Bob McCarthy began his drum corps career with the Saint Andrew’s Kidets and graduated to the Saint Andrew’s Bridgemen in 1973. At the age of thirteen, he became one of the youngest snares drummers to play in a DCI finals. Bob remained in the Bridgemen snare line until he aged out in 1980, the year of the first Bridgemen DCI Drum Title. Bob served as a drum tech for the Bridgemen in 1981 and 1982. Additionally, he joined the Bushwackers in 1981 and immediately put his mark on the drum line and gave immediate credibility to the program.
Bob was the heart and soul of the Bushwackers drum line. He saw them through their amazing run of 6 DCA high percussion trophies in a row. Bob has marched in the snare line, was a writer and instructor, and was also in charge of recruiting. He urged it all forward with his own unique brand of humor and enthusiasm. Bob also went on to teach a few years with the Caballeros, then left the activity to raise his family in the mid-90s with his wife, Patty, also a Bushwackers member. He returned to teaching in 2011 and is currently on the percussion staff at Hunterdon Central Regional High School where his son is in the snare line.