Our audiences and supporters are what keep us going -- thanks to you, the legacy
of TOPS IN BLUE continues. This area is for you so that you can enjoy the
excitement of TOPS IN BLUE all year long, no matter where you are.
Here are some links to various newspapers about TOPS IN BLUE. Click here to do a Google search.
| Air Combat Command | Edwards AFB, CA |
| Bagram AB, Afghanistan | Stars and Stripes |
| Fort Meade, MD | Andrews AFB, MD |
| Airman Magazine | Afghanistan |
|
A forward-deployed location (click on "next" below each picture) |
| Andrews AFB, MD |
There's a lot more to TOPS IN BLUE than what you see on the stage. Here we hope to show you that which you're not likely to see. Oh, okay, there may be some pictures of the shows...
NOTE: All of these photos and more now appear in the site Photo Album.
Thanks to Stan Rolf for these pictures.
The Ladies: Rita Watts, Susan (Peters) Gilliam, Denise Broussard, and Monica Ray.
Monica, Denise, Sue & Rita at a photo session during staging at Lackland.
The frontline: Rita, Tony Kelly, Denise, Tommy Mason and Terry Bledsoe while at the Skylark Theater doing the first show.
Studs in a tree from the top: Tommy Mason, Terry Bledsoe. Bottom left: Tony Kelly and Pete Peterson. Staging publicity shot.
Tony, Pete, Tom & Terry. Another publicity shot.
Stan Rolf and Pete Peterson enjoying a night off at the Sahara in Las Vegas.
The Heavy Blue Express. From the top left: Richard Jackson, Clayton Hillary, Alan Baker (did not finish the tour), Woody Harrison. On the ground from the left: Dave Jackson, Stanley Swann III, Stan Gilliam, Vic Choates. (Heavy Blue Express is the old name for every Tops In Blue instrumental section.)
Cast photo (winter tour)
Thanks to Carolyn de Kock (winter tour) and Ray Davis (summer tour) for these pictures.
Pat, JB Brooks and Carolyn de Kock from the winter tour.
Some of TIB 82 winter tour's "Brighter Shades of Blue" (the old name for all female singers on tour) in one of those shopping mall camera booths during a dinner break just before their last show.
Al Passer, Teresa LaGrange, Rea Shipman from the summer tour.
The summer tour cast singing the finale "High Flight"
Thanks to Bill Hennessey for these pictures. All are of the overseas tour.
Louis Santiago and Wanda Fournier waiting for the tanker at Altus AFB, OK to take us to Germany for the beginning of the tour.
Bill Hennessey posing for the camera backstage.
Drummer Bob Goldstaub between songs during staging.
Karl "Bucket" Bullard sings "Make 'em Laugh, Clown."
"Victory, We Fight To Win"....with Jose Finn, Karl Bullard, Brad Reynolds
Jose Finn and Sue Ford after a show.
Thanks to Beverly Heath for these pictures.
(The 1984 TOPS IN BLUE stateside and overseas casts performed in the Super Bowl XIX half-time show in January, 1985.)
Beverly Heath, Terry McBride and Jenn, dressed up and ready for a New Year's Eve party in Hawaii.
Ruth Williams partying in Hawaii on New Years Eve.
The stateside cast performing a country/western act.
Deb Goodyear singing her solo for the song "Strive". Also, Frank Dean and Louie Punahale performing their solos for "Strive".
Bev Heath hitting the final note of "Over The Rainbow."
Terry McBride and Bill Heath hanging out with "Clem." Clem was an "award" given to the cast member that made the biggest mistake in the show. The winner had to take Clem with them everywhere they went until a new winner was determined.
Thanks to Lorna Newton and Tommy Mason for the pictures of the Bob Hope Special.
The 1987 TOPS IN BLUE stateside cast (and some priors called in just for this occasion) took time out from their schedule and performed with the legendary comedian Bob Hope at the 1987 "Airlift Rodeo" held at Pope AFB, North Carolina. This special show included such stars as Brooke Shields, Phyllis Diller and others.
(L-R): Karl "Bucket" Bullard, Robert Kaluni, Emmanuel "Webster" Lewis, Daryl Harris and Gary Rice.
(L-R): Bob Hope, Brooke Shields and Brad Reynolds. Of course, only one of them has toured with TOPS IN BLUE....
On your left, sitting down is Jane McNulty. Standing in front of her is Terra Wade, also a TIB prior. Seated in the middle is actress Phyllis Diller.
Moving the C-130 to the stage. Oh - it's made out of Styrofoam.
