Band History:
TOP CITY is immensely proud of its rich history! For over 35 years, the band has been delivering live R&B, Motown, Soul, and Funk music. It all began with a group of friends who wanted to play the classic R&B and Motown tunes they grew up listening to.
The name TOP CITY originated during an early rehearsal when vocalist/bassist John Howard was about to count off a tune. Distractedly, he said, “take it from the top,” to which someone responded, “what?” To clarify, John emphatically repeated, “TOP CITY!” Someone in the band then remarked, “hey, TOP CITY, that’s a good name for the band!” And the name stuck!
Many talented musicians have been members of the band. Here are many of the musicians and the different eras that have contributed to TOP CITY’s success:
C.1993
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The Original Founding Members of TOP CITY
O.G.’s ALL !!
From left to right:
Barry Merritt, Bruce Ward, Terry Keller, Jim Kempton, John Howard, Ken Abel, Steve Hannah, Larry White
C.1994
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We welcomed Patti Smith into the band in 1994. Patti has incredible pipes and her sound helped to solidify the TOP CITY sound! We knew from then on that having female and male Lead vocalists was the way to go!
From left to right:
Barry Merritt, Bruce Ward, Patti Smith, Ken Abel, John Howard (seated), Steve Hannah, Jim Kempton, Larry White, Terry Keller
C.1996
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After John Howard left the band, TOP CITY was fortunate to expand with two talented vocalists, Dayle Tomson and Will Sanders, which opened up a whole new range of possibilities for the band’s repertoire. Brad Anderson joined us on bass shortly after John left, but he had to leave the band when he was transferred back east just before this recording. Joe (Johan) Worst then stepped in on bass and absolutely nailed it on this demo, continuing as our bassist for many years to come.
Left photo from left to right:
Top Row: Terry Keller, Barry Merritt, Ken Abel, Bruce Ward, Larry White
Bottom Row: Steve Hannah, Dayle Tomson, Jim Kempton, Will Sanders, Brad Anderson
C.2006
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The departure of Dayle Tomson & Will Sanders left a fantastic 10 year legacy for the band. The addition of Connie Ballendine and Terry Raible on lead vocals gave the band a new energy with their take on our repertoire of classic tunes.
From left to right:
Top: Steve Hannah, Barry Merritt, Steve Webb, Jim Kempton, Terry Keller, Bruce Ward, Ken Abel
Bottom: Joe Worst, Connie Ballendine, Terry Raible. Missing (for some reason), Mike Toth. Hey Mike Where were you?!
C.2017
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Shortly after Leslie (LJ) Mounteney and Claudio Girasole
joined us on vocals, our long time Tenor player (and founding member) Bruce Ward had to leave the band due to a
family move to the Island. We had a hard time finding the right replacement but we were
fortunate to have some of the areas finest Tenor players fill in during a couple of ensuing years
(Adam Rohrlick, Ben Lockwood, & Jim Pinchin). You should dust that Tenor off more often Chef
Pinchin (I’m sure PJ would love it)! The search was solved once our current Tenor, Jamie
Hicks, came onto the scene… You’ve got to hear this guy play!
From left to right: Larry White, Steve Hannah, Don Ogden, Jim Kempton, Cluadio Girasole, Steve Berger, Steve Bagnell, Leslie (LJ) Mounteney, Barry Merritt, Garth Balint, Adam Rohrlick
C.2017
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From left to right: Steve Berger, Steve Bagnell, Barry Merritt, Don Ogden, Claudio Girasole, Leslie (LJ) Mounteney, Larry White, Steve Hannah, Jim Kempton, Ben Lockwood, Garth Balint
C.2019
From left to right: Steve Berger, Steve Bagnell, Barry Merritt, Don Ogden, Claudio Girasole, Lori Johnson, Larry White, Steve Hannah, Jim Kempton, Jamie Hicks, Garth Balint
Other Players Not Shown
Many talented musicians have graced TOP CITY’s stage. To all the incredible players who have subbed in and helped us out, a heartfelt thank you! There are also a few full-time TOPCITY-zens who didn’t make it into the band promo shots above. We will strive to acknowledge them on this page in the future!