DCUK Hall of Fame Inductee 2020

In 2017 Drum Corps United Kingdom introduced its own Hall of Fame as a way of honouring the “legends” of the activity ensuring they are remembered for the indelible impressions they have left

New candidates for the Hall of Fame have been nominated and seconded and discussed by the Hall of Fame assessment team and we are proud to announce that the successful candidate for 2020 is Michael Blackford.

Congratulations to Michael and below is an extract from his nomination...

MICHAEL BLACKFORD
Michael's involvement in Drum Corps dates back to beginning of DCUK where, as a member of the famous Basildon Blue Eagles he had been a member since his early teens.

Michael took a keen interest in the brass section and whilst as a marching member he performed as both a brass player and as Drum Major and progressed to become the Brass Caption Head at the Eagles at the early age of 19 and was able to create outstanding brass sections for two of the most successful Corps in the history of the activity - Dagenham Crusaders & Basildon Blue Eagles.

Michael was asked to take the reigns at the Eagles and became Corps Director in 1993 and guided the Corps to many successful DCUK Championships titles.

During his extensive career the many qualities he has shown include leadership, attention to detail, competitiveness and passion for all things drum corps whilst displaying a genuine desire to help all that reached out to him. This included taking potential future musical arrangers or designers under his wing to guide and nurture their talents as future leaders of the activity. Whether for his own Corps or for other Corps around the country he would support in arranging and teaching during specially designed camps to assist the teaching staff in constructing a productive rehearsal technique, the designers with arrangements and performance technique with the members. A few corps to mention, but not limited to, were Pioneer Scouts, Somerford Sound, Havering Corps, Staffordshire Knights and the Anchormen.

The level of consistent excellence Michael's Brass Lines achieved at the time, were the benchmark for the DCUK activity. It is not only the level of success - with seven High Caption awards and seven DCUK titles in an eight-year period from 1989 to 1996 - it is the way he conducted himself in a professional manner, whom greatly respected and supported the DCUK philosophy and ensured that his members abided by the same set of values and standards, with respect for all competitors. Michael's highlight of his DCUK career was Blue Eagles 1996 Les Miserables show considered to be one of the best shows in DCUK history for its time.

Drum Corps United Kingdom is proud to induct Michael Blackford into the DCUK Hall of Fame for his outstanding contribution to the artistic and creative arts of the activity over such a substantive period of time.

More information regarding the DCUK Hall of Fame can be found at http://www.dcuk.org.uk/about/dchof.html

17th September 2020