Honoring Jim Rumbaugh, New Ohio Harmonica Champ!

#94 / News Extra

We are so pleased with the news that long-time Flood buddy Jim Rumbaugh yesterday won the Ohio harmonica championship, held as part of last week’s Danny G Harmonica Party in North Benton, Ohio. Congratulations, Jim. Wear that crown proudly, buddy!

Enjoying Jim

Jim first started jamming with us more than a decade ago and has sat in at dozens of Flood gigs over the years. So beloved a member of the extended Flood family is he that Jim was featured prominently in his own episode in our “Pajama Jams” series of films a couple of years ago. To check it out, click the start button below for an hour of certified Jim joy!

In the video, you’ll learn, as we did early on, that whenever you say, “Sing one, Jim!” he always has a song at the ready. Being a founding members of The Harmonica Club and The Huntington Blues Society, Jim naturally gravitates toward the blues, but he also is comfortable with a ballad like the Civil War classic “Lorena” or with a 1960s rocker like “Black Magic Woman.”

Jim even writes tunes to share. His “Got My Yule Log Burnin’” is the hit of a Christmas Eve Eve jam toward the end of the film.

As noted, Jim often appears on stage with The Flood — he is our go-to guy whatever Flood harmonicat Sam St. Clair can’t make a gig — and the film includes two Jim-errific moments with us during house band sets at late/great Route 60 Saturday Night shows.

Postscript: More on the Pajama Jams

As noted in an earlier issue, the Pajama Jam films came into being in early 2020 at the start of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

We created the videos to join musicians around the world who were offering free online performances to try to help ease the tedium for folks having to hunker down and wait the Covid thing out. Click here to read more about the series and see more episodes!