![]() ![]() It also changed its uniform to fit a more structured and military theme and got a new name.Ībout five weeks after its first performance, the Basic Generic Band – so named because its color scheme resembled that of many generic products’ packaging – performed as the Bud Light Brigade at a chili cook-off hosted by the Columbia Women’s Club. Soon after securing sponsorship from Koerberg Distributing, the band increased in size. In addition to Knobloch and Reheis, original Bud Light Brigade band members were Glen Lutz, Russ Wolf, Jule Boyer, Charlie Janson, Dennis Rippelmeyer, Keith Mechler, Jeff Vogt, Bill Schmidt, Jim Dillenberger, Jerry Berry and Doug Berry. Let’s just plan that we may last five years for this group and have fun and see how it goes.’” “When we first started we all sat around and talked about the group and the future of the group,” Knobloch, who has been the band’s director for much of its life, recalled. That was not something the original members anticipated when they decided to continue the band because they had fun. Thirty-five years later, the band, now known as the Bud Light Brigade, has become a staple of local parades and events. “I think we sounded pretty good because we caught the ear of John Koerber (of Koerber Distributing) and within a few days we had a sponsorship arrangement with them.” “It wasn’t like we grabbed anybody who hadn’t played for 20 years,” he noted. Knobloch said the group benefited from its members playing at least somewhat regularly. Thirty minutes before the event, the 13 men practiced a few songs then performed as the Basic Generic Band while clad in white shirts, black pants and plastic foam skimmer hats. They called a few friends together who were part of the Waterloo Municipal Band and asked them if they would like to play in the parade as a makeshift group. Then, Dennis Knobloch and Bill Reheis, who worked at the same bank at the time, had an idea. It was always a challenge, with local bands already being booked and school bands being disbanded for the summer. Light died on July 31, 1978.Pictured, the Bud Light Brigade marches in this year’s Porta Westfalica Festival parade.Ī few weeks before the 1985 Valmeyer Mid-Summer Celebration, the village was having a familiar problem: finding a band to perform in the parade. His activity slowed in the '70s, though he did continue to record. ![]() Light continued working, both as an arranger/conductor and the head of Project 3 Records. By 1970, the label was no longer profitable and MCA shut it down. MCA made Command into a budget label, pressing the albums on poor vinyl and putting them into discount stores. After 1965, Command was bought out by ABC Records, who in turn was quickly bought out by MCA Records. ![]() While he was the head of the label, he recorded classical albums, big-band records, and collections of film themes. Light remained the managing director of Command until 1965. During this time, Light and Command also pioneered the use of using 35mm film as a recording method instead of tape. One of the most notable features of these albums were their "Ping-Pong Stereo," which featured the music jumping from the left speaker to the right, and vice versa. The first of these albums were Persuasive Percussion and Provocative Percussion, and they were wildly popular, charting in the American Top Ten. Light happened to begin the label around the time stereo became widely available, and he exploited the new technology to its fullest, creating albums that used the full sonic spectrum of Stereo. After their success, he founded the Command record label, which gave him an outlet for his sonically adventurous records. Light's career bounced back in the late '60s, when the Charleston City All-Stars, under his direction, had a series of hit albums entitled Roaring 20's. During the '40s, he recorded versions of popular hits for budget labels, for sale in discount stores. The band also managed a hit in 1937 with "Summer Night," which was sung by Johnny Muldowney.Īfter the Light Brigade disbanded, Light became a session musician, playing on various records and radio broadcasts, including Hit Parade. The Light Brigade primarily played in theaters and on the radio, although they also toured Europe. Enoch Light was a popular bandleader of the '40s and '50s who is best known for his Persuasive Percussion and Provocative Percussion albums of the mid-'50s, which were some of the first albums to exploit the capabilities of stereo recording and the use of using 35mm film as a recording method instead of tape.ĭuring the '30s, he headed the Enoch Light and the Light Brigade big band. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |