Cleveland, 1971-4
Spring Wheel was formed by veteran musicians Ron (guitar and vocals) and Russ (keyboards) Jankowski, formerly of the Tree Stumps, Kismet Maze, and Audi-Badoo. They reunited with Tree Stumps founder Mike Hay (rhythm guitar, harmonica, vocals) who was recently out of the Navy. The band was rounded out with Jim Foley on drums and Artie Dussalt on bass, both of whom had also been in Audi-Badoo.
Spring Wheel played the new 'country rock' sound with emphasis on original songs and top-notch musicianship. The band played local clubs, including the Grog Shop in Rocky River, where Mike Hay's brother Steve recalls - "One night when I was there in the mid seventies a guy in the audience started throwing peanuts at the group. Mike, in a typically clever mood, put that to an end by requesting that there be no more comments from the peanut gallery."
The band performed live on radio station WNCR in 1971. The band released a LP on the short lived, but nationally distributed, Greene Bottle label (also home to another NE Ohio band, Clockwork), that includes the above mentioned members, with Dudley Taw playing drums and Bill Ryan playing bass on some of the songs. Sue Schmidt and Debbie Smith (x-Poor Girls) sang backing. The LP was recorded at Agency.