River City Rhythm began as a competitive drumline, founded in
Big Lake, Minnesota, in 2009 to compete in the Minnesota Percussion Association (MPA) and
Winter Guard International (WGI). The unit has won the MPA Independent A Class Championship in 2010–11 and the MPA Independent Open Class Championship in 2013–16 and 2018–19. They have been WGI Independent A Class World Champion Finalists in 2010–11, WGI Independent Open Class World Champion Finalists in 2012–16, and named WGI Independent Open Class Fan Favorites in 2012–15. The organization relocated to
Champlin, Minnesota in the
Minneapolis–Saint Paul area during the winter of 2011-12. In 2014, the organization announced its intent to field a drum and bugle corps to compete in
Drum Corps International (DCI) beginning in 2015. While the management was laying the groundwork for starting a new corps, the drumline was one of seventeen that took part in the DrumLine Battle competition in
Indianapolis during the 2014 DCI World Championships. In January 2015, DCI announced that River City Rhythm was one of five corps being evaluated for possible inclusion in DCI Open Class competition for 2015. In May 2015, following a period of evaluation of the unit's finances, staffing, and tour plans by DCI's staff, River City Rhythm was added to the list of competing Open Class corps. ==Sponsorship==