From his humble beginnings as a zygote with a
tail curiously shaped like a treble clef symbol, Jim Powell has been involved
with music for most of his life. With 2 parents knowing their way around the
keyboards and having musical talents, it was only a matter of time till Jim
followed in their footsteps. He began formal music training in the 5th grade
when he chose the slushpump as his instrument of choice (slushpump being the
affectionate name given to the trombone). In the 9th grade, he was one of only a
handful of freshman to ever audition and make the roster of the legendary Jazz
Impact. Jazz Impact was populated by the best musicians in Lake County's high
schools at that time and was a fore runner of the great jazz bands that most
schools now have. Under the direction of Bob Delly and Len Orcino, Jim learned
jazz composition and theory for the 4 years he was in the band and appeared with
such jazz greats as trombonist Bill Watrous and alto sax player Arnie Lawrence.
Impact also appeared on TV, cut an album, were the guest high school band at the
Lakeland Jazz Festivals ('75,'76, and ’77), and the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in
Indiana ('77).
After graduating, Jim saw his peers getting into rock bands. Realizing then that
the slushpump wasn't cut out for leads in any Lynyrd Skynyrd songs, he decided
to start seriously playing around with the old white upright piano in his Mom's
basement. Many great musicians came and went through the door of the basement
during those "Basement Jam" years. Eventually Jim was asked to join the local
band Crystal Rain as its keyboard player. Crystal Rain enjoyed success in the
early 80's doing bar, prom, and homecoming gigs in the NE Ohio area. When the
band folded, he joined the short lived band Sybil doing originals and “Big Hair”
music of the period. When his son Jim was born, he "retired" for 5 years until
former Crystal Rain vocalist Kelly Derrick called him from out of the blue. He
said he was putting a Michael Stanley tribute band together and wondered if Jim
would be interested. He was, and the rest of that story is history. That band,
Stagepass, became a 13 year phenomena in the NE Ohio area, opening for the likes
of Humble Pie and Gary Lewis and The Playboys, and playing many festivals,
clubs, and benefits. Stagepass also made TV appearances on Fox 8 “In the
Morning”, and played with Michael Stanley, Jonah Koslen, and Jennifer Lee.
Stagepass was also mentioned in the book "Cleveland and the Rock and Roll
Connection" (written by Deanna Adams) in a section about tribute bands from the
Cleveland area. Jim was quoted in the book expounding on the “Stagepass
experience”! Most Stagepass members say this was the pinnacle of the bands
history. As Stagepass wound down, several members wanted to create a new band
but with the same energy that Stagepass enjoyed. The Stone Pony Band project was
born. For the past 6 years, Stone Pony has reached new heights for a local
tribute band, playing in Illinois, Michigan, New York, and all around the state
of Ohio. In March of 2008, Stone Pony will play the House of Blues in Cleveland
for the 10th time on the big stage. The band has sold out this remarkable venue
twice. Stone Pony also continues to play major festivals around the state and is
in demand for its generous donation of their time to needed charities. Notable
employers have been the Cleveland Cavaliers, The Red Cross, and Cleveland Autism
Society to name a few of many. Stone Pony has also opened for legendary rock
bands, including The Little River Band, The Knack, and The Raspberries.
Jim also plays trombone with the Lakeland Community College Civic Jazz Orchestra
under the direction of Larry Smith (who also subs as a drummer for Stone Pony).
During his time with the orchestra, Jim has played with many notable musicians,
including Grammy music award winner Paquito D’Rivera (sax and clarinet), Bobby
Sanabria (percussion), and Cleveland jazz greats Paul Ferguson (trombone),
Barbara Knight (vocalist), Jackie Warren (pianist), and Dave Sterner (sax who
has also played with Stone Pony). Jim is also very active in the Riverside High
School Alumni Band (no, not the International Silver Stings Submarine Band) as a
slushpumper. Joining him in that group are son Jim (trombone) and daughter Ali
(trumpet). Ali is also at Ashland University as a freshman studying to be a
music educator. Jim’s younger daughter Katrina is a junior at Riverside High
School and is an accomplished alto sax player, playing in the symphonic and jazz
bands. She also plays french horn in the concert band. Jim says “The apples
certainly didn’t fall too far from the tree”, and he is extremely proud of their
accomplishments and talents.
The most current news for Jim is that he and his wife Char are expecting twins
in June, 2008! With this in mind, he has decided to take a very short sabbatical
from Stone Pony when their new son and daughter arrive. The deciding factor on
when he’ll return will depend on how “busy” they’ll be with the new kiddies.
Until that time, old friend Brent Lane will assume the primary duties of
“Substitute Extraordinaire” for Jim.
For his “real” job, Jim works as a Team Lead/LAN Administrator for National
Field Support (IT) at Key Bank in Cleveland. He and his wife Char and 3 not so
little kids (plus 2 in the oven) reside in Concord Township (near the booming
metropolis of Painesville).