Lorna Newton backstage in the wardrobe room.
Charles "Brad" Reynolds setting up the television lights.
Cramen, Linda Campbell and Carol Rone moving a piece on to the set.
Linda Campbell painting the set in the wee hours of the morning.
Karl "Bucket" Bullard and Luis Santiago measuring a piece for the set.
Learning the steps, on the sidewalk in front of the Production Center (Chapparal).
The finale for the Bob Hope Special.
Thanks to Annie Planko for these pictures of the actual tour show. All are from the stateside tour.
Tanja, Ally and Marlene backstage.
Linda Campbell and Otis Goodwin.
Drivers "Moose" and "Blinky" standing in front of their respective mounts ("Music Box", our tour bus, and "Big Blue" our tractor-trailer rig.)
Stateside Tour
Thanks to Bob Morrow, Francine Norrod, Gerald "Mac" McMillian and Rob & Nadine Martin for these pictures.
Gerald "Mac" McMillian, driver of the "Music Box" bus, enjoying some non-driving time at Niagara Falls.
At the end-of-tour final banquet in mid-December, Mac met one of Santa's elves... actually she worked at the restaurant.
We interrupted our tour at Eglin AFB, Florida so we could fly up to and perform in Niagara Falls, NY for the city's former post-Thanksgiving "Festival of Lights" celebration. The morning after the Niagara Falls show, the aircrew temporarily named the C-5 airplane we flew up in the TOPS IN BLUE Limo. The crew assigned to this airplane had never seen TOPS IN BLUE before, so we got them good seats at the show. (Normally, the stateside tours traveled exclusively in Big Blue, our tractor-trailer rig, and Music Box, our tour bus. The Niagara Falls show was a special, late addition to the schedule, requiring the use of the C-5. It happened during the southern portion of the tour.)
Palletizing on the ramp at Eglin AFB on the morning of the flight to Niagara Falls. Top row (L-R): Darryl LaMar, Rob Martin, Jay Reamey, Bob Morrow. Bottom row (L-R): Lynn Stork, Barry Yow. A few days before this flight we were told that Big Blue, our tractor-trailer rig you see in the background, wouldn't fit on the C-5 but a smaller, shorter trailer would. Well, the day of the flight we found out that smaller trailer would not fit on the C-5. So, we had to put everything on pallets right then and there because it would take too long to drive to Niagara Falls - the show was the following night. (TIB cancels shows only in extreme circumstances. A late addition to the tour, a truck too big for a C-5, a set not designed for pallets, and being 1,000 miles away do not qualify as "extreme". We said we'd be there, so we were.)
All dressed up and no way to get there. Near St. Louis on the way to a show in Missouri, the bus broke down (again). Show time was in a few hours and we were still 1.5 hours away from the venue. Knowing that it took us about 2 hours to get the set in place, hang/focus lights, do a sound check, etc., it was apparent that we needed to get to the site now. We got there and did the show, though we started an hour late. The show was in a high school gym so the audience watched us do the setup! They got to see the "show before the show". (That picture is actually a composite of two pictures.)
Antoinette "AJ" Johnson doing her pre-show duties while singing for the sound check at Edwards AFB, California. The cast has pre- and post-show duties in addition to their on-stage performance. Later, we'd get a nice picture of AJ on a bus somewhere.
A publicity shot of most of the team members, taken at the beginning of the tour.
Saundra (Fleming) Herbert wouldn't be showing us her wonderful smile if she was attending to the men's "mambo" outfits....
Kevin "Doc" Dougherty and Nadine Martin before a show.
Going somewhere on the bus. The amazing thing is that we're awake! (The bus is a great place to sleep. Well... it's a place to sleep.)
Some of the techs in their backstage home. (L-R): Bob Morrow, Jesse Davis, Lynn Stork and Brian Bird.
The 88 team penned its' own rap song for the tour. Here, Old Man Irwin (center, played by Kevin "Doc" Dougherty) gets thrown around by the "Bad Boyz" during the rap.
Kelly Burton-Gunn & friend sitting among a pile of suitcases outside billeting (lodging) at some base.
Our own Darryl LaMar as Stevie Wonder.
The ladies dancing during our Miami Sound Machine set. The silver & black boxes downstage are pyrotechnic mortars; the 1988 tour was one of the last TIB tours to use pyro.
Bruce Guichard in his solo for "Hey Mambo".
At the end of the show, an unhappy KC (played by Kim Phillips) realizes her friends really aren't her friends.
