Download of the Week: 1977 Kilties

The Kilties from Racine, Wis., were a unique corps with a look and sound that was easily and instantly identifiable. The corps was a powerhouse for many years and won three VFW National Championships, in 1964, 1968 and 1969. The most obvious part of their look was what gave the corps its name, the kilts the entire corps wore. Drill-wise, the “Flying Wedge,” a V-shaped form that pushed forward, was also a visual trademark of the corps. Musically, an abundance of Scottish rudiments and brass players re-creating the sound of bagpipes was quite distinctive. And, of course, was the corps’ trademark song of “Auld Lang Syne.” First used as a closer in 1960, the piece returned for three years in 1963 and then became ingrained in the corps’ history when it returned in 1967 as a new arrangement by former corps member Ken Norman. This arrangement stuck around for 10 straight years and is the singular piece fans associate with the group. Ken Norman did more than just arrange for the corps. Frustrated with the limitations placed on horn lines by the rules of the veterans’ organizations that held the largest national competitions at the time, he decided to lead the charge in changing brass lines forever. Writing in a 2000 DCI Magazine article, longtime DCI judge and DCI Hall of Fame member Dave Richards wrote, “Headed by Ken Norman, top musicians in the activity developed a G [keyed] bugle with the valve tuned in F and a rotary valve tuned in B-flat. In essence, they created an instrument that mirrored the trumpet’s first and second valve and made the bugle a legitimate instrument…” This is one of the reasons why Norman was inducted into the DCI Hall of Fame in 2011. After the corps used “Auld Lang Syne” as a closer for so many years, it was surprising to many fans when the piece didn’t show up in 1977. It’s far less surprising when one remembers the season the corps experienced in 1976.