The Cavaliers

The Cavaliers are a junior drum corps based in Rosemont, Illinois. They are members of Drum Corps International and they compete within DCI Division I. Until 2018, they had remained one of only two all-male corps alongside The Madison Scouts. In 2019, the Madison Scouts adopted a non-discrimination policy that expanded membership for all gender identities to participate in the Madison Scouts, making the corps co-ed

History[]

The Cavaliers was founded in 1948 as the Boy Scout Troop 111 Drum and Bugle Corps, based on Chicago's northwest side. The corps added an American Legion sponsor the following year, becoming the Kosciuszko Post 712 Drum & Bugle Corps. In the early 50s, the boys in the corps decided to take a new name, and after some discussion (influenced by the introduction of the short-lived "Cavalier" cigarettes), the members chose to call themselves The Cavaliers adopting not only the name, but a similar logo to the image on the cigarette pack.

In 1992, The Cavaliers won their first DCI Championship. They also won in 1995, and since 2000, they have won five of the last seven DCI titles, including only the second ever three-peat(2000-2002). In 2002, The Cavaliers broke the record of all-time highest score with a score of 99.15, a record which has been tied but never actually broken.

The Mission[]

The mission of The Cavaliers is to provide the members with life changing experiences, educationally and socially, which help each individual member gain realworld life skills, musical training and performance experiences.

Traditions[]

Corps Song/Somewhere Over the Rainbow[]

The Cavaliers' corps song is based on the US Coast Guard hymn, Semper Paratus. The words are as follows:

We are the corps The Cavaliers,
There is no corps we fear,
We march along and sing this song,
For we know that we never never will go wrong, so

March onto victory Cavaliers,
As we march on through the years,
We march along and sing this song,
For we are The Cavaliers.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow has a very special meaning to all of the members of corps. The Cavaliers adopted "Rainbow" as their song during their rise to prominence in the 1950's. A headline in the Midwest Corps News stated "Cavaliers Wish on Rainbow Comes True", and since 1951, The Cavaliers have sung Rainbow as "their" song.

Both songs are traditionally sung before every Cavaliers performance.

The Cavaliers play a medley of the two songs for encore performances and other special occasions.

Splooie[]

Splooie is The Cavaliers' battle cry. Its origin and meaning is hidden.

External Links[]

The Cavaliers: Official Website
The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DCI Telecast Intro