Ken Kobold

Ken Kobold of Ottawa, Illinois was a recording engineer who has been recording Drum Corps on reel-to-reel tape. He was active in the 1970s and 1980s. Back in the 1970s, if you wanted to find a recording of a corps dating back to the 1950s, there was only one man who could possibly help you -- Ken Kobold. Kobold was the only person who had quality sound recordings of hundreds of corps dating back to the early 1950s. After years of doing it himself for posterity purposes, Drum Corps International asked for his help. From 1971 to 1982, Kobold was the only recording engineer for DCI. Because of his love for the activity, he gave his services to the young organization and made master recordings of all the DCI Championships. This effort made it possible for DCI to produce albums and cassettes to sell to fans across the continent and world. By selling these recordings, Drum Corps International was able to survive those beginning years. The records were the organization's only fundraiser and enabled the DCI board of directors to hire a full time executive director. From there, the organization grew, but not without Kobold's continued help. In addition, he was in sole possession of a historical library made up of professional drum corps recordings dating from the 1950s to 1987, when he retired. He nurtured that collection through the years to not only include the "big" corps but also the hometown units as well. Donald L. Pesceone, former executive director of DCI, explained, "Through all the years of helping DCI grow, Ken's only request was to have a place where he could set up his equipment to do his job. He was the ultimate volunteer." Ken also started the Marquette Crusaders in Ottawa, IL in 1954. It was first started at Marquette HS, the only Catholic high school in town. Within the first few years they changed the name to allow any kids in Ottawa and surrounding towns to join. Ken was inducted into the DCI Hall of Fame in 1989. He passed away in 1992.