LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Tops in Blue is for the elite musicians and entertainers of the Air Force; a once in a lifetime opportunity... or is it?
Staff Sgt. Anthoney M. Williams, a firefighter with the 633rd Civil Engineer Squadron, has been selected for another round at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, as a trumpeter for the expeditionary entertainment unit.
To enter Tops in Blue, participants must first submit an audition video to be reviewed by Tops in Blue personnel. After initial cuts, the remaining hopefuls go to a 10-day competition at Lackland AFB. Those selected are put on the team for that year, according to the Tops in Blue official website,
www.topsinblue.com.
Williams did his first tour with Tops in Blue soon after his enlistment in August 2007. While he was in technical training, he saw a flyer for Tops in Blue. As an avid trumpet player, he said he was intrigued.
After submitting his rendition of "Don't Know Why" by Nora Jones, the teenage trumpeter was selected, and went to Lackland to audition for a spot in Tops in Blue, he said.
"I was beyond ecstatic," he said, "But also I didn't know what to expect."
As a new recruit to both the Air Force and Tops in Blue, Williams described his experiences as a rollercoaster of challenges and enjoyment. Going back to his job as a firefighter was equally bittersweet.
"They were like family by then," he said."I was happy to be done with the work, but at the same time I knew I would miss it all."
Being an active-duty firefighter was a pleasant change of pace, Williams said. Tops in Blue encourages its members to continue training and schooling in their respective job fields, but Williams felt he had enough to do already as a musician.
Once the young Airman became Staff Sgt. Williams, he felt it was time to look into the unit a second time.
Being more seasoned in both his practice and his Air Force career, Williams wanted to add a leadership element to his second tour of Tops in Blue as a noncommissioned officer.
"I was confident until I saw they expected more from me as a returning member," explained Williams.
The young sergeant expects they will have him be more involved with the technical aspects of the tour as well.
According to the Tops in Blue website, the touring unit is expected to set up the 60,000 pounds of staging, lighting and other accoutrements associated with any given show.
"People don't know we did it all ourselves," said Williams. "We are the ones who put up the stage; no one does it for us."
Before there was Staff Sgt. Williams, there was Anthoney Williams from Valdosta, Ga., who picked up the trumpet in sixth grade band class.
"My older brother played and I wanted to be like him," said Williams.
From that point, Williams said he fell in love with the trumpet. He played in his church band at first, and then graduated to jazz and marching band when he entered high school.
During the summer before his junior year, Williams moved to Tacoma, Wash. He continued to play in jazz and marching band in his junior year. However he didn't like the musical difference from east to west, so he didn't continue during his final year in high school. Instead, Williams joined some friends and played bass guitar at open mic nights.
After graduation, Williams enlisted in the Air Force and continued to play trumpet at any opportunity, a habit which has been rewarded time and time again.
Tops in Blue will travel around the world in 2012 as both entertainers and ambassadors of both the Air Force and the US. The 2011 Tops in Blue "Rhythm Tour" ended Jan. 25, and the unit is gathering the members for next year.