Kean was 14 when he joined the Anaheim Kingsmen in 1968, a junior drum and bugle corps, complete with color guard, that represented the city of Anaheim, performed at Disneyland and competed in summer tours across the country during the ’60s and ’70s.
“The drum corps were spun off from the military,” Kean said, adding they were steeped in tradition. The color guard marched with rifles and sabers and was in charge of carrying and guarding the American flag. Part of the show included saluting the flag, and the corps would perform at openings for naval bases, parades, and for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The Anaheim Kingsmen’s crowning achievement was capturing the Drum Corps International World Championship title in 1972, the first year the title was awarded.
In 2005, Kean said the group was asked to appear at the 2007 championship event taking place in Southern California for the first time.
“We were invited to perform there and join in the celebration of the 35th anniversary of us winning the first National championship in 1972.”
Easier said than done, Kean said. There wasn’t an active alumni group at that time, and many members had moved away and lost touch with each other.
Kean helped contact former members, who were more than happy to dust off their instruments and get back in uniform, even though many hadn’t played since leaving the Kingsmen many years before.
Wally Buice played French horn for the Kingsmen back in the day, and said he was too busy working and raising a family the last 30 years to even think about playing a horn. It didn’t take long for Buice, and the 190 other people in his section to get the hang of it again, he said.
