The Skyliners - 75 Years Strong!

Billie Castle, the featured jazz vocalist of the Skyliners, hails from Toledo, Ohio, where she was born into a musically talented family. Alongside her five siblings, Billie performed in church and local theatre, discovering her passion for storytelling through musical performance. The love story of her parents, accompanied by jazz and big band music, profoundly inspired Billie and influenced her career. Driven by this passion, Billie immersed herself in the works of Cole Porter, The Gershwins, Duke Ellington, and other luminaries of The Great American Songbook. She received classical voice training from Bettye Gardner of the Houston Grand Opera, cabaret performance coaching from Margaret Whiting at The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center in Waterford, CT, and extensive jazz training with Ray Sullenger in Houston. Additionally, Billie refined her skills with vocal coach and musical director Paul Trueblood in New York City and voice instructor Adele Khoury in Los Angeles. Spanning four decades, Billie's illustrious career includes being the featured vocalist for esteemed orchestras such as The Ed Gerlach Orchestra and The Danny Ward Orchestra in Houston, TX, The Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra in New Orleans, LA, and The Lake Charles Jazz Orchestra. In 1991, she was introduced as the featured vocalist for The Skyliners Big Band in Lafayette, LA. Since 2022, Billie has served as the President of The Skyliners of Acadiana, working diligently to honor the band's history and ensure its longevity. Billie has headlined in renowned cabaret venues, including Don't Tell Mama in NYC, and performed with various jazz combos. Her performances include opening night press parties at The Windmill Dinner Theatre in Houston, TX, for artists such as Ricky Nelson, Fats Domino, Sherman Hemsley, and Hugh O'Brien. Additionally, Billie has been a guest vocalist with The Toledo Jazz Orchestra, USL Jazz Ensemble, Lafayette Concert Band, and The Lake Charles Jazz Orchestra. Highly respected by both fans and fellow musicians, Billie Castle's extensive knowledge, mastery, and passion for The Great American Songbook remain evident throughout her distinguished career.

Bill Roza, the Skyliners' Pianist and Vocalist, a full-time musician, says that music has always been a huge part of his life. Bill was invited to play piano with the Skyliners in 2011 and started singing with the band when Ron Gomez retired as the male vocalist a couple years later. While taking private piano lessons as a youngster, he also played saxophone in school bands. Bill enlisted in the Army and after basic training, the Army sent him to the Navy School of Music. Upon graduation, Bill was assigned to his first Army band. During the rest of his enlistment, he played in various Army bands and spent a year in Vietnam as a bandsman and entertaining the troops. After his discharge from the Army, Bill worked in piano retail sales in Honolulu. This eventually led to him being hired by the Baldwin Piano Co. as a “product specialist” which involved training new salespeople throughout North America and Canada. Bill is probably best known locally as the "one-man-band" who played in Maximilian's Lounge at the Lafayette Hilton for 30 years. He is currently a regular musician at the Petroleum Club, and plays for private dance clubs, senior living communities, fund raisers and private parties. On Sundays Bill plays keyboard and sings in the Christian band at Christian Life Center Church. “It's very exciting playing piano and singing with our wonderful big band, The Skyliners. I look forward to being a member of the band for years to come.”

Tonio Cutrera, Skyliners' Drummer, started filling in with the Skyliners Big Band around the age of 18 and has filled the drummer's chair regularly for over 20 years. A native of Lafayette, Tonio is known for his expertise in a wide range of musical styles. Growing up in a family of musicians, he became passionate about jazz music at an early age. Tonio began playing drums professionally at thirteen and by the age of seventeen, was the regular drummer for the Harry Grieg Orchestra, a popular dance band of the time. He became a founding member of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra in 1984 and continues to serve both as Principal Percussionist and Operations Manager.

Ken Hulse, Skyliners' Bass Player, has been playing bass with the Skyliners for nearly 20 years. Ken grew up in Centereach, NY (center of Long Island). He began playing bass in elementary school and has enjoyed playing big band music since that time. Ken received his Bachelors of Music degree from SUNY Fredonia and Masters of Music in Tuba performance and Conducting from USL in 1996. For the past 22 years Ken has worked as a Band Instrument Repair Technician at Lafayette Music, becoming manager of the repair department in 2012. His love of music continues to shine through with every repaired instrument he returns to players and students alike. Ken has also been playing regularly with First Class (2009), Acadian Wind Symphony (2001) and just about anyone else that has need of his talents.

The Skyliners' guitarist, Dr. Jeffrey George, has been a member of the Skyliners Big Band for over 10 years. Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana he moved to Lafayette, Louisiana in 2001. For the past 21 years Dr. George, a LA Board of Regents Endowed Professor of Music, has taught classical and jazz guitar in the school of music at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In 2019 he was honored with the university's Distinguished Professor Award. This distinction is given to tenured faculty members who excel in research, scholarship or creative works, and who demonstrates a commitment to and effectiveness in teaching and who make significant contributions to campus life and the community.

