History of BDPA
In 1957 Bill Martin resigned as manager of the The Martinettes (an all boy drum corps and girl drill team).
Ann and Tony Odello and the Concord branch of the V.F.W. acquired the unit and founded the Blue Devils
(named "Blue" for the V.F.W. color and "Devils" after Concord's local land mark, Mt. Diablo). Starting with
less that 50 young members, the organization began as an all-boy "Drum Corps" unit with only percussion
instruments, and a separate all-girl marching team.
In 1958, the Blue Devils added glockenspiels (bells) to their percussion line (becoming a Drum and Bell
Corps) and spun the Majorettes (baton twirlers) off as an independent unit of the organization. The Drum and
Bell Corps continued to provide the Majorettes with musical accompaniment during parades and shows. Both
units achieved early success in competitive field show events and city parades. In 1961, a Color Guard (flag
section) was added to the unit which competed in the State Junior division. The Junior Drum and Bell Corps -
a mix of boys and girls - had a remarkable record; going undefeated in the California State Championships
from 1957 to 1970.
Mr. Tony Odello resigned as manager of the Bell corps in 1964 and Jerry Seawright assumed the managers
duties with Erlene Shaffer as manager of the majorettes. In 1965 the Twirlers fielded a group of twelve
members to compete in field shows and parades.
In 1968, a third unit was added to the Blue Devils when the original Junior Drum and Bell Corps elected to
compete as a Senior unit and a new Junior Corps was established. All of these units did so well that in the
late 1960's, the Senior Drum and Bell Corps decided to make the transition to a full Drum and Bugle
Corps.
In 1970, the Blue Devils recruited 10 brass players, who joined the talented percussion line and Color
Guard from the Bell Corps. On February 14, 1971, the Blue Devils attended their first "standstill"
competition in Downey, California. By the spring of 1972 the Drum and Bugle Corps had grown in size to more
than 70 members and traveled on their first summer tour to compete with groups in the Pacific Northwest. The
Corps did very well and changed their category from B to A status that same year.
The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps first toured on a national level in 1973, competing with hundreds of
other organizations across the nation in Whitewater, Wisconsin. By placing a very respectable 23rd in the
Whitewater National competition, the Blue Devils A Corps gained associate membership in prestigious Drum
Corps International association (a status given to only the top 25 national groups.) Also during 1973, the
Junior Drum and Bell Corps was converted to a B Bugle Corps, and an even younger-aged C Bugle Corps was
established.
In 1974, the older A Corps earned a full DCI membership by their 9th place finish at the DCI Championships
in Ithaca, New York. That year the Twirling Corps continued to grow and attended their first U.S. Twirling
Association (USTA) National Championships in San Francisco. The Twirlers were 40 members strong at the time
and were accompanied at this competition by the B Bugle Corps.
In 1975 the A Corps made a tremendous jump to 3rd place at the DCI Championships in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. In 1976, the A Corps won their first Drum Corps International Championship, sweeping all
categories. Since 1975 the Blue Devils have never finished out of the top five and have won the DCI World
Championship title in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022. The Blue Devils' record of 20 DCI championships stands as an envied accomplishment in the drum corps activity. Adding to their impressive
record setting DCI world championships, the Blue Devils in 2005 won the prestigious World Music Contest in
Kerkrade, Holland.
The organization also became involved with the winter-time Color Guard activity (flag competition) in the
mid-1960's and over the years has competed in A, B, and C divisions, which continue today under the
classifications of Prep, A, and World. The organization's first California Color Guard Circuit championship
was won by the Drum and Bugle Corps Color Guard in 1971. This group then moved up from the B classification
to the A class and a younger B unit was formed. Both the A and B Winter Guards dominated the local circuit
throughout the 70s and early 80s. Younger Guards were formed in the late 80s, and have met with consistent
local success, while the older Guard has advanced to national prominence. The Blue Devils World Winter Guard
performed at the Winter Guard International Championships from 1988 through 1992 and emerged as one of the
most talked about and respected units in competition. The Blue Devils' return to the WGI arena in 1995 was
marked by the first of their four consecutive World Class Championships. The Blue Devils World Winter Guard
currently holds the Winter Guard International record high score of 99.45, earned at their 1996 championship
performance!
