Purdue News
Purdue News
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October 5, 2001 Big Bass Drum celebrates birthday in a big wayWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In 1921, Purdue Bands director Paul "Spotts" Emrick had an idea – a very, very big idea. He wanted the marching band to have a bass drum bigger than any other band's in the world. His dream became reality when that fall, Purdue football fans were introduced to the world's largest bass drum. It stands more than 10 feet tall on its carriage, with which it weighs a combined 500 pounds. The drum cost $800 to build. Eighty years later, the Purdue "All American" Marching Band still uses the same monstrous drum, which has become a university icon. To celebrate its 80th birthday, two weeks of festivities are planned. The celebration begins with the Purdue Symphony Orchestra's Pops concert on Sunday, Oct. 14, during which the drum will play parts expressly written for it as an honored guest. The free 2:30 p.m. Long Center show will feature Gershwin music from the 1920s to salute the era that gave birth to the drum. The next event on Oct. 17 will fill the Elliott Hall of Music with more than 3,000 middle school students from Tippecanoe and surrounding counties. They will participate in a Big Bass Drum Birthday Party, featuring an educational concert with the marching band. Big Bass Drum inspired exercises will integrate reading comprehension, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music and physical education into the event. The celebration continues on Oct. 20-21 with a weekend of percussion activities revolving around the Big Bass Drum at the Imagination Station in Lafayette. The festivities will conclude with Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 27, when the drum will sport a "birthday suit" of special heads. At halftime fans will be introduced to 96-year-old Marc Gilbert of Carmel, Ind. He was a member of the first Big Bass Drum crew in 1921. "I always felt pretty special about it," Gilbert says of the drum. "As the years have gone on, I've felt even more special." The Big Bass Drum was built by Leedy Corp. of Indianapolis. The drum's original heads, measuring more than seven feet in diameter, are believed to have been made from Argentinean animal hides. They are now made from sheets of plastic called Mylar. The drum's shell is made of solid maple, and its metal parts were originally chrome-plated. Since 1937, it has been painted gold and covered with glittery diamonds. Besides performing with the band, the drum is beat every time Purdue scores a touchdown. Its crew also executes push-ups matching the number of Purdue points on the scoreboard. It also is a tradition to invite famous people to hit the drum and sign its heads. Signers include astronauts Gus Grissom and Neil Armstrong and former United States President Harry Truman. NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Interviews with Purdue marching band alumnus Marc Gilbert will be available immediately before and after the marching band's Slayter Center Concert at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 27, during which a special birthday cake will be presented. Archival photos and media kits with testimonials about the drum also are available. Contact Kathy Matter, bands public relations director, at (765) 496-6785 to make arrangements. Related web site: Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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