] to operate under the sponsorship of the [[Knights of Columbus]]. The corps had its first public performance on November 26, 1947. When [[American Legion]] Argonne Post 180 took over the corps' sponsorship in 1949, membership was opened to all area youth, and the name was changed in recognition of the Legion Post, which had been named after the [[Forest of Argonne|Argonne Forest]], the site of major [[Meuse-Argonne offensive|U.S. military action]] during [[World War I]]. In 1955, Bill and Mary Lou Fryberger became the corps directors for several years. Shortly after the Frybergers left, Glenn Opie<ref name="a" group="notes"/> became the corps director, a post he would hold through 1973. In 1974, Jenny and Bob Allford were co-directors of Argonne. H.Gene Specht became the director in 1975 and 1976. Jerry and Jan Becker became corps directors in 1977 and would continue until Argonne folded in 1988. <ref name="Hist"/><ref name="AR">{{cite web|url=http://members.cox.net/argonne_rebels/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603231120/http://members.cox.net/argonne_rebels/|title=Argonne Rebels Drum And Bugle Corps, Great Bend Kansas|archivedate=June 3, 2011|publisher=|accessdate=December 29, 2014}}</ref><ref name="reps">{{cite web | title=History for Argonne Rebels | url=http://corpsreps.com/corpsreps.cfm?view=corpshist&corps=5&corpstype=Junior | accessdate=December 29, 2014}}</ref>

Argonne competed with others in the Great Plains area in the 1950s and 1960s. They also competed in numerous [[VFW]] and American Legion, championships, and, in 1955, the Rebels won the first of thirteen Kansas State American Legion championships. From the mid-1950s, Argonne was also a major corps on the national scene. They were a finalist in the American Legion Nationals in 1955, '56, '61, '63,<ref name="b" group="notes"/> '65, '71, and '72; a finalist at [[VFW]] Nationals each year from 1968 through 1972; and were Legion National Champions in 1971, '72, and '73.<ref name="c" group="notes"/><ref name="Hist"/><ref name="AR"/><ref name="reps"/>

In 1971, two organizations were started with the intent of giving drum corps more control over their activity, which was then largely governed by the veterans organizations. The Midwest Combine was made up of the [[Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps|Blue Stars]], [[Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps|Cavaliers]], [[Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps|Madison Scouts]], [[Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps|Santa Clara Vanguard]], and the [[Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps|Troopers]]; and the United Organization of Junior Corps (also known as the "Alliance"), was formed by the [[27th Lancers]], [[Garfield Cadets]], [[Boston Crusaders]], Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights, and Blue Rock. In 1972, the ten corps from the Midwest Combine and the Alliance were joined by the [[Anaheim Kingsmen Drum and Bugle Corps|Anaheim Kingsmen]], the De La Salle Oaklands, and the Argonne Rebels as founding members of Drum Corps International (DCI), which remains as the sanctioning body for junior corps in North America. At the first DCI World Championships, held in [[Whitewater, Wisconsin]] on August 17 and 18, 1972, the Argonne Rebels finished in fifth place. The brass was instructed by Sandra Opie<ref name="a" group="notes"/> and was considered to be the premier brass section in drum corps; on several occasions, they received a perfect score of 5.0 for Content Analysis.<ref name="Hist"/><ref name="AR"/>

In 1973, the expectations for Argonne were extremely high; not only had the corps finished in fifth place at DCI, but most of the members would be returning for the new season. When the expected new musical arrangements were not received from the arranger, the corps turned to Frank Minear, lead trumpeter for the [[Stan Kenton]] band, who had offered to write charts for the corps. Minear's arrangements of "Fanfare For The New" and "[[Málaga]]" were transcriptions straight from the Kenton band's arrangements. When combined with Ken Norman's arrangement of "[[Stars and Stripes Forever]]", the 1973 Argonne Rebels had what was almost unquestionably the most technically complex musical program that had ever been performed by a drum and bugle corps up to that time. Unfortunately, although things were changing under the new Drum Corps International, technical difficulty was not yet taken into consideration in judging a corps' performance. Additionally, the arrangements made getting the sounds to the fans in the stands in proper synchronization difficult at best, so that the field show was redesigned in mid-season by Drum Corps Hall of Fame [[Drum Corps Associates|senior corps]] designer Vince Bruni. Although Argonne would finish in eleventh place at DCI World Championships at Whitewater, the season was a disappointment for the members whose early expectations had been so high. Although future DCI Hall of Fame members [[Truman Crawford]], Bernard Baggs, and Don Angelica addressed the corps immediately after the show and attempted to console the members, the corps would never recover from the blow.<ref name="Hist"/><ref name="AR"/>

