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About
THE MINGO REVUE…
The Mingo
Revue’s roots trace back to 1977 in Waterloo,
Iowa
to the original group, then known as “Mingo & Mobus,”
created when Mike Mingo and Grovor teamed up with keyboard
player Gary
Mobus at the Colony Club for a three-month engagement.
Percussionist Dan Showers (Mike’s cousin) joined the
group during the second month and “The Mingo Revue
and Grovor” was born. In February 1978, the show moved to
the Ramada Inn in Springfield,
Ohio. Mobus and Showers stayed for nearly a year when a major
shake-up happened - they wanted to go back on the road, while
Mingo (and Grovor!) wanted to stay in Springfield. In
February 1979, the split occurred.
Mike met keyboard player Tim Rowe in 1979 in a
practice room at Kincaid's Music in Springfield. Mutual friend Steve Brixey introduced them, and
Mingo later said, “I knew from the first song we went through that
Tim was exactly what the Revue needed!” They teamed up in
February 1979 and, along with John Kannard from Lima,
Ohio
on drums, formed the new Mingo Revue. After a four-week
stay at the Sheraton Inn in Lynchburg,
Virginia, they returned to the Ramada Inn in
Springfield
where Kannard was replaced by drummer Chuck Davis from the Lynchburg
area. Chuck filled in for eight weeks until returning to
school in his home state.
Several drummers went through working auditions while Mike and Tim
searched for the right person to fill the spot. Notable was Tom
Spurgin, then a school teacher in Springfield
who played drums for the Revue six nights a week while teaching
during the day.
In August of 1979, The Ramada Inn experienced a change in management, and
the Revue opened a Tuesday through Saturday four month stay at the
Big Apple Showroom on Dixie Highway
in Dayton,
Ohio. During the fourth week, percussionist Phil Reed
from New Carlisle, Ohio replaced Spurgin, and became the drummer who would complete the
trio and fill out the Revue’s show.
The Mingo Revue returned to the Springfield, Ohio Ramada Inn in
February 1980 and began a run that
was to last almost six years. Tim notes, “We
went through five General Managers, at least a dozen
food-and-beverage managers, and four ski-masked robbers while
we were there.”
 The Revue performed six nights a week and featured a Tuesday
“Ladies Night,” a Wednesday “Country Night,” a Thursday
“Oldies Night,” and rounded out the week with
standing-room-only shows on Fridays and Saturdays.
Packed houses were also the norm at special events including
regularly scheduled Elvis Tribute nights (sometimes featuring a
young former Wittenberg University quarterback named Brian Brenner) and a
run of outrageously successful Halloween parties. The Ramada Inn’s
New Year’s Eve parties were always sold out events, and in the
late 1970's and early 1980’s, the Ramada Inn with the Mingo
Revue was definitely “the place to be” in Springfield.
Phil Reed left the show in November 1984, and once again, the
revue searched for a drummer. After several drummers came and
went, Mike and Tim finally made the high-tech switch to
synthesized drum machines (which were becoming popular in
recoding studios at this time) and The Mingo Revue was on its way to
redefining the act as a duo. (read
more here)
Click
here to see a list of where The Mingo Revue appeared
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