Purdue Big Bass Drum
Encyclopedia
Purdue All-American Marching Band
The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...
of Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
. At a height of more than ten feet (three metres), it is often called the World's Largest Drum. Since its inception, it has become a lasting symbol of the marching band as well as the university. The drum can be seen at all home football games as well as parades, alumni rallies, the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
Race, and many other special events.
Appearance
Though the drum easily towers ten feet high on its carriage, the exact dimensions of the drum itself are a closely held secret known only to the crew members. The instrument is nearly four feet (one and a quarter metres) wide and about eight feet (two and a half metres) in diameter. Many of the original components, the carriage, axle, wheels, and wood shell of the drum are all intact and well preserved. The carriage is built upon a Ford Model TFord Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
back axle and wheelbase. The rims are steel wire spoke rims common during the 1910s in the racing circuit.
The drum is handled by a crew of four chrome-helmeted bandsmen, who are selected for their strength and agility, along with two beaters. They painstakingly rehearse every movement of the "Monster" drum to assure its being in the right place at the right time in accordance with the split-second timing necessary for the fast-paced shows presented by the "All-American" Band.
History
In 1921, Purdue Marching BandPurdue All-American Marching Band
The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...
Director Spotts Emrick commissioned the Leedy Manufacturing Company in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, to produce a massive bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
(cost: $911.12). Other bands were trying to make large drums at the time, but most could only achieve a diameter of about four feet. The main constraints included finding cattle skins large enough to use for drum heads, and carrying the drum both during and in between performances. After months of searching, Leedy's suppliers solved the first problem by finding steers weighing between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds each, which are said to have been from Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. These large heads put a great strain on the shell, requiring special reinforcement rods to be designed. While other marching bands had tried having two people work together to move their large drums along the football field, Emrick and Leedy decided to use a wheeled carriage. After contacting Jesse Lemon of the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
, Emrick was able to find a baggage car with a door large enough to accommodate the Monster.
The Purdue Drum's first football game was at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, whose band members immediately contacted Conn
C. G. Conn
C.G. Conn Ltd., sometimes called Conn Instruments or commonly just Conn, was a United States manufacturer of musical instruments, especially brass instruments. In 1985 their Strobotuner division was bought by Peterson Electro-Musical Products, who continue to service their line of products.Assets...
asking for an even larger drum. The resulting instrument was completed the following year and later sold to the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
where it was nicknamed "Big Bertha
Big Bertha (drum)
Big Bertha is a bass drum used by the Longhorn Band of The University of Texas at Austin. The Big Bertha name was chosen to evoke the famous German Big Bertha howitzer.-Description:...
." Whether Big Bertha is actually larger than the Purdue Drum is still debated.
The drum was refurbished in 1937 when the natural wood finish was replaced by an old gold
Old Gold
Old gold is a dark yellow, which varies from light olive or olive brown to deep or strong yellow. The widely-accepted color "Old gold" is on the darker rather than the lighter side of this range....
diamond pattern and several inches were added to the drum's size. By the time Al Wright became Purdue's director of bands in 1954, the Big Bass Drum had been neglected after years of damage. Wright had the drum repaired and once again made it a centrepiece of the marching band. Because large cattle were much rarer than they were when the drum was built, Remo
Remo
Remo is a male given name of Latin origin - see Romulus and Remus.Remo may also refer to:* Remo, an American drum skin company* Remo , another name for the German wine grape Riesling* Remo language, a Panoan language of Brazil and Peru...
began making Mylar drum heads for Purdue in the early 1960s. These synthetic heads can be changed frequently.
While the drum may have been the world's largest in overall size at the time it was constructed, other drums have claimed the title of world's largest, such as the Millennium Drum. However, no official comparative measurement has ever been made. In 1961, the University of Texas and Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
chapters of Kappa Kappa Psi
Kappa Kappa Psi
Kappa Kappa Psi is a fraternity for college and university band members. It was founded on November 27, 1919 at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Stillwater, Oklahoma. William Scroggs, now regarded as the "Founder," together with "Mr. Kappa Kappa Psi" A...
