Rockin Around Video by Craig Smoky Roberts

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Hope you enjoy the song and video. Below is a brief bio of Roger...

In the mid-1960’s a local rock band, The Executioners from Warren, Ohio, featured a very young and talented lead guitarist named Roger Lewis. Roger went to school in nearby Howland Township and later formed The Jaggs  (short for Jaguars) that played local dances performing popular Top 40 cover songs. 

Roger later joined The Poppy and took the Youngstown-Warren area by storm in the summer of '67 with their combination of the new 'psychedelic' sounds. Along with Roger on lead guitar and vocals, Dick Strojny (from The Executioners) played keyboards. Mark Deehr (from the Jaggs) played drums and Danny Pecchio played bass and sang.

The Poppy performed a combination of hits and 'underground' songs, often incorporating extended arrangements and solos. All the members were very talented and the band seemed like they were really on their way. They packed Geneva-On-The-Lake's Psychedelic Lounge in the summer of 1968 and every venue they played all over N.E. Ohio and W. Pa. This area of Ohio became the epicenter for rock bands with local greats like the James Gang with Joe Walsh and The Human Beingz with their worldwide hit "Nobody But Me." 

And like many of these bands, The Poppy did some of their own studio recordings at Cleveland Recording, which survive on acetate. The songs are "Eleanor Rigby", "White Rabbit", "Baby I Love You" (Aretha Franklin cover) and "Another Day" (actually the Otis Redding song "Just One More Day").

With the band at the top of their game, disaster struck when a band vehicle was involved in a serious accident and Roger Lewis was sidelined with injuries and the Poppy disbanded. Dan Pecchio decided to join Glass Harp with Phil Keaggy (guitar and vocal) along with John Sferra (drums). After convalescing Roger joined Freeport.

Freeport was very popular in the N.E. Ohio area in early '70's playing constantly in the Cleveland - Youngstown area (thanks no doubt to Roger's connections). The band recorded an LP in Miami for Mainstream Records, which included several originals and the Eric Carmen song "I Need Your Loving" of which Carmen had recorded a publishing demo.

After the recordings, Youngstown's Myron Grombacher, joined the band on drums. The band became Freeport Express and played many N.E. Ohio night clubs and teen centers. Keyboard player Kevin Raleigh later became a member of the Michael Stanley Band. 

Roger Lewis then formed a new band called RMA with Myron Grombacher and Albritton McClain. This 3-man line-up is pictured in my video as our fictitious son’s band. But the real band is RMA.  

After playing drums for Coconut and a couple other local bands, Myron became Pat Benatar's drummer, joining Clevelander Neil Giraldo. They are still making music today! 

While we never played in a band together (that would take more talent than I have) Roger continues to perform in the N.E. Ohio area and recently recorded a new album. One of my favorites is Roger's own “Skylark”  (please click the red tab).