Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps

The Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps was an Open Class DCI drum and bugle corps based in Collierville, TN 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.

Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps
LocationCollierville, TN
DivisionOpen Class
Founded2002
Folded2009
DirectorPam Opie
Championship titlesDiv.III 2007
UniformSplit Purple and White uniform top usually with square mirror on left breast; Black pants

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

History

Memphis Sound won the Drum Corps International Division III Championship in 2007 with their show "Harmonic Voices," and in doing so won the Brass, Percussion, and Visual captions. In addition, they were in the Top 3 for all Division II/III throughout the season before settling at 5th place going into finals week. Memphis Sound made Division II/III (now Open Class) Finals every season since 2004.

After the 2009 season, Memphis Sound was disbanded in an effort to serve as start up to a new corps in Grand Prairie, TX in 2010 called Forte. Forte folded in 2012.

Administration

Pat and Kimberly Bohannan - Administrative Volunteers[2]

Trey Moore - Corps director 2003 - 2006[3]

Michael McCray - Corps director 2007[4]

Andre Feagin - Corps director 2007[5]

The original logo of the Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps, designed in 2002.

Original corps logo created with the creation of the drum corps organization. It resembled the side of a snare drum and represented an M.

New logo unveiled September 26, 2006. The M and the S are intertwined to symbolize the Memphis bridge spanning the Mississippi river, which meanders below.[6]

Corps Song

"I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" originally recorded by Elvis Presley. Arranged for the drum corps by...

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).

Show Summary
Competitive Shows of Memphis Sound (2003-2009)[7]
Year Title Reperitoire Score DCI Placement
2003 Metropolis "Metropolis Symphony" Michael Daugherty 82.45 9th Div. II
2004 Elements of Blue 84.5 11th Div. II
2005 One Hot Night "Los Endos Suite" Phil Collins Big Band

Brass arranger Terry Jolley, and percussion arranger Kevin Tabb[8]

 85.35 12th Div. II
2006 Shades of Blue "Rondo a la Blue" ("Blue Rondo a la Turk," "Blue Moon," "Blues in the Night," "Blue Train," "Afro Blue")

"Blue" by Joni Mitchell "Scootin' on Hard Rock" by David Holsinger[9]

 84.22 8th Div. II
2007 Harmonic Voices Karl Jenkins (Sol-fa: Song of Aeolus), Eric Whitacre (Lux Aurumque), and Giuseppe Verdi (Dies Irae) 90.55 1st Div. III
2008 Awakenings 84.4 12th Open
2009 Celebrations... Rebirth of a Planet 80.65 12th Open

Other Honors & Recognitions at DCI World Championships

2004
  • Drum Major of the Year - Matt Souther

2005
  • Drum Major of the Year - Matt Souther

2006
  • Drum Major of the Year - Chris Goodson

2007
  • Visual Performance
  • Brass Performance
  • Percussion Performance
  • Drum Major of the Year - Andrew Snead
  • Corps Director of the Year- T. André Feagin
  • Div. III World Champions

Other information

See also

References
  1. "MYPAA - Memphis Sound". Archived from the original on 2009-11-07. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  2. "Hats (and flip-flops) off to Kim and Pat Bohannan, Memphis Sound volunteers". www.dci.org. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  3. "Aria -- the DCI.org interview: Trey Moore of Memphis Sound". www.dci.org. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  4. "McCray named director of Memphis Sound". www.dci.org. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  5. "Spartans and Memphis Sound Champions of Divisions II & III". www.dci.org. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  6. "Memphis Sound reveals new corps logo, launches new Web site". www.dci.org. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  7. "Memphis Sound". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  8. "Memphis Sound 2005 program to be called ""One Hot Night""". www.dci.org. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  9. "Memphis Sound presents ""Shades of Blue"" in 2006". www.dci.org. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
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