At the end of the tour in December, best friends Francine Norrod and Dave Zimmerman were together for a moment as we put the set together at the Bob Hope Performing Arts Center on Lackland AFB, Texas for the last time earlier that day.
Major General Boles (commander of AFPC at the time) and the team after receiving their "tour Rogers". It's over! We can go home!
Overseas Tour
Thanks to Traci Noche for these pictures.
(L-R) Eddie Lawson, Mike Hill and Lane McCray chillin' in San Antonio.
On a rare day off, in London. Back row (L-R): Lorna Newton, Traci McIntrye, Mike Hill, Cassandra Gray, Mike Noche, Tonie Marshall, Eddie Wroblinski. Front row (L-R): Mike Roberto, Tim Mortensen, Rob Plummer, Rich Bailey.
On the way to a show in Alaska. Back row (L-R) Mike Hill, Traci McIntyre, Eddie Wroblinski, Mike Noche, Bernie Rone. Front row (L-R) Tonie Marshall, Cassandra Gray.
Each TOPS IN BLUE cast holds a final, end-of-tour banquet on the last night. 88's was held at the Magic Time Machine in San Antonio. Back row (L-R): Heidi Phipps, Darlene Coston, Mike Noche, Maria Richardson. Front row (L-R): Lorna Newton, Yvette Lewis, Cassandra Gray, Traci McIntyre, Tonie Marshall.
Having fun in a German pub. (L-R) Traci McIntyre, Darlene Coston, Mike Hill.
Thanks to Marie Henry and Francine Norrod for these pictures. All pictures are from the overseas tour.
Marie sparkles in the light while singing "Love In Any Language".
Catching a sunset leaving the harbor headed toward the island of Crete.
You think TOPS IN BLUE is a vacation? When you're on vacation, are you so exhausted that you can sleep in the jump seats of a C-130 cargo plane?
Amos Singleton, Jamie Johnson, and Chris Knox are on a boat to another show. Facing away from the camera is Jonathan Williams. All are wearing the official TOPS IN BLUE travel uniform.
Exhausted after a show in Korea is Chris Knox, our lead guitar player.
Thanks to James Waller for these pictures.
Members of the Ebony Blue Experience, the old name for all the male vocalists on tour. Staging publicity shot.
Members of the Brighter Shades of Blue, the old name for all the female vocalists on tour.
Members of the Heavy Blue Express, the old name for the band.
Thanks to Aaron Miles for these pictures.
Connie Livingston and Stephanie Tripp in Saudi Arabia.
Loading the one of the European tour trucks. (L-R): Lisa Fields, Stephanie Tripp, Jimmy Main, Michael Oden, Kenneth Sawyer, Rodney Webb, and Morgan McGary.
Leaning on European tour bus is Stephanie and Jacinta Mitchell.
Ready for a night on the town are Glo Singleton and Stephanie.
Christmas caroling in a European hospital. (L-R): Jeff "JP" Porter, Kenny Sawyer, Morgan McGary, Jeff Wall, Daniel Sviland, Joe Phillips, Connie Livingston, Jolene Bechard,and Aaron Miles.
Thanks to Dean De Leon for these pictures.
Mike Wilkinson, TIB 92's Lighting Director. Nice legs, Mike! :-)
TIB 92's sound man supreme, Juan Ramos.
Dean De Leon, narrator of the show.
Edward Jones and Pearle Glasco, live.
1992 technical crew. Top row, (L-R): Lyle Glass, Chris Zundel, Tony Bell, Paul Schwarz, Larry Koehler. Bottom row, (L-R): ?, Rick "Do" Giraudy, Juan Ramos, Greg Evans, "Little Rick" LaComb.
Laura and Pearle doing what every singer does before going into the studio to record a soundtrack.
Thanks to Aaron Sisemore and Rick Hayden for these pictures.
The 1994 technical crew at the end-of-tour banquet. (L-R): Aaron Sisemore, Jennifer Dunlap, Leo Polanco-Sierra, Tommy Nollette, Jeff Horst.
Ever have your picture taken in front of a B-2 "Spirit" bomber? The cast of TOPS IN BLUE 1994 did, at Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
TOPS IN BLUE 1994 did something no other TIB tour has done - they performed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on Dec 3, 1994. (L-R): Leo Polanco-Sierra, Aaron Sisemore.
After a very tiring day of preparations for the Eastern Regional Talent Competition are (L-R): Aaron Sisemore, Mike Atwood, Rick Hayden, Clarence Jenkins.