With the Opies' departure from the corps and Sandra Opie's move from instructor to judge, the corps' brass would never again approach its excellence of the early 1970s. In 1974, Argonne would drop to thirty-third at DCI. The corps would recover somewhat, finishing twentieth in 1975 and eighteenth in 1976, but it would fall to the lower levels of Open Class in 1977, '78, and '79 and would cease operations following the 1979 season. The Argonne Rebels would return as a Class A corps in 1983 but would leave the field for good following the 1984 season.<ref name="Hist"/><ref name="AR"/><ref name="reps"/> Although the Argonne Rebels have not been in field competition since 1984, its organization still exists to serve the alumni, since more than 3,000 youth from Great Bend and Barton County marched in the corps during its more than forty years of competition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://getruralkansas.org/Great-Bend/50Explore/565.shtml|title=Rural Kansas Tourism - Great Bend Exploration:|publisher=|accessdate=December 29, 2014}}</ref>

During the Summer of 2015, a special exhibit remembering the Argonne Rebels was presented at the Great Bend Public Library. It was created under the auspices of the [[Smithsonian Institution]]'s “Museum on Main Street” program and is sponsored by the [[List of state humanities councils in the United States|Kansas Humanities Council]]. Additionally, a reunion of Argonne Rebels alumni was held on July 11, and on the 14th, the annual [[Drum Corps International]] show "Drums Across Kansas" moved from [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]] to Great Bend and renamed the "March of Champions" to honor the two-time American Legion champion corps and its alumni.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kansashumanities.org/2015/02/rebels-with-a-corps/ |title=Rebels with a Corps |publisher=Kansas Humanities Council |date=February 23, 2015 |accessdate=July 8, 2017 }}</ref>

==Show summary (1962–84)==

"Results": AL = American Legion; VFW = Vets of Foreign Wars; 1973 - 1979 = DCI

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

|-

! Year !! Theme !! Repertoire !! Score !! Result

|-

|1956 || || || || 3 AL

|-

|1961 || || || || 6 AL

|-

|1962 || ||Everything's Coming Up Roses (from Gypsy) Get Me To the Church on Time (from My Fair Lady) Slaughter on 10th Avenue (from On Your Toes) I Believe || ||

|-

|1963 || || || || 10 AL

|-

|1964 || ||Who Will Buy (from Oliver) This Could Be the Start of Something Big Night and Day Put On A Happy Face Stars and Stripes Forever The Big Country || || 4 AL

|-

|1965 || ||Who Will Buy (from Oliver) This Could Be the Start of Something Big Stars and Stripes Forever I Could Have Danced All Night Show Me (from My Fair Lady) Get Me To the Church on Time (from My Fair Lady) Put On A Happy Face The Big Country || || 4 AL

|-

|1966 || ||Those Daring Young Men In Their Flying Machines Stars and Stripes Forever I Could Have Danced All Night Show Me (from My Fair Lady) Get Me To the Church on Time (from My Fair Lady) Who Will Buy (from Oliver) Come On In Sit Right Down The Big Country || ||

|-

|1967 || ||Those Daring Young Men In Their Flying Machines America God Bless America (from This Is the Army) Bess, You Is My Woman Now (from Porgy and Bess) Summertime (from Porgy and Bess) I Got Plenty of Nothin' (from Porgy and Bess) Our Day Will Come Jubilation T Cornpone The Big Count || ||

|-

|1968 || ||Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines * America The Beautiful * God Bless America (from This Is the Army) * Bess, You Is My Woman Now (from Porgy and Bess) * Summertime (from Porgy and Bess) * I Got Plenty of Nothin' (from Porgy and Bess) * Our Day Will Come * Jubilation T Cornpone (from Li'l Abner) * The Big Country || 76.25 || 10 VFW

|-

|1969 || ||Barnum and Bailey's Favorite * When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again * Mission Impossible * Our Day Will Come * Take Me Along * Shenandoah || 74.6 || 12 VFW