The Twirling Corps continued to grow after their first trip to the National Championship in 1974. They won
their first National Championship in 1977 and went on to win six National Corps titles and twelve National
Team titles, the most recent one in 1997. The Twirlers were gold medalists at the U.S. Trials in '82, '83,
'84 and '86. They went on to compete in the World Championships in those years, and in 1983 and 1984 won two
back-to-back World titles.
In the fall of 1989, the organization moved from a small office and hall facility in downtown Concord into
the current building complex in the North Concord Business Park. Following the move to the new facility, the
Blue Devils Music School was established and began enrolling students as young as 4 years old. The Music
Program - teaching piano, percussion and basic music theory to youth aged 4 to 9 - currently serves and
involves over 150 students. In 1996 the organization added yet another program, The Diablo Wind Symphony.
The Symphony serves 60 - 80 students ages 14 - 18. Over 500 young people, ages seven to twenty-one, are
currently members of the Blue Devils performing units. Over 6,000 young people, in 1,800 families, have been
served by the Blue Devils since 1957.
Off The Field
With an opportunity to entertain and perform in an intimate theater environment the Blue Devils created
their On-Stage series. In 1997, they premiered their first On-Stage production, "Exhaltation". Created with
wit and humor, "Exhaltation" told the story of a lost explorer in a dangerous land in search of the
long-lost elusive "Contra Bass". While introducing the different sections of the corps to the theater
environment, "Exhaltation" combined the intimacy of the theater with the power and exhiliration of the field
performances. 1998 saw an expansion of performance opportunities and "Exubero" was created. Utilizing the
story line from 1997 and introducing completely new musical and dance productions, "Exubero" was performed
in Denver, San Antonio, and Ypsilanti to sold out theaters and in Orlando to a full capacity audience at
Disney's EPCOT American Amphitheater. In 1999 audiences in Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Denver, San
Antonio and Madison were treated to the exciting "{Jazz} Man in the Moon", utilizing the talents of all
sections to create a study of the ever present mystery of the effects of the moon on the cycles of Life. The
2000 On-Stage production thrilled fans throughout Europe and was the centerpiece of the European tour.
The Blue Devils have provided unique opportunities to their fans and members by offering performances and
clinics with great artists in the musical world. The Blue Devils have been featured in concert with Maynard
Ferguson, Bobby Shew and Chuck Mangione, as well as the late Stan Kenton and Buddy Rich. Clinics sponsored
by the Blue Devils have featured Ralph Humphrey, Dave Weckl, Steve Houghton, Peter Erskine, Bob
Montgomery, David Garibaldi and many others. Musical selections from these great bands and artists have been
highlights of Blue Devils' repertoires over the years.
The Blue Devils have broadened their entertainment horizons and formed BDEntertainment as an off-shoot of the Blue Devils to provide
pageantry entertainment to a variety of clients. BDEntertainment offers site-specific entertainment for
corporate events, sales and motivational meetings, trade shows and special events. BDEntertainment has
exceeded all expectations and projections having employed some of the finest performers and creatives in the
country. Working with production giants such as PGI and Jack Morton Worldwide as well as a variety of event
planners, BDEntertainment has provided entertainment for clients, PeopleSoft, Allstate, RJ Reynolds, SBC
Long Distance, Bank of the West, Life Scan, Johnson and Johnson, Wells Fargo, Sterling Jewelers, the NBA
with the Phoenix Suns, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, LA Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State
Warriors. BDEntertainment was featured on Live TV events at the NBA All-Star game in February 2005, The
Ellen DeGeneres Show, and the 2005 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.

DCI World Champions
Blue Devils A Corps
|
1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982*, 1986, 1994*, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2009*, 2010*, 2012*, 2014*, 2015, 2017*, 2019, 2022*
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World Music Contest Champions
Blue Devils A Corps
|
2005 |
DCI Open Class Champions
Blue Devils B Corps
|
2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016 |
WGI Guard World Champions
Blue Devils Winter Guard
|
1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 |
WGI Percussion World Champions
RCC Indoor Percussion
|
2002, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2015*, 2018 |
Twirling Championships
Twirling Corps
|
12 National Team Championships, 6 National Corps Championships, 2 World Team Championships |
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