Customer Reviews

BUILDING THE GREEN MACHINE: Don Warren and Sixty Years with the World Champion Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps

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Colt Foutz weaves an amazing, informative, and well written account of the history of the "Green Machine" - the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. Students, fans, alumni, and current members of DCI will enjoy this book from beginning to end. Colt's narrative style and attention to detail makes the history interesting.

Any person involved with music will enjoy this book. It takes the reader along for the ride as The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps make their start and move through the years to the present day organization. The lessons learned were worth it and the mission behind the organization has not wavered through it all.

If you have a young person (or know of one) who is interested in music, get them this book as a gift and see what doors open in their mind regarding what can be done with music, a little hard work and the great people that are met along the way.

High school band was my previous idea of and experience with precision marching. I'd heard of drum and bugle corps, but had never seen one in action, let alone heard of The Cavaliers. The book came as a gift. The more I read the more amazed I was at the dedication of the leadership, staff, and the kids to this form of musical performance. Colt's research and writing brings it alive as we watch the whole development of drum and bugle corps evolve. One can sense the change in perspective in the last few chapters as he travels with the corps. He gives real life to a subject matter that could be dry as dust. My tickets to one of their summer shows in TX are on the way.

Building the Green Machine will take you back to the beginning when The Cavaliers were just another Boy Scout Troop. But the man with the plan, Don Warren, took these boys and turned them into men by starting a drum and bugle corps that has risen in the ranks to be one of the best in the world. For those drum corps history buffs wanting to know more about how Drum Corps International got started, this is the book to read. Don Warren helped found DCI, which "turned the activity into the free-wheeling sprinting artistry of today."

Colt Foutz, (a person who never marched with The Cavaliers or any drum and bugle corps for that matter), does an amazing job as he explores the making of The Cavaliers with amazing detail. You'll feel like you're right there with them living in the moment. It's one of the best drum and bugle corps books out on the market.

Who should read this book? It's a "must-have" for anyone ever associated with The Cavaliers or who want to be. For everyone else, it's a wonderful history of enduring some positive "life lessons" as one polishes the perfect show. I recommend it without any reservations.

~=Gregory M. Kuzma=~
Author On the field from Denver, Colorado...The Blue Knights!: One member's experience of the 1994 summer national tour (N)

Anyone who's been part of something bigger -- band, choir, theater, or another really close-knit group -- will find something familiar in the tales told in "Building the Green Machine." I laughed out loud at all the antics these seemingly disciplined young men got up to on tour. If you're already a drum corps devotee, this gives you the inside scoop on the Cavaliers and the many other corps they've met over the years. Even if you've never seen a drum corps performance, the theme of friendship is universal.

I purchased this book for my son, he's a very talented drummer, he was born to be a musician. He's a percussion tech, teacher, etc. He's loves the Caverliers. He enjoyed reading about their beginning and what it takes to be a Caverlier, his goal is to march with them.

Interesting to hear the background on the building of the Cavaliers. Having seen the corps in the late '60s they were truly a powerhouse that many drum corps modeled after. The only area I wondered about in the book was in the early '70s (the dark years) why Don Warren took the corps back to VFW/AL Championship shows when DCI was now the new menu for drum corps? Gail Royer (Santa Clara) and Jim Jones (Troopers) were both committed to DCI and was surprised that the Cavaliers migrated back to VFW/AL Championships - this part was not explained in the book. On one hand the book addresses how Don Warren helped build DCI but on the other hand he's taking his corps to the VFW/AL Championship shows - doesn't equate.

An excellent book for the drum corps nut out there!