The Lone Star Drum and Bugle Corps had its beginnings in the mind of a businessman and father from Wichita Falls, Texas. Jeff Ashlock had been exposed to the drum corps activity through his two children,
Adam and Amanda. Through the local high school boosters, Jeff Ashlock was responsible
for the DCI show that took place in Wichita Falls. With the help of his son-in-law,
Robert Poulin (a long time drum corps veteran – including the 1988 DCI World Champion Madison Scouts), the dream of
a texas drum corps was put in place in late 1990. The corps was founded both as a youth activity and as a BSA Explorer
Post..
The original idea was to use Lone Star as a parade corps only. Instruments
were borrowed from various sources. Instructors Archie Endley and Denny Jones,
formerly members of the Sky Ryders, were brought in to instruct and arrange the music for the parade corps. A small, yet functional parade corps of 22 members successfully performed on the 4th of July Parade in
Wichita Falls.
With the DCI World Championships taking place in nearby Dallas, it was decided to take the parade music and create
a field show with it. Stephanie Endley, Archie Endley’s wife, was brought
in to teach the color guard. Robert Dyson came to help tech the drum line. Chris Chenault, formerly of the Phantom Regiment, was brought in as a jack-of-all-trades
tech.
In an amazingly short amount of time (about 3-4 short camps), a show was conceived and put on the field in time to
perform as the very first drum corps for the DCI World Championships in Dallas. Uniforms
were borrowed from Wichita Falls High School.
Archie Endley and Denny Jones were able to quickly arrange a set of patriotic music for the show. The music included
America the Beautiful, Yankee Doodle, and Stars and Stripes Forever. Robert Poulin and Opus created the visual program
in a single night on the Ashlock's kitchen table.
The small, yet able, corps surprised the audience with its patriotic show, featuring the rapping talents of Michael Marzett. The members of the corps ran, played, and sang (yes
sang) their hearts out in the Cotton Bowl. In spite of a rainy Monday morning, they placed 14th and scored a
56 (and taking 11th in GE Brass). They were surprisingly within a few points
of corps that had been touring the whole summer.
It was definately a different, yet positive start for the little drum corps from Wichita Falls. Jeff Ashlock's
dream had become reality.
