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Kansas City Chiefs home games used to feature a live band. What happened to it?

Walter Bryant, with a headset on, led the Chiefs band from 1983 to 1988.
Courtesy of Walter Bryant
Walter Bryant, with a headset on, led the Chiefs band from 1983 to 1988.

When owner Lamar Hunt moved the Dallas Texans to Kansas City in 1963 and changed the name to the Chiefs, he was urged by then-Mayor Roe Bartle to feature a live band at Arrowhead Stadium. The tradition lasted more than four decades.

From the first days of the Kansas City Chiefs, live music was an integral part of going to home games. Whether it was Tony DiPardo’s Zing Band pumping out polkas, the ‘80’s beat of The Chiefs Band, or the rock sound of TD Pack Band, the music always evolved with the times.

It started in 1963, according to Tony DiPardo's autobiography, “Life, Love, Music and Football.”

“Lamar Hunt called me up at the request of Mayor Roe Bartle and asked me if I wanted to put together a band to play for the brand new Kansas City Chiefs,” the trumpet player wrote.

DiPardo, who died in 2011 at age 98, was an established bandleader in Kansas City.

“(Lamar Hunt) loved music almost as much as he loved football,” wrote DiPardo, who was known as “Mr. Music.”

Lamar Hunt, (center,) with Lamar Hunt Jr. and Tony DiPardo, right, at Municipal Stadium.
Tom Williams
/
Courtesy of Ron Williams
Lamar Hunt, center, with Lamar Hunt Jr., left, and Tony DiPardo, right, at Municipal Stadium.

On a handshake agreement with Hunt, DiPardo brought his 15-piece Zing Band to play for the Chiefs’ first season, with games to be played at Municipal Stadium, the multisport venue that was located near the Historic 18th and Vine district.

DiPardo composed original music for the Chiefs including “The Hank Stram Polka” and, along with Harry Stone and Don James, “The Chiefs Are On the Warpath” and “We’re Number One.”

The Hank Stram Polka
Legendary Chiefs coach Hank Stram was a music lover. Stram’s son Dale says the coach would often listen to loud music in his car rides to the stadium before games.
The Stram family: (l to r) Gary, Marynell, Julia, Henry, Hank, Dale, Phyllis and Stu.

When the Chiefs moved to Arrowhead Stadium in 1972, DiPardo and his band moved with them.

The 45 record, “We’re Number One,” was recorded by Tony DiPardo’s band and acclaimed Kansas City singer Marilyn Maye and released by the Chiefs to celebrate the team's victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
The 45 record, “We’re Number One,” was recorded by Tony DiPardo’s band and acclaimed Kansas City singer Marilyn Maye and released by the Chiefs to celebrate the team's victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.

In 1983, DiPardo stepped aside due to health concerns. Another local musician and bandleader named Walter Bryant began leading the group, now known simply as The Chiefs Band.

Bryant had previously led a band for Kansas City’s former NBA team, the Kansas City Kings, and served as music director at Worlds of Fun (another Hunt family-owned business).

“It was still a larger group of musicians, like a big band, similar in size to what Tony DiPardo used before me,” Bryant told Classical KC. “I wanted to update the sound, so I wrote instrumental arrangements of current pop music, which included adapting short versions for the dance team.”

Many local musicians played in the group during its 45 year existence. Much like a college or high school pep band, the group would play before and after games, and after a great play.

After touchdowns, the band played a Bryant arrangement of Igor Stravinsky’s 1910 ballet, “The Firebird.”

“The crowd didn't know it was Stravinsky, but it had a joyous feeling that added to the chaos of the moment," remembers drummer Kent Rausch.

Rausch played drums and bass in the group from 1983 to 2008, and had occasional encounters with Chiefs players like Hall of Honor kicker Nick Lowrey, who asked if he could play Rausch’s drums.

Rausch, a kicker in high school, asked if he could kick some field goals in return.

“He showed he really could play drums as well as football,” says Rausch. “But I was a miserable failure at place kicking!”

Kent Rausch, who teaches percussion at Missouri Western State University, did musical arrangements for The Chiefs Band and T.D. Pack Band.
Courtesy of Kent Rausch
Kent Rausch, who teaches percussion at Missouri Western State University, did musical arrangements for The Chiefs Band and T.D. Pack Band.

Just like the Chiefs players, the band was not immune from winter weather.

“There was no escaping it,” says Bryant, who recalls using large space heaters to stay warm during games.

“I suddenly smelled something burning, and it was my shoe! The white on my Nike sneaker was melting like a s'more,” he says.

In 1988, new Chiefs General Manager Carl Peterson wanted a return to the DiPardo days and the nostalgic showmanship he brought to Arrowhead.

“I thought Tony would be a fine connection from the tremendous history of the Chiefs to the present and the future,” Peterson said in DiPardo’s autobiography.

“Fans weren’t attending the games and Mr. Hunt knew he had to do something and fast,” wrote DiPardo.

Bryant understood why a change needed to be made.

“I was not much of a showman, promoter or a character, and that is the stuff Tony was great at,” he says.

The new version of the band, now called the T.D. Pack Band, was smaller and more rock-oriented, with two drummers and lots of brass. DiPardo’s daughter Patti, an active singer on the Kansas City scene, fronted the band on vocals and played a set of Chiefs-red conga drums.

With looming stadium renovations, the Chiefs organization ended the band’s tenure after the 2009 season.

The next season, the team established the Chiefs Rumble Drumline, which roams the parking lot and entrances of Arrowhead before the game, and occasionally performs on the field during timeouts. They are also active in the community, performing for team events and charity functions.

Other Kansas City artists have added to the Chiefs musical sound, including Tech N9ne’s “Red Kingdom” and Mac Lethal’s “Kansas City Chiefs Anthem.”

But inside Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs, along with most NFL teams, have shifted to using primarily prerecorded music packaged with flashy video elements.

For longtime fans, the memories of Tony DiPardo and live music remain.

“Whether they won or lost, I was still there tootin’ my horn,” wrote DiPardo.

From left, Lamar and Norma Hunt, Tony DiPardo, and Hank and Phyllis Stram celebrate following a Chiefs victory in the AFL-NFL Championship.
From "Tony DiPardo: Life, Love, Music and Football"
From left, Lamar and Norma Hunt, Tony DiPardo, and Hank and Phyllis Stram celebrate following a Chiefs victory in the AFL-NFL Championship.

Sam Wisman is a Senior Producer for 91.9 Classical KC and a backup announcer for KCUR 89.3. Email him at samwisman@classicalkc.org.
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