Information included here re: Armageddon, free on 12, posse
The rock group Armageddon was formed in 1974, when Joe LeValley and Roger Peterson moved to Des Moines to become Drake University students. There they met Jon Stafford, from Blairsburg, Iowa; and Al Staples, from Des Moines. Completing the group was Kirk Balm from Fort Dodge, a former bandmate of Joe's from high school days (Free-on 12).
Members of the band are pictured above, left to right: Joe LeValley, drums; Kirk Balm, bass; Al Staples, guitar; Roger Peterson, keyboards; and Jon Stafford, lead vocals. In the band's portrait below, are pictured, clockwise from the top right corner: Roger, Jon, Kirk and Al, with Joe at center.
Sadly, and tragically, Jon Stafford died unexpectedly of a heart ailment in 2019. Joe had played a gig with Jon just months before, sitting in on drums for Jon's band According to Hoyle, for a performance in Waukee, Iowa. Jon's easy smile, loving nature, and musical talents are missed by many.
Members of the band are pictured above, left to right: Joe LeValley, drums; Kirk Balm, bass; Al Staples, guitar; Roger Peterson, keyboards; and Jon Stafford, lead vocals. In the band's portrait below, are pictured, clockwise from the top right corner: Roger, Jon, Kirk and Al, with Joe at center.
Sadly, and tragically, Jon Stafford died unexpectedly of a heart ailment in 2019. Joe had played a gig with Jon just months before, sitting in on drums for Jon's band According to Hoyle, for a performance in Waukee, Iowa. Jon's easy smile, loving nature, and musical talents are missed by many.
Believe it or not, below are the same young lads, pictured in 2011 during a brief reunion in Waukee, Iowa. Again, clockwise from the top right corner, are: Roger, Jon, Kirk (Jason Douglas), and Al, with Joe in the center.
promotional flyer created by lead singer jon stafford
Photos from a Performance at drake university - 1975
photos from late 1975 or early 1976
photos from performance in wellsburg, iowa - august 1976
Armageddon's bus, a 1947 flxible purchased in des moines. sadly, the bus was severely damaged when a utility repair truck struck it from behind. The bus later was repaired and provided transportation to the group posse, from mason city, Iowa.
free on 12
Free On 12 was a five-piece rock group based in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Members were: Don Myers, guitar and vocals; Gilbert "Gibby" Wildin, guitar; Kirk Balm, bass and vocals; Dave Beisell, keyboards and vocals; and Joe LeValley, drums and vocals.
The group was formed in 1969 when Kirk, Dave and Don met at Iowa Central Community College. Dave knew Gibby, who was a student at Algona High School, and Don knew Joe, a student at Dayton High School. The group performed mostly covers of popular hit songs and rock music from groups such as the Rolling Stones, Grand Funk Railroad, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and others. The group succeeded in booking engagements soon after forming and performed at school dances, ballrooms, clubs and other venues around Iowa and neighboring states for about two years. They were represented by Rick Geisler of Big G Enterprises in Des Moines. (See picture at bottom of this page.) Highlights of the groups experiences included performing on KVFD-TV in Fort Dodge, and winning a battle of the bands held in Fort Dodge in 1969. The group appeared live on the television show, but the sound actually was prerecorded and the group "faked it" - just like all the big teen music shows were doing at that time. It must have worked because before the show had even ended, an Iowa high school was on the telephone to the TV station, and booked the band for its Senior Prom before they guys got out of the building. NBOA AWARD Another highlight for Free On 12 was the honor it received from the National Ballroom Operators Association. In 1970, NBOA gave the group its "Outstanding Dance Band Award." The group was fortunate to play in many of the great old ballrooms in and near Iowa, in towns such as Algona, Carroll, Dakota City, Bancroft, Twin Lakes, Iowa Falls and Arnold's Park. Free On 12 owned its own small panel van for a short time - not the best investment it ever made. In fact, we don't think the van ever actually made it to a gig. It did manage to get to the mechanic's shop in Dayton, Iowa and back to Fort Dodge a couple of times. Free On 12 played its final gig in August 1970, at the Iowa State Fair, shown in the photo at the top of this page. |
Pictured at top, Free On 12 performs at the Iowa State Fair in the summer of 1970. Left to right are: Dave Beisell, Don Myers, Gilbert "Gibby" Wildin, Joe LeValley (in the back) and Kirk Balm.
In the 1969 portrait above are, clockwise from upper right: Balm, LeValley, Wilden and Beisell, with Myers in the center. This portrait was taken by Glenn Graham, Glenn's Studio in Algona. Above: The band wins an award from the National Ballroom Owners Association; and the band poses with its "all-Fender" amplifier array.
Below: The final version of the Free On 12 poster, used to promote live appearances. |
The three-member group Posse was based in Mason City, Iowa and worked steadily in northern and central Iowa, and southern Minnesota, for most of five years, from 1978 to 1983.
The group was formed when Greg "Nic" Nicoll booked a street dance in Swaledale, Iowa in June 1978, but didn't have a group to perform there. He called on two friends - Tom Dakin, a co-worker at A.C. Nielsen Company, and Joe LeValley, who had performed with Nic in the cast of the musical "Godspell," produced by the Mason City Community Theatre. Nic told Tom and Joe he needed them for "just one gig" and the three rehearsed for about a week to prepare. Of course the street dance was a huge success, and before the group left town it had booked additional gigs. They never looked back. The group played a mix of rock, country rock, country and bluegrass music. From the beginning, the group's focus was on showing the audience a good time. With the use of humor and frequent audience interaction, Posse built a strong following, and many people from across northern Iowa would show up to the band's performances, whether in Northwood, Corwith, Wesley, Clear Lake, or any other of dozens of Iowa towns. The band's primary venues were clubs, wedding dances and other special events. Because the band was well-liked, reliable and professional in its business dealings, some club owners booked them at regular intervals for a year in advance. The band covered a lot of music from groups such as The Eagles, Alabama, Pure Prairie League, Willie Nelson, Waylan Jennings, The Oak Ridge Boys, Kenny Rogers and others. It also covered rock songs from Chicago, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, etc. Tom and Joe both wrote original music performed by Posse. Tom, in particular, was a talented writer. By the time the group had been together two or three years, some of the most popular songs it played were written by Tom. These included "Lazy Eyes," "Ugly as Sin," "Posse Rides Again," the novelty song "Holy Underwear," and several others. With just three members, the group had to find creative ways to expand its sound, including having Joe play bass on occasion, while playing the bass drum and hi-hat with his feet. Tom and Nic also switched around on electric and acoustic guitars, 12-string acoustic, bass and banjo. With support from a friend, Tim Greenwood, the group spent three days in the recording studio - Westminst'r Sound in Otho, Iowa - emerging with two songs ready for pressing on a record, and several others on demo tapes. The song "Holy Underwear" actually enjoyed some radio play in Iowa and southern Minne- sota, earning Tom some royalty checks. Joe remembers well the thrill of driving down Interstate 35 and hearing for the first time Posse's single played on a Minnesota radio station. |