Tops In Blue
Encyclopedia
Tops In Blue is a touring performance ensemble made up of active duty members of the United States Air Force
formed in 1953. For the past 57 years, Tops In Blue has traveled to more than 20 countries to perform more than 120 times each year for airmen and families around the world. They entertain more than 250,000 military personnel and their families, presenting an average of 120 performances at 100 locations worldwide throughout the United States
, Canada
, Europe
, Central America
, Alaska
, and the Pacific.
, Bob Hope
, Alabama
, Barbara Mandrell
, Boyz II Men
, Lee Greenwood
, and Lea Michele
.
Tops In Blue is produced by the Entertainment Branch of the Programs Directorate, Headquarters Air Force Services Agency
. The program is funded in part by appropriated funds and supplemented with nonappropriated funds that are generated by Air Force people as well as sponsorship by Coca-Cola
. They have produced five movies and two albums.
The unit is self contained with its members consisting of four flights: personnel, logistics, operations, and technical.
, and non-musical variety including comedians
, magicians
, and dramatists. Each year is a new group and past members are not guaranteed to return. Those selected attend a 45 day training period at Lackland AFB.
, drama
, pop
, jazz
, hillbilly
, vocal and instrumental
. It was judged by celebrities like Barry White
, Les Brown
, Richard Roundtree
, and Esther Williams
. In 1954, Ed Sullivan invited Tops in blue to perform at Mitchel Air Field
, NY
on his show "Toast of the Town" where Airman Second Class Jerry Van Dyke
led the show as Master of Ceremonies
. In 1964, the Tops In Blue left the stage to record in a movie studio to produce films and records for distribution throughout the Air Force. However, in 1971 Tops in Blue gained Air Force support to return to the stage on their live tour debut in 1972.
published two articles questioning the value of Tops In Blue with claims that soldiers are "voluntold" to attend and further doubts that the Tops In Blue is truly a self-contained unit.
. In 1985, an expanded production of Tops In Blue performed with help from over 1,400 volunteers from Mather AFB at the halftime show of Super Bowl XIX
. In 2002, they performed at the Daytona 500
. They performed the National Anthem
in 2005 for Game 6 of the NBA Finals
and in 2009 at the Coca-Cola 600
. At the pregame show at Super Bowl XLV
, Tops in Blue performed "America the Beautiful" alongside actress Lea Michele
.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
formed in 1953. For the past 57 years, Tops In Blue has traveled to more than 20 countries to perform more than 120 times each year for airmen and families around the world. They entertain more than 250,000 military personnel and their families, presenting an average of 120 performances at 100 locations worldwide throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, and the Pacific.
Ensemble
The ensemble is composed of 35 vocalists, dancers, musicians and technicians and is considered the Air Force's expeditionary entertainment unit. Performers are expected to be in top physical condition because they are their own roadies. Performers unload 80000 pounds (36,287.4 kg) of equipment which uses a stage and truss which are built to fit on six pallets or one truck trailer. They spend four hours settings up the stage prior to a show. Their primary purpose is to perform for military personnel and their families throughout the world. They have appeared on national television with Ed SullivanEd Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
, Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
, Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
, Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
, Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
, Lee Greenwood
Lee Greenwood
Melvin Lee Greenwood is an American country music artist. Active since the early 1980s, he has released more than twenty major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the Billboard country music charts....
, and Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
.
Tops In Blue is produced by the Entertainment Branch of the Programs Directorate, Headquarters Air Force Services Agency
Air Force Services Agency
The Air Force Services Agency conducts research and development, policy implementation, and provides technical expertise in support of the bases, major commands, and Air Staff...
. The program is funded in part by appropriated funds and supplemented with nonappropriated funds that are generated by Air Force people as well as sponsorship by Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
. They have produced five movies and two albums.
The unit is self contained with its members consisting of four flights: personnel, logistics, operations, and technical.
