Our History
Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps

Founded by local television stars Fred and Fae Taylor in 1958, the Blue Knights have come from humble beginnings to become one of the most respected, innovative, and successful competitive drum and bugle corps in the world.
After successful appearances in the East at nightclubs, the Palace Theater, and The Ed Sullivan Show, Fred and Fae moved to Denver in 1951 for stage work at nightclubs. In 1953, the Taylors started Soda Shop, a show geared towards teenagers on Channel 2. In 1955, they moved to Channel 9 to have a younger children’s show, Clubhouse Gang. Being from the East Coast where drum and bugle corps were plentiful, Fred maintained an interest in the activity and joined The American Legion Grenadiers Senior Corps. In 1957, the couple opened the very popular Fred and Fae Talent School, as well as starting work on The Fred and Fae Show, which ran on Channel 7 for the next ten years. Fred and Fae retired from full time show business in 1967.
As a drum instructor, Fred had drum students coming up from their talent school with no outlet to use what they had learned. Fred had the idea of forming a junior drum and bugle corps. In 1958, the Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps was incorporated with Fred Taylor, George Young, and Ray Route as directors of the new non-profit organization.
Each member of the drum section owned his own snare drum and Fred provided a bass drum and cymbals. A very small bugle section, directed by George, worked out on borrowed brass bugles. Uniforms were makeshift, appearances scattered, but enthusiasm and loyalty was contagious. A Parents’ Auxiliary was formed and through the efforts of this group the blue uniform with white accessories was established and an emblem was designed.

The Early Years

Weathering the Storm


Rising to New Heights
From 1986 to 1991, after reforming the board of directors and streamlining business operations, the corps improved each year both in score and placement, regaining DCI membership and making their first semifinals appearance in 1984 and again in 1987 through 1990.
In 1990, after narrowly missing finals in with a heartbreaking drop from 12th place in Quarterfinals to a 13th place finish in Semifinals, the corps would sing “I Go On”, a selection from that year’s production featuring Bernstein’s Mass. “I Go On”, a song about continuing forward despite tough times and obstacles, would later become the official corps song, and is sung by the corps before every performance that the Blue Knights have.
True to the new corps song, the corps forged ahead the following year, capping off its ascent with the Blue Knights’ first Finals appearance in 1991, cementing their place as an elite drum and bugle corps and earning the respect of a worldwide audience. That was also the year of the DOTS uniform designed by David Lacy, a Blue Knight alum. The DOTS uniform featured a modern traditional military look inspired by the United States Air Force Academy ceremonial uniform. The pants were light grey with a white stripe and the jackets were dark navy blue with a unique 21 white button triangle formation on the front, 3 white buttons on each cuff and 2 white buttons on the collar.
Throughout the rest of 1990s, the Blue Knights established themselves as a perennial finalist and as one of the most innovative ensembles in the activity. Slipping out of finals only once from 1991-2000, the corps played a variety of symphonic, classical, and wind literature.
High profile show designers, including Ralph Hardimon, Jim Prime, Jr., and George Zingali, helped the organization reach previously unrealized heights competitively. Achieving their highest placement ever in 2000, the 6th placed corps looked primed to push itself into the upper echelons of the activity with a unique style and a distinct identity.
Despite the overall strength of the organization and the excellent talent of the corps, the show design missed the mark, plunging the corps to a 14th place finish in 2001, their lowest ranking since the 1989 season. After consecutive 13th place finishes in 2002 and 2003, the corps rebounded into DCI Finals at the 2004 World Championships in front of a hometown crowd at INVESCO Field at Mile High. The corps has stayed in DCI Finals since, working their way up to a 7th place finish in 2016.
Even with the success that the Blue Knights organization has achieved, the focus has remained on the growth and enrichment of youth. The corps song, “I Go On”, is an important tradition for its members. The song’s lyrics convey the ideal to live by: how one succeeds is not nearly as important as how one faces and overcomes challenges and adversity in drum corps and in life. The Blue Knights continue to strive for performance excellence, but the greater goal is to remain true to the ideals of Fred and Fae Taylor who started the Blue Knights for the purpose of giving young people an outlet to express themselves and gain self-esteem through music and performance. With a renewed commitment to artistic expression and challenging repertoires, the Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps has reestablished itself as a force within the activity, and the future looks quite bright.
“No one experience stands out in my memory more than the knowledge of being a part of a group of dedicated people who gave birth to an organization that has weathered the test of time for the last thirty years. I was honored to have been given the privilege of being one of the original directors. In that position, I was able to touch the lives of many young people, encourage their self-esteem and help prepare them for adulthood. This goal was accomplished through discipline, organization, music, marching and participation in the total drum corps experience. Most of these young people have taken their place in society and have made us all proud of them.”
~Ray Route upon the 30th anniversary of the Blue Knights
Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps Directors
1958 – 1972 | Ray Route |
1972 – 1975 | Richard Wentland, Sr. |
1976 | Frank Forrest |
1977 | Bob Bunce |
1978 | Bob Lockhart |
1979 – 1981 | Gary Johnson |
1982 | Roger Newcomer |
1983 | Joe Bailey |
1984 – 1985 | George Lindstrom |
1985 – 2019 | Mark Arnold |
2020 – Present | Jordan Helwerda |
“Over the last 22 years as Corps Director, my observation has been that the Blue Knights continue to exist because we realize the importance of what it is the organization brings to its youth participants. We are unique. We are driven by our commitment to our mission and exist solely as the result of the hard work of the many volunteers and contributors who share our dedication to this mission. As members, you have aimed for excellence and, in the process, have made lasting friendships and developed skills and values that contributed to your quality of life. Each of you, through your endless hours of rehearsals, hard work and perseverance, molded the organization to what it is today.”
~Mark Arnold upon the 50th anniversary of the Blue Knights