James Gustafson: The Grand Poobah of Youngstown, Ohio

Jim Gustafson, second from right, with bassist Phil Jones,
keyboardist Ken Smetzer, and drummer Procopio.

 

Youngstown, Ohio’s Jim Gustafson started his professional career at 15 with the Daze End, which issued the first original song Jim wrote: the 45-rpm of “What Can I Do.” By 18, he formed Biggy Rat, which issued his second composition, “Look Inside Yourself.”

Then it was Poobah in 1972, which issued their debut album, Let Me In, a limited release on Peppermint Records. Even with healthy sales and the support of then U.S. progressive-rock FMs WPIC and WHOT, and well-received opening slots for Alice Cooper, Blue Oyster Cult, and a nascent Judas Priest, to name a few, Columbia Record passed on giving the album a national release. The eventual CD reissue of Let Me In was chosen by Rolling Stone in their “Top 10 Album of Year Reissue” and Goldmine magazine chose it as their “Reissue Pick of the Year.”

Next was the 1973 “Rock City” b/w “Bowleen” single. Three years later, Poobah released the advanced single, “Through These Eyes” b/w “Watch Me,” for Poobah’s second album, 1976’s US Rock. Then, the third album, Steamroller appeared in 1979. 

Then, ten years pass. . . .

Poobah was back — with 1989’s Switched On (from his early Ohio-based side project, Switch), followed by 1994’s The Rock Collection, and 1998’s Wizard of Psych. And proving you can’t keep a good musician ignored by the major-labels or mainstream music press down: Jim was back with Furious Love (2003) and Underground (2006), No Control, Before and After, and Peace Farmers, and Cosmic Rock. His latest, most-recent releases are the albums Blue (2018), Evolver/Revlove (2020), and Burning in the Rain: An Anthology (2024). He continues to record and tour in 2025.

The Grand Poobah of rock continues to dig through his personal archives, posting photos for his ever-growing fanbase on his official Facebook page and official website, as he continues to record and tour in 2025.