Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps

Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps
Location Collierville, TN
Division Open Class
Founded 2002
Folded 2009
Director Pam Opie
Championship titles Div.III 2007
Uniform Split Purple and White uniform top usually with square mirror on left breast; Black pants

The Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps was an Open Class DCI drum and bugle corps based in Collierville, TN. They won the Drum Corps International Division III World Championship in 2007. Memphis Sound made Division II/III (now Open Class) Finals every season since 2004.

The corps is currently inactive, after having finished the 2009 season.[1]

History

Memphis Sound was founded in 2002 (inaugural season 2003) in an effort to return a Junior Drum & Bugle Corps to Tennessee, which had not seen one since the dissolution of the Memphis Blues Brass Band in the 1980s.

There has been talk among vets of the corps of wanting to start the corps back up, but nothing has been set in stone.

2007 Championship

In 2007, Memphis Sound won their first championship with their program "Harmonic Voices." The program featured the choral music of Karl Jenkins (Sol-fa: Song of Aeolus), Eric Whitacre (Lux Aurumque), and Giuseppe Verdi (Dies Irae).

The brassline had an undefeated season, while the percussion had a season-long rivalry with Revolution. Both sections won their respective performance captions at Finals.

The corps was ranked in the Top 3 of both Divisions II and III throughout the season (leading Division III for the majority). During Finals week, the corps fell back to fifth place in Division II, but won the Division III championship with a score of 90.550. Their score peaked at the Semifinals competition with a 91.525.

Semifinals Fiasco

On the morning of the 2007 Semifinals, Memphis Sound began to prepare for the competition in the early afternoon. The corps was housed at a Good Nite Inn in Sylmar, CA (a little over a half hour from Pasadena City Community College where the competition was to be held). As the time to load the buses came and went, the corps realized there was going to be a problem. One bus was incapacitated, and the other was not present. The gate time for the corps was 1:20pm PST, and the bus did not arrive until 12:25pm PST.

The corps split into two groups (essentially brass and percussion with the guard taking whatever empty space there was), and the bus had to make two trips. The corps made it to the stadium with enough time for the brass to have a 10-minute warm-up, the battery even less, and the pit did not even have time to set up their instruments (this was done by parent volunteers). As the "Drum Major, Andrew Snead, is your corps ready?" announcement was made (indicating 60 seconds until the judging began), the corps had not yet rounded the wall leading into the stadium. A fan in the stands even shouted "Does it look like they're ready?!?!" Given instructions to "get out there NOW!" the corps members ran onto the field.

As the show ended, a scream from the front sideline to, "Cut the taps, and get [. . .] off the field!" was heard. The corps members then proceeded to the parking garage where they were informed that a timing penalty had been avoided by mere seconds.

This stressful situation resulted in a score of 91.525 (the corps' highest score to date), and the best performance of their season (as described by both members and many in the audience).

Other Honors & Recognitions at DCI World Championships

2004

2005

2006

2007

Other information

See also

References

  1. ↑ "MYPAA - Memphis Sound". Retrieved 2009-10-26.
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