Current Staff | Current
Members
The most decorated corps in the history of DCI, the Blue Devils
have finished
in the top five for over 40 years and have won the DCI World Championship title more than any
other
performing group. Ages 17–21.
History
The Blue Devils were founded in 1957 by Ann and Tony Odello and toured on a national level for
the first
time in 1973. In their second year of national competition, the corps earned full DCI membership
by their
9th place finish at the 1974 DCI Championships in Ithaca, NY. In 1975 the corps placed 3rd, and
they won
their first Drum Corps International Championship in 1976. Since 1975, the Blue Devils have
never placed out
of the top five and have won the world title an unprecedented 21 times:
1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023. Read
the full history of BDPA.
VIDEO
In 1958, the Blue Devils added glockenspiels (bells) to their percussion line (becoming a Drum
and Bell
Corps) and spun the Majorettes (baton twirlers) off as an independent unit of the organization.
The Drum and
Bell Corps continued to provide the Majorettes with musical accompaniment during parades and
shows. Both
units achieved early success in competitive field show events and city parades. In 1961, a Color
Guard (flag
section) was added to the unit which competed in the State Junior division. The Junior Drum and
Bell Corps -
a mix of boys and girls - had a remarkable record; going undefeated in the California State
Championships
from 1957 to 1970.
Mr. Tony Odello resigned as manager of the Bell corps in 1964 and Jerry Seawright assumed the
managers
duties.
In 1968, a third unit was added to the Blue Devils when the original Junior Drum and Bell Corps
elected to
compete as a Senior unit and a new Junior Corps was established. All of these units did so well
that in the
late 1960's, the Senior Drum and Bell Corps decided to make the transition to a full Drum and
Bugle
Corps.
VIDEO
In 1970, the Blue Devils recruited 10 brass players, who joined the talented percussion line and
Color
Guard from the Bell Corps. On February 14, 1971, the Blue Devils attended their first
"standstill"
competition in Downey, California. By the spring of 1972 the Drum and Bugle Corps had grown in
size to more
than 70 members and traveled on their first summer tour to compete with groups in the Pacific
Northwest. The
Corps did very well and changed their category from "B" to "A" status that same year.
The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps first toured on a national level in 1973, competing with
hundreds of
other organizations across the nation in Whitewater, Wisconsin. By placing a very respectable
23rd in the
Whitewater "National" competition, the Blue Devils A Corps gained associate membership in
prestigious Drum
Corps International association (a status given to only the top 25 national groups.) Also during
1973, the
Junior Drum and Bell Corps was converted to a B Bugle Corps, and an even younger-aged C Bugle
Corps was
established.
In 1974, the older A Corps earned a full DCI membership by their 9th place finish at the DCI
Championships
in Ithaca, New York. That year the Twirling Corps continued to grow and attended their first
U.S. Twirling
Association (USTA) National Championships in San Francisco. The Twirlers were 40 members strong
at the time
and were accompanied at this competition by the B Bugle Corps.
In 1975 the A Corps made a tremendous jump to 3rd place at the DCI Championships in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. In 1976, the A Corps won their first Drum Corps International Championship,
sweeping all
categories. Since 1975 the Blue Devils have never finished out of the top five and have won the
DCI World
Championship title in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023. The Blue
Devils' record of
21 DCI championships stands as an envied accomplishment in the drum corps activity. Adding to
their
impressive record setting DCI world championships, the Blue Devils in 2005 won the prestigious
World Music
Contest in Kerkrade, Holland.
In 1983 the corps attended the “21st Century Celebration” in Osaka, Japan. In 1988, the
percussion section
was featured as the centerpiece of a week-long schedule of performances at Japan’s Mitsui
Greenland, and in
the spring of that year, the Blue Devils Winter Guard traveled to the Netherlands. In 1992, the
corps
traveled to Nice, France, for “Carnaval”, and to the Netherlands for clinics and performances.
The corps
returned to Japan in the fall of 1996 for a ten-day tour of field shows, parades, theatre
performances, and
clinics. 2000 saw the Blue Devils’ thrilling return to Europe with a 3-week tour appearing in
Germany,
Holland, Belgium, and France. In 2002, a 38-member ensemble was the guest of the city of
Okayama, Japan,
providing a series of performances and clinics for Japanese elementary, intermediate, and high
school
students as part of the “Marching in Okayama” music festival. A 58-member ensemble of the Blue
Devils
returned to Japan in the fall of 2003 for an encore tour. The Blue Devils returned to Europe in
the summer
of 2005, where the toured for 3 weeks culminating with a World Championship at the “World Music
Contest” in
Kerkrade, Holland.
VIDEO
In October 2005, 14 members of the Blue Devils percussion section traveled to Seoul, South Korea
to participate in three performances at the Seoul Drum Festival hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan
Government and organized by the Sejong Cultural Center. In October 2007, a select ensemble of
the Blue Devils consisting of 24 brass players, 12 percussionists and 1 Drum Major returned to
the Marching In Okayama Festival in Japan for the third time to participate in the 20th Annual
Marching in Okayama Festival. In December 2011, 30 Blue Devil members and staff participated as
featured clinicians in the International Band Camp in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In September of
2012, 93 Blue Devil members and staff traveled to Guatemala City to perform a concert to close
out the Guatemala Marching Band Championships. In December of 2013, 25 Blue Devil alumni and
staff traveled to Taoyuan County, Taiwan to have a clinic and perform a concert as featured
performers of the Taoyuan Band Festival. 2015 saw the beginning of BD International, a group
made up of recent performers of the world champion Blue Devils as well as eight other world
class corps throughout the United States. The first BD International tour travelled to The
Netherlands, United Kingdom, Italy, and Switzerland. Read more about BD International. Read more
at One Music One World
The Blue Devils have also provided unique opportunities to their fans and members by offering
performances
and clinics with great artists in the musical world. They have been featured in concert with
Maynard
Ferguson, Bobby Shew, Chuck Mangione, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich. Clinic performances
spotlighting the Blue
Devils have featured Ralph Humphrey, Dave Weckl, Steve Houghton, Peter Erskine, Bob Montgomery,
David
Garibaldi, and many others. Musical selections from these great artist have been highlights of
Blue Devils
repertoires over the years.
Off the Field
In 1997, the opportunity to perform in an intimate theater environment motivated the Blue Devils
to create
their “On Stage” series. The premiere production, “Exaltation,” combined the intimacy of the
theater with
the power and exhilaration of the field performances. 1998 saw an expansion of performance
opportunities
with the creation of “Exubero” which was performed to full capacity audiences in Denver, San
Antonio,
Ypsilanti, and at Disney’s EPCOT American Amphitheater. In 1999, audiences in Chicago,
Indianapolis,
Cincinnati, Denver, San Antonio, and Madison were treated to the exciting “{Jazz} Man in the
Moon.” The 2000
On Stage production was the centerpiece of the Blue Devils European tour.