Johnny remembers the Fourth Herd as his best ensemble group, the most cooperative, and perhaps the most versatile. Overall musicianship had also made some gains from the middle 1950's, when it was sometimes a scuffle just to get enough competent musicians to fill out the band. By 1964, Johnny had collected the cream of the jazz musicians in the Air Force music program, and because the Airmen of Note was starting to develop a reputation outside of the service, they were attracting high quality recruits as well.

Building on the foundation laid by the Third Herd, Johnny added jazz tenor Barry Weinstein, jazz alto Kim Richmond, lead trumpet Paul Hubinon, bassist Dick Jones, and two musicians who were to play major roles in the Airmen of Note for years to come, bari sax Dave Napier and lead trombonist Dave Steinmeyer. Vocalist Jerry Whitman left the Note in 1965, and when the opportunity came to pick up guitarist Bobby Mann, Johnny chose to sacrifice the vocal slot for the time being.

Col. Howard had retired in 1963. After a short time under the interim direction of Col. Shale Tulin, command of the Air Force Band was assumed by Col. Arnold Gabriel. By the mid-sixties, public relations activities were becoming a more important part of the Air Force Band's mission.

For example, the Serenade in Blue radio series was increased to a half hour, produced in stereo, and generally upgraded into a first-class production. Although other elements of the Air Force Band also participated, the Airmen of Note soon became the featured group. At its peak, the program was aired on more than 2,000 stations nationwide, which exposed the band to a wide audience.

The program provided a unique opportunity to showcase the skills and versatility of the band, the individual musicians, the vocalists, and the arrangers. Most numbers featured the

Alto Sax Don Grossi Kim Richmond (63--) Tenor Sax Barry Weinstein (63--) Jim Towsey Baritone Sax Dave Napier (64--) Piano Tom Baldwin Bass Dick Jones (64--) Drums Charlie McIlroy Guitar Bob Mann (66--)	Trumpet Tom Sullivan (--64) Vince Somma Scott Waller Ray Stone (64-66) Paul Hubinon (65--) Trombone Bill Tole (--65) Chuck Sayre (--64) Cliff Stark (--65) Gary Ross Jerry Cohen (64-66) Al DiPasquale (65-66) Dave Steinmeyer (65--) Vocalist Jerry Whitman (63-65) Staff Arrangers Paul Kelly (64--) Chuck Sayre (64--)

full Airmen of Note or the Symphony in Blue, but opportunities were also available for small group jazz performances by members of the Note. One of these groups was the Air Force Jazz Octet, which was led by Kim Richmond and featured modern jazz arrangements by himself and other Airmen of Note members. Another was Bobby Mann's Capitol Quartet.

For those with arranging talent, the show provided an opportunity to have their work performed on the air by first-rate musicians. Some good examples of this type of musical creativity were Sammy Nestico's "Swingphonic" arrangements, which were based on classical and traditional folk themes. The objective was to present these themes in a big band format but without losing their original flavor. On these numbers, the Airmen of Note were augmented by horns, woodwinds, and additional percussion.

Sammy transferred to the Marine Band during this period, but other arrangers were added to the staff. Paul Kelly was hired to replace Sammy, and Chuck Sayre was transferred full time to arranging. In addition, Dave Napier, Tom Baldwin, Kim Richmond, and Jim Towsey began contributing charts.

Besides being featured on the Serenade in Blue program, the Note had its own fifteen-minute weekly radio series, Music in the Air. The band also made a number of transcriptions for use by Armed Forces Radio Services and was often featured on Willis Conover's jazz program on Voice of America.

While recording work increased, the troop entertainment continued as well. In addition, the band also started doing concerts at high schools for Air Force Recruiting, and for a time college ROTC balls were an important part of the schedule. Johnny also found time to fit in an occasional jazz concert or clinic. At the 1965 Air Force Association convention in Dallas, the Airmen of Note were called on to do a tribute to Glenn Miller on the 20th anniversary of his disappearance over the English Channel. Mrs. Glenn Miller was a special guest, and Jack Jones was featured vocalist as the band recreated many of the Miller hits.

As a follow-up, the Note recorded fifteen Glenn Miller classics, using the original charts, which were graciously loaned by the Miller estate. Glenn Miller Orchestra vocalist Joan Shepard joined the band on two numbers. The original plan was to produce an album that could be sold at base exchanges. While this didn't work out, the recordings were used on two special Serenade in Blue programs.

Another collaboration with Jack Jones was the 1965 Air Force Christmas radio special, which also featured the Randy Van Horn Singers. Two other 1965 highlights were Lyndon Johnson's inaugural ball at the Mayflower Hotel and a military ball at the legendary Glen Island Casino.

Over the years, the Airmen of Note had occasion to share the bandstand with a number of well-known bands, including Claude Thornhill, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of Ray McKinley. In 1966, the Note at last had the opportunity to swap dance sets with the great Count Basie orchestra, at Bolling Hanger No. 1.

Johnny retired from the Air Force in the fall of 1966. Over the eleven years he led the band, he worked hard to secure a performance schedule which properly utilized the considerable talents of the Airmen of Note. Another of his priorities was to obtain the type of transportation, accommodations, and other amenities that musicians of this caliber could expect to receive on the outside.

He was able to accomplish much of this while he was still on the band. However, some of the things he worked hardest to achieve didn't come to pass until he was ready to leave. One was when the Note finally got a regular touring bus. This was a small item perhaps, but it added considerably to the comfort of a band spending a lot of time on the road.

Perhaps Johnny's crowning achievement was the Airmen of Note's concert tour in the fall of 1966, when the band did a series of twelve public performances in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey. By the time the band was ready to hit the road, Bob Bunton had assumed leadership. However, as a tribute to a man who had done so much for the Airmen of Note, Johnny was asked to conduct the first half of the concert at his home town, Erie Pennsylvania. As the band broke for intermission, he turned the baton over to Bob and joined the audience, thus ending the military career of the Note's longest-serving leader. This tour was so successful that it evolved into a 20-year series of semi-annual concert tours that brought the Airmen of Note and the Air Force to audiences all over the country.