The Skyliners' Director, Rodolfo Espinoza, has been a member of the Skyliners Big Band for the past 22 years. He is a native of Iquique, Chile and immigrated to Abbeville, Louisiana in 1971. He received his Bachelor of Music Education, Master of Music Performance and certification in Social Studies from the University of Louisiana Lafayette. For the past 25 years, Mr. Espinoza has taught social studies and music at Lafayette High School. Mr. Espinoza has received several state, regional and national awards during his tenure at LHS. Since 2010, Rudy has been the director and president of the Skyliners of Acadiana Big Band.

Dr. Bob Luckey was the founder of the UL Lafayette jazz studies department and professor of saxophone from 1986-2015. Through his expertise the university would soon offer a fully accredited four-year bachelor degree in jazz studies, which would bring much recognition to the university. Dr. Luckey earned a BS in Music Education from Indiana University; a Master of Music degree Duquesne University in 1974; and a Ph.D. in jazz from the University of Pittsburgh in 1981. His dissertation was the first scholarly study of Lester Young. Dr. Bob has performed with The Temptations, The Four Tops, Johnny Mathis, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, and the Jersey Boys.

Stratton Doyle is originally from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Stratton studied saxophone for nine years with his teacher and mentor, the legendary Rick Condit, and has been playing the saxophone for 26 years. Stratton spent most of his 20s traveling throughout America and the rest of the world with blues/rock artist, Mike Zito and blues/funk artist, Hamilton Loomis. He has been to almost every state in the United States, Mexico, Australia and eight countries in Europe. Stratton is featured on the Hamilton Loomis album “Live in England” as well as Hamilton's DVD “Live at the Hub.” Recently, he's been involved with local Lafayette bands, primarily DG & the Freetown Sound.

Andrew was born in Lafayette and has played alto with the Skyliners for over 10 years. He is a veteran film composer who has scored over fifty five feature film and television projects, including The Old Way, You Might Be the Killer, and Jeepers Creepers 3. In the last ten years, he has scored more than ninety projects across all media including work with The Big Phat Band's Gordon Goodwin. Prior to working in the film industry, Andrew was classically trained in both composition and music media at ULL. There, he studied film scoring, orchestration, music theory, jazz theory, and arranging. Andrew has also been a featured guest lecturer at New York University, Emory University, LSU, UL, and high schools around the country.

Jay is the longest-serving member of the Skyliners, having occupied the Bari Sax/Clarinet chair for over 44 years. Jay began playing with the band in 1978, under Charlie Aillet and Jack McCabe as a sub for the late great Santy Runyon. He began playing at the age of ten and credits his parents and his band directors—Marjorie Jenkins, John Kenney, Jim Goodman and John Gilfry, for giving him his love of music. Jay has also played with the Harry Greig Orchestra, Ringling Bros/Barnum and Bailey Circus, and First Class. He also spent two years traveling with the Russ Morgan Orchestra in the US and Mexico. He is a founding member of both the Lafayette Concert Band and Acadian Wind Symphony and is also a 32-yr member of the St Mary Catholic Church Choir in Lafayette. Jay worked at Lafayette Music for 30 years, doing everything from instrument repair to road sales.

Brett Babineaux was recently invited to join the Skyliners as a regular band member. Brett is currently in his 24th year of teaching instrumental music in Louisiana. He received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Currently teaching at Broussard Middle School, he has held similar positions at Lafayette High School, Seventh Ward Elementary, Henry Elementary, and New Iberia Senior High School. He has had the privilege of serving as guest clinician for honor bands throughout the state and also adjudicates various marching band contests and concert band assessments throughout south Louisiana. Mr. Babineaux's bands have consistently received superior ratings on all levels of assessment.

Norris Hebert has been with the band for over 27 years. He enjoys playing many genres of music and has performed in Marching Bands, Louisiana Blue Devils, Iberia and Lafayette Community Bands, Pit Orchestras, the Iberians, Robbie Bush Band and The Fifth Edition Band. Norris is a retired Mechanical Engineer with over 32 years of industrial manufacturing and mining facility/equipment design, construction and maintenance service. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana State University in 1981.

Alan was born and raised in Lafayette and has been playing trumpet with The Skyliners for 18 years. He attended public schools in Lafayette where he started playing trumpet and was greatly influenced by Band Director Clarence Hebert while attending Comeaux High School. Alan attended USL in the mid 1970's where he studied music. Alan worked in construction for 25 years at Doug Ashy Building Materials.

Scott has played with The Skyliners and freelanced on the trombone in Lafayette and the surrounding Acadiana area since 1992.