|-

|1970 || ||Barnum and Bailey's Favorite * Take Me Along * Mission Impossible * Hey Jude * Our Day Will Come * Stars and Stripes Forever * Shenandoah ||82.55 || 8

|-

|1971 || ||Barnum and Bailey's Favorite * Heaven on Their Minds (from Jesus Christ Superstar) * Gethsemane (from Jesus Christ Superstar) * King Herod's Song (from Jesus Christ Superstar) * Crucifixion * John 19:10 (from Jesus Christ Superstar) * Stars and Stripes Forever * Shenandoah ||87.35 || 1 AL

|-

|1972 || || Barnum and Bailey's Favorite * Jesus Christ Superstar Medley * Stars and Stripes Forever * Theme from Love Story || 82.900 || 1 AL 5 VFW

|-

|1973 || || Fanfare For The New * Malaga * Stars and Stripes Forever || 73.150 || 11 DCI

|-

|1974 || || Mass by [[Leonard Bernstein]] || 65.300 || 33

|-

|1975 || || French National Defile by [[Robert Planquette|Jean Robert Planquette]], Joseph François Rauski, and Andre Turlet / National Anthem by [[John Stafford Smith]] and [[Francis Scott Key]]. adapted by [[Stan Kenton]] / Traces by [[Buddy Buie]], [[J. R. Cobb]], and [[Emory Gordy, Jr.]] / Let's Hear It For Me (from Funny Lady) by [[John Kander]] and [[Fred Ebb]] || 73.150 || 20th

|-

|1976 || || Channel One Suite by Bill Reddie / Fanfare For The New by Hugo Montenegro / Farandole (from L'Arlesienne) by [[Georges Bizet]] / Flight of the Bumblebee by [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]] || 77.750 || 18th

|-

|1977 || || ''Repertoire unavailable'' || 56.550 || 42nd

|-

|1978 || || New York City Rhythm by [[Barry Manilow]] and [[Marty Panzer]] / Mambo Tambo by [[Miguelito Valdés]] / Cantina Band (from Star Wars) by [[John Williams]] / Come Sail Away by Dennis DeYoung / Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa || 53.850 || 42nd

|-

|1979 || || Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice / Mambo Tambo by Miguelito Valdés / Don't Cry For Me Argentina (from Evita) by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice / Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa || 62.250 || 36th

|-

|1980–1982 || || ''Corps inactive'' || ||

|-

|1983 || || Alexander's Ragtime Band by [[Irving Berlin]] / Battle Hymn of the Republic by [[William Steffe]] and [[Julia Ward Howe]] / Watermelon Man by [[Herbie Hancock]] || 32.350<br>31.000 || 10th Class A<br> 47th

|-

|1984 || || Alexander's Ragtime Band by Irving Berlin / Battle Hymn of the Republic by William Steffe and Julia Ward Howe / Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa || 51.000 || 19th Class A

|}

==See also==

* [[Mitch Markovich]]

==Notes==

{{reflist | group=notes | refs=

<ref name="a" group="notes">Both corps director Glenn Opie and brass instructor Sandra Opie are in the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame.</ref>

<ref name="b" group="notes">On the way to the 1963 Legion Championships in [[Miami, Florida]], the corps stopped for dinner in [[Birmingham, Alabama]], several members of the corps were attacked by a group of [[White supremacy|white supremacists]] because some members of the corps were [[African-Americans]]. Although one member of the corps required medical care, the corps continued to Miami, where they finished in tenth place.</ref>

<ref name="c" group="notes">After the Argonne Rebels had won the American Legion title in 1971 and '72, the Legion national convention was held in Hawaii. Since few, if any, drum corps would travel to Hawaii for the Nationals, they were not held, and the Argonne Rebels were awarded the 1973 American Legion Championship by proclamation.</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

*{{Official website | http://www.argonnerebels.com | Argonne Rebels Reunion website}}

*{{URL | http://www.dci.org | Drum Corps International website}}

{{DCI Nav}}

[[Category:Drum and bugle corps]]

[[Category:DCI defunct corps]]

[[Category:Musical groups from Kansas]]

[[Category:Musical groups established in 1947]]

[[Category:1947 establishments in Kansas]]

[[Category:1984 disestablishments in Kansas]]

[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1984]]