The early days The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps was started in 1948 by Don Warren, Scoutmaster of
Boy Scout Troop 111 in Chicago's
Logan Square neighborhood after being impressed by the
Racine Scouts. In 1949, the corps found an additional sponsor in the
American Legion Thaddeus Kosciuszko Post 712 of Chicago's Little Warsaw neighborhood. This sponsorship allowed the corps to purchase new uniforms. The corps entered the world of field competition for the first time in 1950, adopting the name of Chicago Cavaliers and green as their main color. Following a promotional campaign by Cavalier Cigarettes, the corps adopted the Cavalier name and the logo of the cigarette brand as the corps' logo (the "Standing Man"). After being an also-ran for their first two seasons of field competition, the Cavaliers won their first contest in 1952 Class B competition at the Spectacle of Music in South Milwaukee. The same year, they competed in their first American Legion Junior National Championship in New York City, finishing in seventh place. In 1956, the Cavaliers had risen to the number one ranking in the Midwest, and in 1957, the Cavaliers won the VFW National title in Miami, as well as both the Illinois State American Legion and VFW titles. The Cavaliers won the VFW championship again in 1959.
1960s By 1960, the financial needs of the corps was struggling to be supported by the American Legion Kosciusko Post and the Chicago's Own VFW Post, but the temporary banning of
bingo and other similar fundraisers by the State of
Illinois was an almost crippling blow. As part of the solution to the ongoing problems of money and recruiting, in 1961, the Chicago's Own VFW was replaced by the Park Ridge VFW Post 3579, marking the beginning of the Cavaliers' move from being a city corps to suburban. The Cavaliers won VFW national three years in a row, 1961–63. In 1963, the corps traveled to Canada for the Toronto Optimist's "International" competition. In 1964, The Cavaliers added
mellophones and
contrabasses to their horn line. 1967 saw Cavalier Hall go up in flames, taking the corps' trophies with it. They won the VFW Nationals, then repeated as American Legion Champions. The corps rebounded in 1969, winning the American Legion title. The highlight of 1970 was the Cavaliers' rise from eleventh place at VFW National prelims to third place in finals.
The Combine In 1971, at the urging of Don Warren and Troopers founder Jim Jones, the
Blue Stars, Cavaliers,
Madison Scouts,
Santa Clara Vanguard, the Argonne Rebels and the
Troopers formed the Combine. This action was taken in reaction to the rigid, inflexible rules of the American Legion and VFW (the primary rule makers and sponsors of both corps and shows) and the low or nonexistent performance fees paid for appearing in the various competitions. The Combine members stated that the corps should be making their own rules, operating their own competitions and championships, and keeping the bulk of the monies those shows earned. For the 1971 season, the corps stuck together, offering show promoters the five corps as a package. Despite pressure on show sponsors, judges, and other drum corps, the Combine corps were not only booked into a number of shows together, but they found a host for a show of their own, which was a spectacular success despite fears of failure. But in 1971 was not as much of a success for the Cavaliers: the corps fell to eighth at CYO Nationals and, with most of the top corps opting for VFW Nationals, they finished in second, two points behind the
Argonne Rebels at the Legion Nationals.
The beginning of DCI In 1972, The Cavaliers, along with the nine other corps from the Combine and the Alliance, as well as the
Anaheim Kingsmen,
Argonne Rebels, and De La Salle Oaklands, were founding members of Drum Corps International, which remains as the sanctioning body for junior corps in North America. At the first DCI World Championships in
Whitewater, Wisconsin, The Cavaliers finished in ninth place. The 1972 Cavaliers also won another VFW National Championship in
Minneapolis, their seventh. In 1973, the Cavaliers finished in fifteenth place at DCI in Whitewater during a season of financial difficulties and struggles with recruitment. Over the next four years, 1974–77, The Cavaliers seemed to have rebounded somewhat from the down year of '73. Two years in eighth place were followed by two years in seventh place at DCI. They also won two more VFW National Championships in 1974 and '76. There was an unacknowledged drug problem that came to a head in 1977 when several members almost died while returning from a show, and due to disagreement within the corps, it managed only a sixteenth place finish at DCI. Also in 1977, Adolph DeGrauwe was named as corps director.
1980-1992 The Cavaliers'
winter guard, under the leadership of Steve Brubaker, won the
Winter Guard International championship in 1981–83. In 1982, Brubaker, who had also been working with the Cavalier Cadets corps since '78, was named head drill designer for The Cavaliers. That change brought about a change in the corps' attitude and this, along with the music selections becoming more and more classically oriented, helped The Cavaliers rise to the top half of DCI Finalists. 1982 saw The Cavaliers forge a solid association with the Village of Rosemont and its mayor,
Donald E. Stephens, a relationship that would relieve the corps of many financial worries. The corps improved for the next several years, finishing second place at DCI Finals in 1990 behind the Cadets of Bergen County. 1990 saw The Cavaliers start the transition to three valve horns, and it was the year of The Cavaliers' very first DCI Regional championship, when they upset the previously undefeated Blue Devils and Phantom Regiment to win DCI Midwest at Whitewater. Before the start of the 1991 season, Adolph DeGrauwe stepped down as Corps director, and was replaced by Jeff Fiedler. In 1991, they won both DCI East and DCI South, again finishing second place. At Dallas, the percussion ensemble won the Individual and Ensemble contest with a perfect 100.00 score. In 1992, The Cavaliers won their first DCI championship with their show titled "Revolution and Triumph".
1993 - Present The 1993 season was difficult before it ever began; drill designer Steve Brubaker died during the off-season. Once the season got underway, everything was overshadowed by the previous year's success. Star once more left The Cavaliers in second at DCM, they trailed both Star and the Cadets at DCI North and the Preview of Champions, but they won DCI East over the Blue Devils. The DCI World Championships were held in hot and humid
Jackson, Mississippi. It got even more humid, when the rains came during Finals; several Cavaliers slipped and fell, and the corps fell to fifth place. In 1994, The Cavaliers' program showcased the corps' guard. It won the DCM crown, but it was only good enough for second-place finishes in Regionals and fourth at DCI Finals in
Boston. Gustav Holst's "The Planets" had been a crowd-pleaser and had earned The Cavaliers their first finish in the upper half of DCI's Top Twelve as the largest part of the show in 1985. In 1995, The Cavaliers brought back "The Planets" as their entire show. The Cavaliers traded wins with the Madison Scouts through the DCM season, with the Scouts taking the DCM title. They continued to trail only Madison at DCI Southwest in
Houston and until the Preview of Champions in Ypsilanti, when they found themselves ahead of Madison but behind BD and the Cadets. DCI Mid-America at
Champaign, Illinois also went to the Blue Devils. At the DCI World Championships in Buffalo, The Cavaliers took command in Quarterfinals, expanded their lead in Semi-finals and Finals, and won their second DCI Championship in four years. In addition to the drum and bugle corps, The Cavaliers Arts, Performance & Education, Inc. also sponsors Chromium Winds, an
indoor winds group that competes in
WGI. ==Show summary (1972–2025)==