# Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps

The Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps, or simply The Bluecoats, is a World Class competitive drum and bugle corps. Based in Canton, Ohio, the Bluecoats are a member corps of Drum Corps International (DCI). The Bluecoats are the current World Class Champions, having won the title in 2016 and 2024.

## History

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 32nd of 37 corps in the U.S. Open Class A preliminaries 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 35th place among 45 corps.
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 38th-place finish of the 44 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, the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps announced it would cease operations.
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 11th place. Since then, the corps has failed to make finals only once, in 1999.
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.
In 2016, the Bluecoats won first place in World Class Finals, becoming only the 10th 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 sections wore white and the color guard wore 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. This trend of nontraditional uniforms has continued since then, and has been emulated by numerous other corps since.
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. Post-COVID, the activity resumed competitions in 2022, with Bluecoats landing in second 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 DCI semifinals.
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.

## Show summary (1974–2024)

Source:
Key :
* Pale green background indicates DCI World Class Semifinalist
* Pale blue background indicates DCI World Class Finalist
* Dark gold background indicates DCI World Class Champion
* 1 2 From 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.
| Year | Repertoire | World Championships | World Championships |
| Year | Repertoire | Score | Placement |
| 1975 | Fanfare & Coronation March by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / Variations On America by Truman Crawford / Gospel John by Jeffrey Steinberg / Livin' for the City by Stevie Wonder | Did not attend World Championships | Did not attend World Championships |
| 1976 | 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 | Did not attend World Championships | Did not attend World Championships |
| 1977 | The Golden Cockerel by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov / Porgy and Bess Medley by George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward & Ira Gershwin / Carmina Burana by Carl Orff / Bridge Over Troubled Water by Paul Simon / Fanfare from Quejada by Kenneth Snoeck | 65.500 | 35th Place Open Class |
| 1978 | Farandole by Georges Bizet / Corazón by Carole King / Sweet Inspiration by Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham / Oklahoma Crude by Henry Mancini / Where He Leads Me (Traditional) / Stony End by Laura Nyro / Big Noise from Winnetka by Bob Haggart & Ray Bauduc / New York, New York (from On the Town) by Leonard Bernstein | 68.500 | 28th Place Open Class |
| 1979 | Parade corps only | Parade corps only | Parade corps only |
| 1980 | Farandole by Georges Bizet / Left Bank Express by Pete Jackson / Encore in Jazz by Vic Firth / Friends by Al Jardine, Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson & Dennis Wilson / Exodus by Ernest Gold | 52.050 | 38th Place Open Class |
| 1981 | Barnum by Cy Coleman & Michael Stewart / Aquarius (from Hair) by Galt MacDermot, James Rado & Gerome Ragni / Encore in Jazz by Vic Firth / Porgy and Bess Medley by George Gershwin & DuBose Heyward | 59.600 | 31st Place Open Class |
| 1982 | Compendium by Ray Crawford / Carnival by Maynard Ferguson & Nick Lane / Aquarius (from Hair) by Galt MacDermot, James Rado & Gerome Ragni / Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel / Pavanne (from American Symphonette No. 2) by Morton Gould | 56.250 | 33rd Place Open Class |
| 1983 | Corps inactive | Corps inactive | Corps inactive |
| 1984 | Run Back to Mama by Bill Chase & Jim Peterik / Night in Rome by Doc Severinsen & Jeff Tyzik / Bugle Call Rag by Billy Meyers, Jack Pettis & Elmer Schoebel / Magnum Opus by Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh, Phil Ehart, Rich Williams, Dave Hope & Robbie Steinhardt (Kansas) / For Your Eyes Only by Bill Conti & Mick Leeson | 66.600 | 29th Place Open Class |
| 1985 | Run Back to Mama by Bill Chase & Jim Peterik / Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?) by Jimmy Davis, Ram Ramirez & Jimmy Sherman / Walk Between the Raindrops by Donald Fagen / Sunrise Lady by Bruce Johnstone / Race with the Devil on Spanish Highway by Al Di Meola / One Voice by Barry Manilow | 70.200 | 28th Place Open Class |