Some of the '94 band members (L-R): Rick Hayden, Rich Brown, Karen Allen, Mark Sobus, Dale Carothers, Mike Atwood, Chris Lawver.
Christmas day at Kunsan AB, Korea: playing the opening horn fanfare from backstage.
Thanks to Phillip Bateman, Robb Stark, Scott Buchanan and Debbi Hebeisen for these pictures.
For the Niagara Falls, NY "Festival of Lights", I Like It, I Love It was performed by (L-R): Huey Gauthier, Tobin Faciane, Josh Lemmens and Stephen Alexander.
At the end-of-tour banquet are (L-R): Edward Jones, Phillip Bateman, Stacey Mercer and Jose Finn.
Also at the banquet were (seated, L-R) Jackie Larsen, Frances Ludwig. (standing, L-R): Lanise Williams, Zora Jeter, Phillip Bateman, Kristy Mosteller and Tonya Anzjon.
Huey Gauthier and Scott Buchanan backstage at the TOPS IN BLUE Production Center, Lackland AFB, Texas.
Geoff Jones takes the time to warm up next to Big Blue, our tractor-trailer rig.
On our bus "Music Box", heading to another location.
Stephanie Abell applying makeup before the first show. Stephanie toured in 1994 but, like other priors, comes back when possible to help get the next year's tour going.
As with Stephanie, Kahlil Walton, TIB 94, 95 came back. Here, "Sensei Kahlil" (center) poses with Alex and Randy.
(L-R): Jackie Larsen, Zora Jeter and Frances (Ludwig) Wright.
(L-R): Robb Stark, Ken Burnham and Geoff Jones posing in the dressing room at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.
Enjoying a day off in Munich, Germany.
Setting up the stage left truss are (L-R): Scott Buchanan, Lanise Williams and Jackie Larsen.
Thanks to Heather Hershman and Lorna Newton for these pictures.
Brenda Anthony singing to the audience.
Col. Reilly (right) and Dave Sullivan. Col. Reilly created the TOPS IN BLUE program in 1953.
Andy Williams holding Kade Hershman (TIB 2017?), son of TIB '97 cast member Keith Hershman. They're on the TIB tour bus "Music Box".
TOPS IN BLUE '97 assisting in the clean up after the spring flood in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Saluting the audience are (L-R): Brenda Anthony, Kristi Krewson and Nicole Evans.
At a rest stop in Arizona are (L-R): Michael Fanning, Keith Hershman, Charmaine Reardon, Aaron Miles and LaValle Boswell.
More pictures from the 1997 tour are at Juan Femath's site.
Thanks to Dean De Leon, TIB 92, Bob Anderson, TIB 82, Bob Morrow, TIB 88 and Ray Davis, TIB 82, 84 for these pictures.
| Mike Hill | Terra Wade | Kristy Penn |
| The "Brighter Shades of Blue", the old name for the female vocalists on every tour | Carol Desroches (TIB 77, 79) |
Thanks to Linda Bowman for these pictures.
Some of the cast singing "So Many Voices" at the beginning of the show. (L-R) Ann Hoffman, Stephen Alexander, Melissa Ritz, Artri Pettis and Maggie Gomes.
TIB 98 cast member Stephen Alexander standing proud with "Old Glory".
Artri Pettis singing "Stop in the Name of Love".
Jackie Todryk singing "Heaven's What I Feel" with Maggie Gomes, Ann Hoffman, Evelyn Burns and Heather Carroll in the background.
Hello Darlin', it's Jayson Johnson singing the country classic.
(L-R): Mark Sobus, Gerald Bynum and Jayson Johnson unloading the equipment at Lackland.
Melisio Garcia standing on the lighting trusses.
Operations coordinator Kim Heng helping out in the office.
Chris Burch out in the audience.
Moving to the beat of "Dancing in the Streets" is Ann Hoffman.
On the bus leaving McGuire AFB, NJ....but of course we wouldn't forget Huey Gauthier or AJ Rolling.
Tamiko Bookhard and James Bowman heading out to greet the audience after the show at Hanscom AFB, MA.
Live on stage during the show.
Dan Dobrava and Keisha Gwin in front of the Hickam AFB, HI Community Center after getting their leis.
CMSgt Eddie Wroblinski, our tour director.
Geoff Fisher and Tracy Bender at Hickam.
Team members checking out the surroundings at Thule AB, Greenland.
