An exquisite example is the Sunrisers' recoding from the 1963 World Open. Strong as the competition had been in the Yankee and Northeastern circuits, the corps had never been tested in a contest of this magnitude. Deep commitment to the music can be felt throughout, but nowhere more strongly than in Sing, Sing, Sing - the soloists and ensemble vying with and challenging each other to a spectacular climax and riotous crowd reaction.

But who were these guys, exactly? The majority of the 1963 corps remained veterans like Bill Costello, Al and Marty Beck and the others who had nurtured the Sunrisers from parade to field status. But the corps landscape in the New York area was changing in the early 1960s. Of the four great juniors on the classic "Brass by Night" album, only the Selden Cadets were still on the field by 1964; the Queensmen, Loretto Knights and the Floyd Bennett Golden Eagles had passed into history.

There was no scarcity of talent since many of those former juniors had yet to be cordially invited to the service by the draft board and, pending that, were available for senior corps action. Some of the most intrepid looked east toward Long Island, which at first glance might have seemed like drum corps Siberia.

There was something out here; a feisty senior corps, directed by the visionary Fred Rose and taught by three former Queensmen - John Sasso, Bill Hightower and Orus Cavnor. They were soon to be joined by the likes of the legendary French horn soloist Steve Buglino of Floyd Bennett, with several other great players in his entourage., including Brian O'Connell, Skip Heaney and Paul Calcagno.

The Sunrisers were on a roll and by the time they left the prelims field at Roosevelt Stadium that bright September day, they were in third place, ahead of such powerhouses as the Syracuse Bridadiers, Springfield Marksmen and Carver. That performance, complete with a Billy Cobham-does-Krupa drum solo, was a major turning point for the corps.

In the following seasons they rose through the Northeastern and Interstate circuits, and in their first appearance at DCA in 1966, they were 1.10 from first, ahead of the great Hawthorne Caballeros. By 1968, the Sunrisers were American Legion National Champions and were contending for the DCA title.

Senior corps and Grand Opera share quite a few parallels: high drama, intrigue and superstars, for instance. Some very prominent personalities were connected to the The Sunrisers during this period. The great Vinny Ratford had a high profile in the drill world, having developed winning visual programs at Syracuse and Springfield, among others. He assumed the M&M command in 1965 and is remembered for his brilliance, energy and not least, eccentricity.

It is said one learns to perform only by observing other performers. Ratford could pack more personality into a raised eyebrow than most of us will see in a lifetime. He took the Sunrisers from black and white to color even as Sasso's charts moved drum corps arranging from the mono era into the stereo.

Two other drill masters of the 1960s had dramatic success in converting the Sunrisers from farmers to marchers: Jack Dobson and Joe Mason, both no-nonsense, hands-on guys with great instincts and "teacherly" skills. "If you don't feel confident after an hour with these guys," said Sal Crimi, "you need a psychiatrist."

Cavnor was Sun's drum chief from 1961-1968. A student of the great Bobby Thompson (like Dennis DeLucia after him), Orus moved easily from caption head at St. Catherine's to the Sunrisers, bringing more than a few Queensmen alumni with him. His scoring behind the brass and his demanding solo work offer a concise view into the evolution of field drumming, from 1963's Defile, with its rudimental military style, to the early experiments with tuned percussion, to the symphonic approach in 1968's An American in Paris.

Great writers notwithstanding, it's the players who actually make the music, and the two most influential performers throughout the 1960s were Frank Diliberto and Ted Sasso. Their collective talent was awesome. Diliberto's Fleetwood-documented solo introducing Sing, Sing, Sing at the 1965 Bucknell show is standard-setting. Ted Sasso is often referred to as the "godfather of the contra" for pushing the limits of that instrument in solo and ensemble playing.

But lots of musicians can play. These two had the added qualities of determination and generosity. The rest of us learned from the former and benefited from the later.

Ted Sasso and Diliberto ran sectionals, delivered people to rehearsals, copied music, gave private lessons and taught most of the junior corps on Long Island. Many members of these other corps followed their mentors to the Sunrisers.

A strongly identifiable musical style debuted in 1968 and was refined over the next few seasons. The Sunrisers began a relationship with symphonic music that continues to the present.

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