| 1986 | Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms / Doodletown Fifers (Kingdom Coming) / Salt Peanuts by Dizzy Gillespie & Kenny Clarke / Everything Happens to Me by Tom Adair & Matt Dennis | 80.300 | 15th Place Open Class Semifinalist |
| 1987 | Bye Bye Blues by Fred Hamm, Dave Bennett, Bert Lown & Chauncey Gray / Autumn Leaves by Joseph Kosma & Jacques Prévert, adapted by Johnny Mercer / Body and Soul by Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour & Frank Eyton | 85.700 | 11th Place Open Class Finalist |
| 1988 | That Old Black Magic by Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer / Take Five by Paul Desmond / Autumn Leaves by Joseph Kosma & Jacques Prévert, adapted by Johnny Mercer | 86.700 | 11th Place Open Class Finalist |
| 1989 | Johnny One Note & My Funny Valentine (from Babes in Arms) by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart / Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) by Louis Prima | 90.300 | 8th Place Open Class Finalist |
| 1990 | Caravan by Juan Tizol / I Got It Bad (and that Ain't Good) by Duke Ellington & Paul Francis Webster / Don't Get Around Much Anymore by Duke Ellington & Bob Russell / It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing) by Duke Ellington & Irving Mills | 89.200 | 8th Place Open Class Finalist |
| 1991 | Nutville by Horace Silver / Palookaville by Larry Kerchner / A Whiter Shade of Pale by Gary Brooker, Keith Reid & Matthew Fisher | 84.400 | 11th Place Open Class Finalist |
| 1992 | A Day in the Life Nowhere Man, Eleanor Rigby, The Long and Winding Road, Penny Lane, A Day in the Life & The End All by Lennon–McCartney | 84.600 | 11th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1993 | Standards in Blue: A Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie All The Things You Are (from Very Warm for May) by Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II / 'Round Midnight by Thelonious Monk / A Night in Tunisia by Dizzy Gillespie & Frank Paparelli | 87.200 | 9th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1994 | Blues Things Ain't What They Used to Be by Mercer Ellington & Ted Parsons / Blues for Alice by Charlie Parker / In a Sentimental Mood by Duke Ellington / Sandu by Clifford Brown / C Jam Blues by Duke Ellington | 84.300 | 9th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1995 | 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 | 89.500 | 7th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1996 | American Celebrations My Funny Valentine (from Babes in Arms) by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart / Big Day in Bristol by Bruce McConnell / Yankee Doodle Dandy by George M. Cohan / Strike Up The Band by George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin / Prophet's Margin by Bruce McConnell / Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane / Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns | 86.300 | 7th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1997 | Midnight Blue... Jazz After Dark, The Bluecoats' Way Harlem Nocturne by Earle Hagen & Dick Rogers / Moon by Ennio Morricone / You and the Night and the Music by Arthur Schwartz & Howard Dietz | 85.600 | 11th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1998 | The Four Seasons of Jazz Winter (Original Music) / It Might As Well Be Spring (from State Fair) by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II / Summertime (from Porgy and Bess) by George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward & Ira Gershwin / Autumn Leaves by Joseph Kosma & Jacques Prévert, adapted by Johnny Mercer | 87.100 | 10th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1999 | 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 | 90.750 | 7th Place Division I Finalist |
| 2004 | Mood Swings Ride by Samuel Hazo / One Day I'll Fly Away (from Moulin Rouge!) by Will Jennings & Joe Sample / Hunting Wabbits by Gordon Goodwin | 92.125 | 6th Place Division I Finalist |
| 2005 | Caravan Caravan by Juan Tizol / Incantation (from Quidam) by Benoît Jutras / Ombra (from Dralion) by Violaine Corradi / Hajj by Stephen Melillo | 94.450 | 5th Place Division I Finalist |
| 2006 | Connexus Roots of Coincidence by Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays / Distorted (from La Nouba) by Benoît Jutras / My Heart and I (from La piovra) by Ennio Morricone / The Tihai by Don Ellis | 93.175 | 4th Place Division I Finalist |
| 2007 | Criminal Criminal by Fiona Apple / Battle Music by David Holsinger / Small World by Trilok Gurtu & Robert Miles / Room Service by Michel Legrand / Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson / Hummingbird by Steve Bryant / Timbuktu by Aaron Davis & Marc Jordan / Every Breath You Take by Sting | 94.050 | 7th Place Division I Finalist |
