March On! ...the history of the
Toronto Optimists Drum & Bugle Corps
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Audio Files
Davenport Trumpet Band
This is the only recording I've been able to find. The snippet was recorded in 1955 during a performance at Dufferin Race Track in Toronto (now the site of the Dufferin Mall).
Band members were getting too old for Scouts but they wanted to stay together. If you listen to the announcement before the band starts playing, you can hear the announcer say that the band was looking for a sponsor and to contact Al Baggs. Not long afterward, Mr. Baggs convinced the Downtown Toronto Optimist Club to assume sponsorship of the band. The new group was called the Optimists Trumpet Band (aka Opti-Corps). At the end of 1957, they decided to compete in the Junior "A" class and changed their name to The Toronto Optimists.
Toronto Optimists
1958 – 1975
| 1958 | Toronto Optimists first contest (May 3, 1958 at the University Armouries in Toronto) |
|---|---|
| University Armouries (Toronto, Ontario) | |
| East York Stadium, Toronto, Ontario | |
| 1959 | Unknown location |
| Unknown location (submitted by Ed Law) | |
| 1960 | Unknown location |
| Preview of Champions recorded May 29, 1960, in Jersey City, NJ (concert includes "Blue Skies") | |
| Guelph | |
| 1961 | Canadian Nationals September 9th, Seagram Stadium, Waterloo, Ontario |
| Unknown location (submitted by Ed Law) | |
| 1962 | Canadian Nationals (September 7, 1962 at Seagram Stadium, Waterloo, Ontario) |
| 1963 | Blue & Gold show (June 30th, Mundelein, IL) |
| 1964 | unknown location |
| Boys of '76 contest (July 3rd (Racine, WI) | |
| Titusville, PA Recorded on Aug 22 | |
| Canadian Nationals (September 12 at Varsity Stadium, Toronto, ON) | |
| 1965 | Civic Opera House (February 27th, 1965, Chicago, IL) |
| Movie (July 24, 1965 in Hamilton, ON) | |
| Pow Wow (August 28th, 1965 in Kingston, NY) | |
| Canadian Nationals (September 11th, Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario) | |
| 1966 | Shriners' International (June 18th, 1966, CNE, Toronto, Ontario) |
| Canadian Nationals (September 10, 1966 at Molson Stadium, Montreal, PQ) | |
| 1967 | Shriners' International (June 17th, 1966, CNE, Toronto, Ontario) |
| CYO Nationals (August 29th, 1967, Boston, MA) | |
| Canadian Nationals (September 9th, 1967, Ottawa, Ontario) | |
| 1967 Individuals (National Champion Brass Quartet) | |
| 1968 | Shriners' International (June 15th, 1968, CNE, Toronto, Ontario) |
| North American Invitational August 17th, 1968 (thanks to Brian Byrne) | |
| Canadian Nationals September 7th, 1968, Kingston, Ontario (thanks to Eric McConachie) | |
| 1969 | Shriners' International (June 21st, 1969, Toronto, ON) |
| US Open (August 16th, 1969, Marion, OH) | |
| 1970 | North American Championship (CNE Stadium, Toronto, ON) |
| 1971 | Shriners' International (June 17th, 1971, Toronto, ON) |
| 1972 | Studio Recording (about May, 1972) |
| Unknown location (unknown location) | |
| 1973 | Oshkosh, WI. (June 29, 1973) |
| 1974 | Unknown location |
| Unknown location | |
| 1975 | Unknown location |
| Unknown location |
Seneca Optimists
1976 – 1978
| 1976 | World Open (POCM) |
|---|---|
| DCI 1976 | |
| 1977 | DCI 1977 |
| 1978 | Canadian Nationals (York Stadium, August 26th, Toronto, Ontario) |
Optimists Alumni
2004 – Present
How to save a recording on a Windows system
Click on the underlined portion of an entry to download the MP3.
If you click on the year and the song plays
- right click the year
- and choose "Save Target As..." or "Save Link as"
- to save it to your hard-drive.