The Reisterstown area band started as a mostly acoustic trio featuring Andy Leone, Jim Ball, and John ‘Scoop’ Christensen. In 1975 Leone was replaced with Glenn Workman. By January 1976 they had settled into the lineup of Jim Ball (lead & acoustic guitar, banjo, vocals), ‘Scoop’ (bass, vocals), Glenn Workman (keyboards, mandolin, vocals), with Tim Pfeiffer (guitar, vocals), Steve Sandkuhler (harmonica, vocals), Rusty Morrison (drums), with soundman John Ball.
Springwind billed themselves as playing “original progressive country folk bluegrass jazz rock”. They were usually caught playing at E. J. Bugs Saloon in Fells Point, Four Corners on Jarrettsville Pike, No Fish Today on Eutaw Street, Toni’s Dream, Marble Bar, and the York Road College corridor (Towson State, Goucher, Notre Dame, Loyola, and Johns Hopkins) where they played every frat, festival, spring fair, coffee house, and auditorium available. They also traveled to clubs as far south as Virginia Beach and as far north as Harrisburg and Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
Mainly the band played original material along with cuts from such diverse artists as Neil Young, Frank Zappa, Eagles, Johnny Winter, Hank Williams, The Band, and others. All six members wrote material and the band recorded extensively. Their song “Look at The Stranger” was included on the 1978 “98 Rock Album”. Another original Springwind song “For the Land” was included on the WKTK album in 1978.
After the 1978-79 New Years gig Morrison left the band and was replaced with Dayton Alford on drums. This lineup became known as Off the Wall in February 1979. They performed a benefit concert that year for WCVT at Towson State on a double bill with Taurus.
Since the mid ‘80s various members have also gone on to play in Jim Ball & the Suits, The Heat & the Cold Sweat Horns, Bishop Elmo & the Duckpins, Expensive Hobby, The Mackerels, and Crack the Sky.