, an honorary band fraternity, pledged to bring their drums to the national convention in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
for a direct comparison; however, only Purdue showed up.
The BBD has also gained national attention on several occasions, such as when it has been stolen, usually by students from Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
or Big Ten rival, Indiana.
Beaters
The BBD has two beaters who work as a team to hit the drum. This is a list of the known previous beaters:1966 - James Hefling
1970 - Jorge Cloonicles
1971 - Jerry MacDonald
1980 - John Tolen, Steve Miller
1981 - John Tolen, Steve Miller
1982 - John Tolen, Steve Miller
1983 - John Tolen, Steve Miller
1984 - John Tolen, Al Golemo
1985 - Ben Pfeffer, Al Golemo
1986 - Ben Pfeffer, Al Golemo
1987 - Ben Pfeffer, Paul Kirsh
1989 - Jason Court
1993 - Tim Maynard
1994 - Wayne Johnson, Vincent Edward Carter
1995 - Brian Quirk, James Beeler
1996 - Brian Quirk, Misty McIntyre
1997 - Brian Quirk, Brett Blumb
1998 - Andrew Bauer, Brent LaRoche
1999 - Chad LaRoche, Troy ?
2000 - Rob Ballard, Ben Lehman, Nugget
2001 - Rob Ballard, Ben Lehman, Nugget, John Mcknight
2002 - Rob Ballard, John Mcknight
2003 - Michael Diaz, Tim Flora, Ben Stengel, Peter Zahrt
2004 - Ben Stengel, Peter Zahrt
2005 - Tim Flora, Peter Zahrt
2006 - Kevin Zakiewicz, Greg Flora, Cole Garrett, Eric Kennedy
2007 - Kevin Zakiewicz, Greg Flora, Cole Garrett, Eric Kennedy
2008 - Greg Flora, Erik Larson, Dan Jemison, Marcus Thompson, John Henley, August Veron
2009 - Erik Larson, Marcus Thompson, August Veron, Michael Keefer, Ed Towne
2010 - Erik Larson, Marcus Thompson, Brian Foss, Kevin Homowell, Aaron Miers, Talon Atwell
2011 - Marcus Thompson, Kevin Homowell, Brian Foss, Michael Keefer
Pushers
The BBD has four pushers working to quickly move and navigate the drum through the band and across the football field. This is a list of the known previous pushers:1921 - Marc Gilbert
1967 - John "A.J." Collins
1968 - David P. Berlien, John "A.J." Collins, Art Glover
1969 - John "A.J." Collins
1970 - John "A.J." Collins
1971 - Carl Berlien, John "A.J" Collins, Blaze Stevenson
1981 - James "Stretch" Elliott
1982 - James "Stretch" Elliott
1983 - James "Stretch" Elliott
1987 - Darin Ingels, Steve ?, Eric Scheid
1988 - Delray Dobbins, Darin Ingels
1989 - Delray Dobbins, Ken Linger, Jeff Berger, Ron Subris
1993 - Lynn Bortscheller, Eric Stankiewicz
1994 - Eric Stankiewicz, James O'Hagan, Tim Hiestand, Bryan Warrick
1995 - James O'Hagan, Bryan Warrick, Tim Hiestand, Aaron Kelly
1996 - James O'Hagan, Bryan Warrick, Brett Blumb, Kevin Smith
1997 - Bryan Warrick, Chad LaRoche, Scott Lasiter, Troy ?
