My journey with the Blue Knights began in 1957. I was just nine years old, living in Denver, and captivated by an advertisement for a new drum corps on “The Fred and Faye Hour,” a local children’s television show hosted by the popular Fred and Faye Taylor. With no prior musical experience, I joined a group of equally enthusiastic and equally clueless kids. None of us knew a paradiddle from a flam!

Fred took us under his wing, teaching us the fundamentals of percussion. We even became members of the National Association of Rudimental Drummers (NARD). Our horn players were also novices, learning their instruments and marching techniques from scratch. Bill Miller guided the hornline, while Lieutenant Commander Ray Route from the Colorado Civil Air Patrol instilled in us the precision of marching and maneuvering.

Our dedication was evident. Within a year, we bravely entered our first competition, the Colorado American Legion Championships in Greeley. To our astonishment, we emerged victorious! Our sole competitor was an all-girls drum corps from Monte Vista, Colorado, called Sky High All Girls Drum & Bugle Corps. Though a small victory, it fueled our competitive spirit.

For the next few years, we focused on local parades, proudly representing the Denver area. But in 1959, we took a leap of faith and ventured to Minneapolis for the American Legion National Championships. That’s where we truly caught the drum corps bug. Witnessing the likes of the Madison Scouts, Kevin’s Emerald Knights, and the Garfield Cadets was an eye-opener. Their skill and showmanship were awe-inspiring.

We finished near the bottom, but the experience ignited a fire in us. We returned to Denver eager to improve and compete at a higher level. Between 1960 and 1965, we joined the Great Plains Drum & Bugle Corps Association. Our summers were spent crammed into a refurbished yellow school bus, traveling to competitions in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.

Our drum corps was small – never more than 28 horns, with a percussion section of 9 to 12 members. Our color guard, however, was our largest section! Most of us were no older than 14 years old. We faced tough competition in the Great Plains circuit, often losing to powerhouses like the Argonne Rebels, the Skyriders, and the Troopers.

The 1960 American Legion National Competition in Denver was another pivotal moment. Watching the Garfield Cadets win the junior drum corps title and the Hawthorne Caballeros claim the senior drum corps championship filled us with admiration. We were determined to reach that level of excellence.

In 1962, we traveled to Seattle for another national competition, this time hosted by either the Veterans of Foreign Wars. There, we encountered the reigning national champions, the Cavaliers. I even had the opportunity to compete against their legendary snare drummer, Mitch Markovich, in the individual snare competition. He won, of course, while I placed a respectable 10th out of 16. Our drum corps, unfortunately, remained in the bottom 30 drum corps.

These experiences sparked a realization: we needed to prioritize national competitions over local parades if we truly wanted to elevate our performance. Our board of directors, led by my father, Kenneth Cole, brought in two exceptional instructors from the Air Force Academy Drum & Bugle Corps: Tony Gamacorda for percussion and Joe Scalacci for the hornline. Their expertise transformed our sound and technique.

Confident in our newfound abilities, the Blue Knights board of directors decided to host our own competition in Denver. This led to the birth of “Drums Along the Rockies” in 1964, held at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood, Colorado. The lineup included renowned corps like Santa Clara Vanguard, the Racine Kilties, the Skyriders, the Troopers, and, of course, the Blue Knights. Thanks to our dedicated instructors, we finally bested the Skyriders and the Troopers that year! But we were humbled by the sheer brilliance of the Santa Clara Vanguard and the Kilties.

Sadly, 1965 marked my final year with the Blue Knights. My father retired from the Blue Knights board of directors, and the new leadership decided to shift focus back to local parades. Disappointed by this decision, I graduated from Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colorado, in 1966, my heart still set on drum corps. I even considered attending Marquette University in Wisconsin with the hope of joining the Kilties.

Life, however, had other plans. My career aspirations led me to American University in Washington, D.C., then back to Colorado for law school at the University of Colorado and the University of Denver. I built my legal career in Pueblo, Colorado, culminating in my retirement as a district court judge in 2008. I continued to serve as a senior judge until 2014.

My wife and I eventually sought refuge from the Colorado winters, relocating to Arizona in 2022. Though drum corps activity was not as prevalent here, my passion never waned. I attended as many DCI contests as possible and rarely missed the televised DCI quarterfinals at the movie theater, known as Big, Loud, & Live. I also performed with the Blue Knights Alumni Corps at Drums Along the Rockies in 2018.

I firmly believe that my time in the Blue Knights shaped me into the person I am today. Looking back as an alumni, it instilled discipline, teamwork, and a lifelong appreciation for music and performance. As I often say, “Once a Blue Knight, always a Blue Knight.”

I hope this glimpse into the early years of the Blue Knights has been informative and perhaps inspiring. To the current members, I wish you continued success and look forward to seeing you at the Drums Across the Desert competition here in Arizona!