| 2008 | The Knockout On the Waterfront by Leonard Bernstein / The Boxer by Paul Simon / Excerpts from Rocky by Bill Conti / Excerpts from Rocky IV by Vince DiCola / Eye of the Tiger (from Rocky III) by Jim Peterik & Frankie Sullivan | 93.175 | 6th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2009 | Imagine Imagine by John Lennon / Children's Hour of Dream by Charles Mingus / Hunting Wabbits 2 by Gordon Goodwin / Sky Blue by Maria Schneider / Haitian Fight Song by Charles Mingus | 93.150 | 6th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2010 | Metropolis: The Future is Now 160 BPM (from Angels & Demons) by Hans Zimmer / AHA! by Imogen Heap / Metropolis by Doug Thrower & Tom Rarick / Asphalt Cocktail by John Mackey | 96.400 | 3rd Place World Class Finalist |
| 2011 | Brave New World Creep by Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien & Phil Selway (Radiohead) and Albert Hammond & Mike Hazlewood / Deus Ex Machina by Michael Daugherty / Harvest: Concerto for Trombone by John Mackey | 92.050 | 7th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2012 | Unmasqued Masquerade (from The Phantom of the Opera) by Andrew Lloyd Webber / Filet (from Le Rêve) by Benoît Jutras / Flume by Justin Vernon / Ritual by Doug Thrower & Tom Rarick / Love Dance (from Kà) by René Dupéré / blue cathedral by Jennifer Higdon / Epiphanies (Fanfares and Chorales) by Ron Nelson | 92.550 | 6th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2013 | ...to Look for America America by Paul Simon / Agnus Dei by Rufus Wainwright / Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen / City Life by Steve Reich / Spring (from The River) by Duke Ellington / Ebony Concerto by Igor Stravinsky / Concerto for Wind Ensemble, Mvt. 5 by Steven Bryant | 93.350 | 5th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2014 | TILT Uffe's Woodshop & Platinum Rows by Tyondai Braxton / The Hymn of Acxiom by Vienna Teng / to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem by Andy Akiho | 97.175 | 2nd Place World Class Finalist |
| 2015 | Kinetic Noise Shaker Loops by John Adams & Jon Anderson / Electric Counterpoint by Steve Reich / Woods by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) / Gene Takes a Drink by Michael Gordon / An Animated Description of Mr. Maps by Nick Zammuto & Paul de Jong (The Books) / Dense by Daniel Denis (Univers Zero) | 96.925 | 3rd Place World Class Finalist |
| 2016 | Down Side Up Jose/beFORe JOHN5 by Aurel Hollo / Heat of the Day by Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays / Raga Raja by Greg Pattillo, Eric Stephenson & Peter Seymour (Project Trio) / Udacrep Akubrad by Avner Dorman / Great Gig in the Sky (from The Dark Side of the Moon) by Roger Waters & Clare Torry (Pink Floyd) / Down Slide Up by Doug Thrower / Todo Tiende by Marina Abad, Javier Martin, Sergio Ramos, Xavier Turull & Maxwell Wright (Ojos de Brujo) | 97.650 | 1st Place World Class Champion |
| 2017 | Jagged Line Prelude by Mark Radice & Thank You Scientist / Psychopomp by Thank You Scientist / Grow Till Tall by Jónsi / One Study One Summary by John Psathas / Zomby Woof by Frank Zappa | 95.163 | 5th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2018 | Session 44 Bird & Bela in B Flat by Don Sebesky / American Concerto by Patrick Williams / The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines by Charles Mingus & Joni Mitchell / Pretty Saro (Traditional) / Home (from Congo Square) by Wynton Marsalis / God Bless the Child by Billie Holiday & Arthur Herzog, Jr. | 96.950 | 3rd Place World Class Finalist |
| 2019 | 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 | Season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | 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) | No scored competitions | No scored competitions |
| 2022 | Riffs and Revelations Taming the Dragon & The Garden by Brad Mehldau / Taizo by Henry Hey (Forq) / Nautilus & moonmoons by Anna Meredith / Momento Magico by Youn Sun Nah / Liminality by Dave Hall | 97.325 | 2nd Place World Class Finalist |
| 2023 | The Garden of Love Eleven by yMusic / The Woods by Chick Corea / The Garden of Love by Jacob TV / Finding and Believing by Pat Metheny / 45 by Bon Iver / Bump by Anna Meredith / So Many Layers of Colour Become a Deep Purple Heart by Edda Magnason | 97.738 | 2nd Place World Class Finalist |
| 2024 | Change Is Everything Change is Everything by Son Lux / Foreplay/Long Time by Boston / The Four Sections by Steve Reich / Rose by Michael Laurello / Plans We Made by Son Lux / Agape by Nicholas Britell / Love/Lover/Friend by Caroline Rose / Threshold by Sungazer / Dymaxion by Darcy James Argue's Secret Society / Lost It to Trying by Son Lux | 98.750 | 1st Place World Class Champion |
* ↑ 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:
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
### 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.

### 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.

### 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.