TOPS IN BLUE 99 performed at the USO Salute at Ramstein AB, Germany. (L-R) Glo Singleton, Joe Thomas (USAFE escort) and Jen Caldwell. Also in action that night were (L-R) David Coram, Andy Gervais and LaMont Allen.
Jose Cordero, one of our audio guys.
Keisha Gwin and Percy Lewis on the bus, somewhere in Europe.
(L-R) Keisha and Shammara Laster.
Mark Lindell, our lighting director.
Setting up at Andersen AFB, Guam. The rain! The rain!
Stage director Jen Caldwell checking the list of equipment to be packed.
Rob Sholtz at Hickam AFB, HI.
(L-R) David Coram, Matt Williamson, Jen Caldwell and Mark Lindell at Hickam AFB, HI.
Thanks to Fernando Alejandro and the Air Force Entertainment office for most of these pictures.
At McGuire AFB, NJ, we made a little girl's dream come true, if only for a few minutes. She got to be with Cinderella!
Arturo Eusebio (left) and Mike Young.
The barbershop guys, singing "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans".
Performing "No Me Ames" is: Back row (L-R): Marlon Pharr, Jeremy Wadell, James Dill. Center row: April Frailing and Amber Grimes. Front row: Paige Thacker, Audrey Davison and Fernando Alejandro.
For the song "Salome": Back row: Sarah Cantrell and Jeremy Wadell. Front row: Monica Leger, Fernando Alejandro, Audrey Davison.
The cast at a famous engineering blunder in Italy.
The TOPS IN BLUE '00 color guard. (L-R) Mario Cross, Marlon Pharr, Matt Webber and Josh Moreaux.
Tour Director and keyboard player Chris Kniffen.
We like the audience to be involved in our shows. Here, Jeremy Waddell sings to a girl at a base.
Greg Martin is getting the audience going for the song "Just a Gigolo".
Not only do we want you to be involved, we go out into the audience as well. Comin' at ya is Marlon Pharr, April Frailing and JD Dill.
Van Qualkinbush and Chris Kniffen after a show.
Kitty Ellis and Fernando Alejandro.
Singing popular tunes from the 1940's in uniforms from that time are the guys (L-R) Wil Johnson, Jeremy Waddell, JD Dill and Josh Moreaux, and the ladies (L-R) April Frailing, Mindy Kruty, Lola Wilson, Amber Grimes and Becca Moore.
Ok guys, how many of you are saying "Why didn't this happen to me at the show?" C'mon...
Mario Cross and a lizard in Las Vegas.
Mike Noche and Van Qualkinbush, jammin'.
Chris Kniffen thinking "What we need here is MORE HEAT!" as she stands next to a heater at Eielson AFB, AK.
Sarah Cantrell dressed up, singing "Dr. Feel Good".
Kitty Ellis, all dressed up and ready for the opening.
Towards the end of the show, the ladies put on their red, white & blue dresses. (L-R) Amber Grimes, Monica Leger.
At the end of the show, "JD" Dill and the guys sang the classic Lee Greenwood tune "God Bless the USA". This particular picture was taken at Kunsan AB, Korea on Christmas day. (Yes, TOPS IN BLUE performs on holidays. Our troops work on holidays, so does TIB.)
Hey, what does this switch do? Mario Cross and Allan Sacdalan running the sound boards for an outdoor show at Ybor City, FL.
Kenny Myers playing the sax.
One toy soldier said to the other: "Hey, do you think Tom (producer) saw that mistake?"
Josh Moreaux singing "When You Wish".
Thanks to Linda Bowman for these pictures.
The ladies performing I Think About You at Hanscom AFB, MA.
Jay and some of the team back from Europe at Dover AFB, DE. (Katie, Paul, Marco, Shane, Walt)
Jay singing that 70's hit, "More Than A Woman" at Hanscom AFB, MA.
Jed and Mario with the Scary Clown.
Jay, Walt, Jed, Hos and Quez also in "More Than A Woman".
Kristina & Walt singing "Let's Get Loud".
Some of the ladies all dressed up for the final night banquet at the end of the tour.
Jay and Schavonne climbing up a sand dune in California.
Some of the team on that same beach. Back (L to R): Alberto, Michelle, Jay, John, Joni, Cashenna. Front (L to R): Vince, Connie, Walt.
Packing it up after a show at Lackland AFB, TX. The people you saw on stage are seen here loading the trucks.
Kristina singing "3 Minute Love Song"
Katie and Jed backstage and in a German town.
50th Anniversary
Program
(6.5 MB, PDF)
The guys doing their thing on stage.
The ladies, too.
