The Toppers have existed in various line ups since 2005, when the group was founded as a joke by Gerard Joling, Gordon and René Froger. Initially, the trio was supposed to perform with a one off appearance at a concert held by Froger in Amsterdam, but the success of the "supergroup" took everyone by surprise and led to further appearances by the trio. They had two sell out concerts in 2005, increasing to three huge concerts in 2006, and then six packed concerts in 2007, pulling in a combined audience of 360,000. Additional concerts were held in 2008 and 2009, with 2009 being the 5 year jubilee for the group. By 2010, their concerts had surpassed the million spectators mark combined, and the latest concerts were held by the group on the 27th, 28th and 29th of May.
The line up of the group has been subject to constant change, mainly due to internal spats between two of the most flamboyant members of the group, Gordon and Gerard. Gerard left the group after a huge fall out with Gordon in 2008 to be replaced by Jeroen van der Boom, but returned at the end of 2009. Gordon also left the group in 2009, only to return at the same time as Gerard Joling. They then continued as a quartet until Gordon announced that he would be leaving the group once again in 2011.
The Toppers, or De Toppers as they are known in their native Netherlands are a concept group, who throw huge concerts. Their material primarily consists of covers of modern classics, both Dutch and foreign, covering artists such as André Hazes, Golden Earring, ABBA and Elvis Presley. Their shows often contain many numbers that are rehashed into medleys as well as individual song numbers, playing greatly on the nostalgia and party factors. The group also incorporate a cover of a Dutch Eurovision pre-selection song into their concerts each year. Their concerts also usually feature guest artists, and have previously featured former Eurovision entrants Glennis Grace, Ruth Jacott and Johnny Logan.
The Toppers have released relatively few singles, concentrating more on the release of compilation albums. Some of their more noteworthy single successes include Live at the Arena (#5, 2004), Over De Top! (#22, 2005), Toppers Party! (#5, 2005) and Can You Feel It (#8, 2008). They have released 7 albums, all of which have sold to platinum status, with their Christmas album Kerst met de Toppers being by far their biggest success, acheiving platinum status 10 times over.
In 2011 the search for a 5th member of The Toppers was launched – the 5th member would feature as a temporary addition to the group during their concerts in May, and the search was made through a TV reality series. In the final programme, the Toppers were however unable to decide, and ended up giving both Judith Peters and Danny Nicolai the chance to sing with them in concert.
