Lodestar (Springfield, Ohio)

Lodestar

label : Lodestar
Rite # 40603/4
1979

side 1

Flat On My Face
Brook, Flow To Me
Don't Mistake My Being
For The Want Of A Woman

side 2

Footprints On The Trail
Ain't Nothin¡' To Me
Too Far Behind
Key Of Love

Credits:

Kenny Aronhalt - lead vocals
Joe Dooley - lead guitar
Alex Rossitto - rhythm guitar and harmony vocals
Vince Crain - bass
Mark Crain - drums and percussion

Produced, arranged and engineered by Jimmy Crain
Recorded at J.C. 's Sound Shop -Springfield, Ohio

Various sources are unsure about the year of release : it's definitely 1979.

Jimmy Crain : Miles To Go

Jimmy Crain
Ray-O LP-2005
Rite numbers 21361/21362 [1968]
Rite account : 2011

Miles To Go

Track listing :

Last Thing I Do
Miles To Go
Please Be Careful
Call Me
Somewhere, Someone
Pardon My Love

Seminole [instr.]
Maybe Someday
Rockin' [instr.]
Jammin' [instr.]
I Know
C'mon Little Baby

JIMMY CRAIN, born 17 April 1940, Lima, Ohio, a somewhat obscure rock and roller, is best known for his two pounding rockers "Rock-A-Socka-Hop" and "Shig-A-Shag".

Jimmy was a multi-talented youngster. By the age of seven, he was able to play several musical instruments, including guitar, banjo and mandolin. Less than ten years later he was playing regularly at county fairs, dotted about Ohio and neighbouring Indiana. In addition to this, Jimmy was also employed as a session musician at a studio in Dayton, Ohio.

Shortly after his seventeenth birthday, Jimmy signed a recording deal with Floyd Whited, owner of the Springfield, Ohio based Spangle label. Jimmy's first and only release on Spangle was "Shig-A-Shag", which was recorded at Bradley Studios in Nashville. The record caught on in the Mid-West and the East Coast. This led to a string of radio and TV dates, as well as the odd package tour, where he played alongside such rock 'n' roll notables as The Big Bopper, Link Wray and Dion and the Belmonts.

"Rock-A-Socka Hop" was recorded in the autumn of 1957 and sounds a lot like "Shig-A-Shag" and came out in 1962 on another tiny Ohio label, Prism, never lets up from start to finish.

Jimmy went on to record for a succession of small independents, but very little, if anything at all, was released at the time, until Cees Klop issued two White Label LP's in 1974 (Rock in' With Jimmy Crain) and 1977 (Jimmy Crain Rocks On) respectively. When his first son was born in February of 1960, Jimmy decided to quit the road and went into semi-retirement, playing only local shows.

In April 1975, Jimmy suffered a severe spinal injury in an accident, but by early 1979 he produced on his own Lodestar label a hard rock band also named Lodestar, which comprised his two sons and three others members. The resulting album (pressed by Rite Records) is « full of heavy, blistering guitar work, often compared to Hard Rock rarities such as Totty or Morley Grey. Every song is laden with screaming leads and a rough, in your face attitude.”

The Mingo Revue

THE MINGO REVUE
"Featuring Grovor"
LP Min-Gro 2002 - 1978
Recorded live at Ramada Inn, Springfield, Ohio
39795/39796

For over thirty years Mike Mingo with his little buddy Grovor has been entertaining audiences with music and comedy. Their act came to Tipp City's American Legion on Saturday, October 15 and for over three and a half hours kept the attention of everyone in the crowd. With his many voices Mingo performed songs that span from the 60's all the way to the present by artists such as Neil Diamond, Elvis and George Strait. His smooth voice hit all the right notes to lead a trip back in time through music. mingo_revue

Despite Mingo's talents it was his sidekick, Grovor, that stole the show with his sharp humor. Despite being controlled by Mingo the green puppet has a mind of his own and isn't afraid to share his opinions, which can't be printed here due to their adult content.

The Mingo Revue was first formed in 1977 and for several years performed regularly at the Ramada Inn of Springfield during which time the show included other members such as Tim Rowe and Brian Brenner.

In 1990, Mingo and Rowe opened their own nightclub in Springfield named Grovor's where the Revue was performed five nights a week. However, it was an unfortunate victim of the times and closed a year later. Next the Mingo Revue started traveling to various Moose, Elk and Eagles lodges throughout Ohio and Indiana. While Rowe has gone on to pursue other interests Mingo continues to carry on the show along with Grovor for occasional appearances.

Mingo is also a professional golf caddie and works the Nationwide and PGA Tours. With golfer Darron Stiles, Mingo won three times on the Nationwide Tour; the 2000 Tri Cities Classic in Richland, Washington, the 2002 Food City Classic in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the 2006 Rheem Classic in Ft. Smith, Arkansas.

Mike Woody - The Tipp City Independant Voice -Wednesday, 26 November 2008


Visit the MINGO REVUE website