In 1971, Heinz Johnson, then Recreation Director at Air Force headquarters, gained the support of the Air Force to re-establish the live TOPS IN BLUE tours. The long awaited, re-developed TOPS IN BLUE made its live tour debut in 1972 under the direction of then Staff Sergeant Tom Edwards. (Mr. Edwards still leads the organization as a civilian.) The group literally hitch-hiked from one base to the next by catching available aircraft to bases that wanted the show. An overwhelming response poured in from bases throughout the world to the Morale, Welfare and Recreation headquarters, admiring the professionalism of the outstanding Air Force talent.

In that first year back on the road, some 42,000 military members were entertained. Since then, the notoriety and quality of the TOPS IN BLUE program has grown and new challenges steadily changed program concepts to meet the changing needs of the Air Force. During the middle Seventies, a critical need developed for TOPS IN BLUE to produce an additional four hour "club" show called "Music Express", designed especially for entertaining troops in northern tier and isolated locations throughout the winter months. As the Eighties progressed there was a need to reach more locations, so TOPS IN BLUE was realigned into two touring units to simultaneously cover Air Force bases worldwide. The popularity and demand for TOPS IN BLUE performances continued to grow.