Band History:
TOP CITY is immensely proud of its rich history! Since 1989 TOP CITY 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 the band’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 the departure of John Howard and Patti Smith, TOP CITY was fortunate to expand its sound with two exceptional vocalists, Dayle Tomson and Will Sanders, greatly broadening the band’s musical repertoire. Brad Anderson initially joined on bass following John’s departure and played with the band for a year or so but a sudden relocation east forced him to leave just before the 1996 demo recording. Joe (Johan) Worst stepped in to take over bass duties; he absolutely nailed the demo tracks and remained the band’s dedicated bassist for 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
The Current TOP CITY Lineup!
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From Left to Right:
Jim Kempton – Drums
Don Hardy – Keyboards
Larry White – Rhythm Guitar and Backing Vocals
Garth Balint – Trumpet & Flugelhorn
Claudio Girasole – Lead Vocals
Chika Buston – Lead Vocals
Mark Follett – Baritone & Alto Saxophones
Jamie Hicks – Tenor Saxophone
Barry Merritt – Trombone
Steve Berger – Lead Guitar
Paul Freeman – Bass
Not Shown In The Group Photo Above: Felicia Andolong (The newest TC Member) – Lead Vocals
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!