A Brief History

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In the early 50's, students from the Sudbury Mining and Technical School (Sheridan Tech) would grab drums, horns, and whatever else would make a lot of noise, and loudly cheer on their school football team, the Blue Devils. What they lacked in musical ability, and they did lack musical ability, they replaced with school spirit.

The late Maurice Gravelle, the school's music professor, decided to organize the Sudbury Mining and Technical School Band from the ranks of the noisemakers. Most agree it was because Mr. Gravelle had too much respect for music to listen to the noise they created.

Mr. Gravelle's school associate and successor, the late George Netzke, continued the process of developing musical ability. However, he also brought military discipline into the mix, for Mr. Netzke was quite involved and well known within the Canadian Militia. He brought them from school band to Canadian Drum Corps. In 1958, their name became the Blue Saints (to compliment the school team, the Blue Devils).

Since their inception into the world of Drum Corps, they have flourished and made their school, and city, proud. From numerous competitions, to taking part in the Calgary Stampede and the Quebec Winter Carnival where they were praised and heroified back home. They have also come to represent the histories of two other drum corps, the Nickel City Sound and the Imperial Knights. Both corps have folded and entered the rich history of the Big Blue.

Imperial Knights

The Sudbury Imperial Knights, a senior marching corps, started when a dozen drum corps enthusiasts got together in 1964 in the northern Ontario city of Sudbury. For lack of space and funds, theys practiced in the men's washroom area of the Sudbury arena early on. Corps members raised funds and recruited across the Sudbury area, a city of 100,000.

Within six years the Imperial Knights grew from their men’s room beginnings to 75 marching members and a staff of instructors, gaining many new members from age outs of the Saints. The Knights began performing by marching in local parades, and by 1970 they had finished their first field marching and maneuvering program. The corps’ field career began in Lindsay, Ontario, in 1970 competing with the Guelph Royalairs, the Kawartha Cavaliers, and the Kinston Grenadiers. Their repertoire included "Cherish" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You.” They competed in four contests that year, including the Canadian Nationals.

In 1972 the Imperial Knights joined the Red Carpet Senior Drum Corps Association and sponsored their first drum corps competition, the "Northern Fanfare," in Sudbury. It was the northern-most location for any drum corps contest at that time. By 1973 the Imperial Knights’ competitors included the Matadors, Phoenix, and the Rochester Crusaders. Against these corps, in the Red Carpet finals the Knights placed in the top five out of 20 overall. They also placed first in the Canadian Senior B competitions. Their repertoire included such elements as the rock symphony "Tommy," the Beatle's "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and a unique drum solo derived from "Smoke On the Water."

By 1976 the Knights had grown to almost a hundred members, had their own buses and practice hall, and were regular participants in contests in Ontario, New York, and Pennsylvania. At Canadian winter Individual competitions, the Knights won first place in drum quartet, drum duet, brass sextet, and snare solos. By the late 1970s, after 15 years of active competition and camaraderie, the Sudbury Imperial Knights disbanded.