“Corky” Whitlock spent a year marching with St. Francis de Sales in 1956, then became a soprano soloist with St. Paul Scouts from 1957 to 1964 and Minnesota Brass from 1966 to 1976. He began arranging music in 1959k. He has been brass arranger for numerous drum and bugle corps throughout the midwest and Washington State, including Blue Stars, St Croix Rivermen, St. Paul Scouts and Minnesota Brass. During the same time period, he was brass instructor with more than a dozen corps. He has also served as music director of Minnesota Brass, Rivermen and St. Paul Scouts. He was a brass judge from 1964 with Drum Corps International (DCI), Drum Corps Midwest (DCM), Central States Judges Association and the Federation of Contest Judges, adjudicating contests across the country as well as DCI preliminary and final competitions. He has received the Brassy Award, considered as the Minnesota Brass Hall of Fame and lifetime achievement award. He instituted the mini-corps concept in the Midwest with the Minnesota Brass small corps which employed non-standard drum corps instruments as well as standard drum corps instrumentation in a jazz/big band setting. He holds a college degree and post-graduate work in music education and taught public school instrumental music for 32 years. He is a charter member of the Century College Adult Jazz Ensemble which has toured in South America and China. The Century College Ensemble has performed alongside many of the finest jazz performers in the United States including Clark Terry, Bill Watrous, Wayne Bergeron, Eric Marienthal, Andy Martin, Terry Gibbs and many others. He has performed with numerous big bands throughout the Twin Cities (Minnesota) area. He currently performs with a New Orleans style brass band that he instituted in the Twin Cities. He is a member of Bugles Across America.
