Ken Kobold - DCI Hall of Fame

Ken Kobold

 

Inducted in 1989

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.

Don 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 Kobold passed away in 1992.