Audition
Candidates for Tops In Blue submit a video performance to Headquarters Air Force Services Agency. If selected for audition, they are flown from all over the world to Lackland AFB for a ten day talent show and multilevel competition judged by former Tops In Blue members. The performers are picked in six categories: male vocalist, female vocalist, instrumentalist, musical variety, danceDance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, and non-musical variety including comedians
Comedians
Comedians are a type of entertainer who tell jokes.Comedians can also refer to:* Comedians , a 1954 film* Comedians , a 1975 play by Trevor Griffiths* The Comedians, a 1940 concert suite by Dmitry Kabalevsky...
, magicians
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
, and dramatists. Each year is a new group and past members are not guaranteed to return. Those selected attend a 45 day training period at Lackland AFB.
History
Air Force Major Al Reilly created the Air Force Worldwide Talent Contest in 1953, and Tops In Blue began as a tour showcasing the best members of the contest performing at 230 locations in 235 days. Initially, the contest was judged in 14 categories ranging from comedyComedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
, vocal and instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
. It was judged by celebrities like Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
, Les Brown
Les Brown (bandleader)
Les Brown, Sr. and the Band of Renown are a big band that began in the late 1930s, initially as the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils that Brown led while a student at Duke University. He was the first president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences...
, Richard Roundtree
Richard Roundtree
Richard Roundtree is an American actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft and in its two sequels, Shaft's Big Score and Shaft in Africa .-Personal life:Born in New Rochelle, New York, Richard Roundtree graduated from...
, and Esther Williams
Esther Williams
Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
. In 1954, Ed Sullivan invited Tops in blue to perform at Mitchel Air Field
Mitchel Air Force Base
Decommissioned in 1961, Mitchel Field became a multi-use complex currently home to the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Nassau Coliseum, Mitchel Athletic Complex, Nassau Community College and Hofstra University.-Origins:...
, NY
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on his show "Toast of the Town" where Airman Second Class Jerry Van Dyke
Jerry Van Dyke
Jerry Van Dyke is an American comedian and actor. He is the younger brother of comedian and actor Dick Van Dyke, and made his acting debut on The Dick Van Dyke Show with several guest appearances as Rob Petrie's brother, Stacey...
led the show as Master of Ceremonies
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
. In 1964, the Tops In Blue left the stage to record in a movie studio to produce films and records for distribution throughout the Air Force. However, in 1971 Tops in Blue gained Air Force support to return to the stage on their live tour debut in 1972.
Criticism
In 2010, Stars and StripesStars and Stripes (newspaper)
Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
published two articles questioning the value of Tops In Blue with claims that soldiers are "voluntold" to attend and further doubts that the Tops In Blue is truly a self-contained unit.
Notable events
In 1981 they performed the halftime show at the Garden State BowlGarden State Bowl
The Garden State Bowl was an annual post-season college football bowl game played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, from 1978 to 1981...
. In 1985, an expanded production of Tops In Blue performed with help from over 1,400 volunteers from Mather AFB at the halftime show of Super Bowl XIX
Super Bowl XIX
Super Bowl XIX was an American football game played on January 20, 1985 at Stanford Stadium, on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1984 regular season...
. In 2002, they performed at the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
. They performed the National Anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
in 2005 for Game 6 of the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
and in 2009 at the Coca-Cola 600
2009 Coca-Cola 600
The 2009 Coca-Cola 600, the longest race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season in terms of distance, was the twelfth race of the thirty-six race season. It was also the 50th running of the race, and in celebration thereof Lowe's Motor Speedway painted the outside retaining walls gold...
. At the pregame show at Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
, Tops in Blue performed "America the Beautiful" alongside actress Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
.
See also
- United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
- The United States Air Force BandThe United States Air Force Band'The Singing Sergeants' is the official chorus of the United States Air Force. It was formed in 1945 from members of The United States Air Force Concert Band, but is now composed entirely of professional vocalists who have been appointed by audition. The Singing Sergeants have appeared before every...
- The Airmen of NoteThe Airmen of NoteThe Airmen of Note is the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force. Originally created in 1950 to carry on the tradition of Major Glenn Miller's Army Air Corps dance band, the “Note” is one of the few touring big bands, and has attracted 18 professional jazz musicians from across the...