The People of The Grey Drummers
Dr. Hoyt F. LeCroy
Hoyt LeCroy came to Jacksonville from Summerville, GA where he studied with and performed under the batons of conductors Adies Holliday and James Poolos. He recalled his first impressions of The Southerners:
I first saw The Southerners in the fall of 1958 and was indelibly impressed. The percussion section played with precision and power, and the drums were carefully tuned. The red, grey, and white of the uniforms presented a colorful spectacle on the field, and the marching was impeccable. The red sparkle drums and the placement of the section in front of the band's company front formation completed the visual impact. The band and the percussion section performed with monumentally more conviction and esprit de corps than I had expreienced. The memory remains vivid almost 50 years later.
Hoyt participated in spring section rehearsals and joined the Southerners Drum Corps in the fall of 1959.
In 1961, he became Section Leader and, although the section had already developed a philosophy of the pursuit of excellence during the first five years, this was the point at which The Southerners Drum Corps broke away from the collegiate status quo.
The tenor drums had been, prior to that time, carried like small bass drums and played with felt mallets (the norm in well-equipped college field percussion). The section lowered the tenors using slings and carried them in the same manner as the snare drums.
This new modification allowed the tenors to be played much more powerfully, using sticks rather than mallets, and scoring could include more complex rhythms. The concept also provided versatility in composition of percussion arrangements and created a much stronger visual impact with the drums carried in this uniform manner.
1962
With Hoyt heading up "The Cornerstone Lines" (1961 and 1962), the drummers collaborated and the section began introducing rudiments and more complex syncopation into the cadences and percussion arrangements. These innovations put The Southerners Drum Corps on the leading edge of collegiate field percussion during the early 60's.
Hoyt reflected on the landmark accomplishments of the 1962 section:
The 1962 section was a rare group of individuals who would accept a challenge and work relentlessly without complaint in the pursuit of excellence. I have never, before nor since, been privileged to share my life with a group of that level of dedication.
At rehearsals, I came to them with sketches of musical ideas which frequently altered our parameters and left the bounds of musical security. There was no challenge to which they would not respond. Creative collaboration was encouraged in the editing of parts, and from it came something in which we all owned a great deal of stock. It was ours, something which we had created, and, as such, we loved it.
The spirit of the section shed light on our lives, and the more we performed together, the brighter the light became. That light and spirit from 1962 was reflected to our historic performance and presentation during the First Annual Reunion of The Grey Echelon Drummers in 2007. It was as if no time had passed, and, accepting the challenge without hesitation, the section performed together for the first time in 45 years.
Their light continues to shine, their spirit lives, and they will always be my brothers.
The Cornerstone Line at the 2007 Grey Drummers Renion
(From left: Hoyt LeCroy, Tom Camp, Tim Camp(MM), Troy Crumpton, Charles Tucker, Al Berry, Bubber Eldridge)
Dr. Hoyt LeCroy and the members of the 1961/1962 section not only upheld the tradition of excellence established in the late 50's, this Cornerstone Line lit the torch of thinking 'outside the box' and illuminated the path toward innovation. Their work opened the door of the non-traditional approach to field percussion for all the Southerners Drumlines that would follow.
Hoyt graduated from Jacksonville State College in 1963. In 1965, he received the Master of Music Education degree from East Carolina University and earned a PhD in Music Education at The University of Southern Mississippi in 1978. Post-doctoral research studies were in the Visiting Scholars Program at the University of Michigan in the summer of 1983.
Dr. LeCroy has served as a professional music educator, conductor, administrator, and percussion performer since 1963. His career has encompassed service in universities and public schools and included administration of the instrumental music education program in one of the nation’s largest school districts. Dr. LeCroy is a researcher with primary interests in the history of instrumental music education and current issues in music education. He is the author of more than 40 publications in state and national professional journals and has 19 conference presentations to his credit. He completed a four-year term as a member of the National Editorial Committee for Music Educators Journal, the flagship journal of the Music Educators National Conference. He is also Past-National Chair of the History Special Research Interest Group of MENC. As a percussionist, he has performed as a solo recitalist as well as in bands and orchestras, conducted percussion ensembles, taught privately at the public school and university levels, and has written extensively about percussion. Dr. LeCroy is a member of Phi Beta Mu, national honorary organization for instrumental music conductors, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He has served as band/percussion clinician/adjudicator in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. His conference presentations have been delivered in Alabama, California, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Ohio. He has been chosen for inclusion in Dictionary of International Biography, Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, and other honorary listings.
Dr. LeCroy is retired and lives in the mountains of North Georgia. He continues to be available as consultant in the areas of percussion, instrumental music, and music education. He is married to Karen Adams LeCroy (Southerners 1961/1962), and they have three children and four grandchildren.