1998 - Bryan Warrick, Chad LaRoche, Scott Lasiter, Troy ?, Nugget
1999 - Scott Lasiter, Brandon Barrett, Ben Lehman, Rob Ballard
2000 - Rob Ballard, Ben Lehman, John McKnight, Nugget, Ben Murphy, Carin Vahle, Matt DeVille
2001 - Rob Ballard, Ben Lehman, John McKnight, Nugget, Carin Vahle, Steve Thomas, Nathan Dazey
2002 - Rob Ballard, Dana Lawrence, John McKnight, Steve Thomas, Lanette Armstrong, Peter Zahrt
2003 - Laurie Davis, Michael Diaz, Tim Flora, Ben Stengel, Stephanie Vahle, Peter Zahrt, Steve Thomas
2004 - Matt Brown, Kimberly Conrad, Kevin Zakiewicz, Tim Flora, Peter Zahrt, Evan Wisthuff
2005 - Kevin Zakiewicz, Greg Flora, Linden Cotchen, Andrew Teich, Evan Wisthuff
2006 - Linden Cotchen, John Weinrich, Eric Kennedy, Cole Garrett, John Zahrt, Peter Dinndorf, Greg Flora, Kevin Zakiewicz
2007 - Kevin Zakiewicz, Greg Flora, Cole Garrett, Eric Kennedy, Erik Larson, John Zahrt, Natalie Deacon
2008 - Greg Flora, Erik Larson, Dan Jemison, Marcus Thompson, John Henley, August Veron
2009 - Erik Larson, Marcus Thompson, August Veron, Ed Towne, Michael Keefer, Aaron Miers, Kevin Homowell, Brian Foss
2010 - Erik Larson, Marcus Thompson, Kevin Homowell, Brian Foss, Aaron Miers, Talon Atwell, Big Chris Lindsay
2011 - Marcus Thompson, Kevin Homowell, Brian Foss, Talon Atwell, Michael Keefer, Andy Phelps, Aric Howard, Chelsea Arthur
Spinning in the Block P
In 1907 the Purdue All-American Marching Band was the first marching band to break ranks and form a block letter on the field. During the pregame show, the drum is positioned in the 'P' formed by the marching band and spins while the band plays "Hail Purdue!Hail Purdue!
Hail Purdue! is the official fight song of Purdue University. The lyrics were written in about 1912 by James Morrison , and set to music by Edward Wotawa...
".
Indianapolis 500
Being part of the official band of the Indianapolis 500Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
, the drum can be seen on the back of a pickup truck driven around the track.
Aerials
When Purdue scores, the drum crew can occasionally be seen performing aerials in the Southeast endzone of Ross–Ade Stadium. This is accomplished by first removing the 'third' wheel, which acts as kick stand. Two crew members pull down of the back of the drum as two other members are lifted on the front bar of the carriage, while performing acrobatic stunts, such as spinning on the bar, horizontal holds, and one handed balancing.Pushups
Drum crew members perform pushups each time the Purdue BoilermakersPurdue Boilermakers
Boilermakers is the official nickname for the intercollegiate athletic teams of Purdue University. As is common with athletic nicknames, it is also used as colloquial designation of Purdue's students and alumni at large....
score a touchdown. The pushups correspond to the total Purdue score achieved.
The pushup tradition was started by Eric Stankiewicz in 1994.
Signatures
Another tradition is for celebrities to sign the drum head, and old autographed heads are kept in the Bands Department. The head was signed by President TrumanHarry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
in 1961. Kix Brooks
Kix Brooks
Leon Eric "Kix" Brooks III , is an American country music artist, best known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn.-Early life:...
of Brooks and Dunn signed his name to the drum before a concert at Purdue University in 1995. Other signatures include astronauts Gus Grissom
Gus Grissom
Virgil Ivan Grissom , , better known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot...
and Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
as well as the Kodo Drummers
Kodo (taiko group)
is a professional taiko drumming troupe. Based on Sado Island, Japan, they have had a role in popularizing taiko drumming, both in Japan and abroad...
of Japan. The inside of the drum is filled with names of previous drum crew members. Through two air expansion holes in the side of the drum, one can easily spot the names.