Photo courtesy of MR. JIMMY TRIO
Mr. Jimmy Trio consists of Steve Snook (from left), Michael Spurlock and Stan Orndorf.

LEWISTOWN — During his days as Mifflin County District Attorney Steve Snook was admonished at times by critics for his love of music. Those naysayers felt the Lewistown native was far too focused on his musical convictions, rather than securing sentences against criminals in a courtroom.

Those arguments struck a wrong chord with Snook, a 40-year law veteran who has dedicated much of his life to public service and will let that record speak for itself.

The 68-year-old Snook still finds himself managing to balance a successful law career with entertaining crowds making music with the band, Mr. Jimmy Trio.

“I just enjoy it so much,” Snook said. “Every night for me is a blessing.”

In the current version of Mr. Jimmy Trio, Snook has been the lead singer and acoustic guitarist for eight years. In the latest rendition of the band, Snook is joined by Stan Orndorf,

a bass guitarist, and Michael Spurlock, the newest member, plays the cajon.

Mr. Jimmy Trio’s next performance will be from 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday at the Corner Vault, 1 N. Main St., Reedsville, then the band appears with Fools on Stools from 3 to 7 p.m.. Sunday at Shy Bear Brewing, 35 Meadowbrook Lane, Lewistown.

Snook started off as a soloist with his acoustic guitar. Eventually, he was joined by bass guitar player Bill Zeigler, who had been playing in another band, as well as original drummer Jason Ufema. Both have since departed the group. Spurlock joined the group a few months ago.

Once Orndorf joined Snook on bass a few years ago, and it didn’t take too long for the old friends to start getting more serious about their musical endeavors.

“We went to IUP together, but we didn’t really meet until later,” Snook recalled. “We have known each other for many years. We’ll keep playing as long as we can, and as long as it sounds good.”

Snook graduated from the Lewistown campus of Penn Highlands High School in 1973. He graduated from IUP with a degree in political science and a minor in criminology.

He earned his Juris Doctorate from Duquesne School of Law in 1982 where he won the U.S. Law Week Award in 1982 as the highest grade point average in his senior year as well as The Book Award, Remedies and Damages.

Snook was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1982 and had been in private practice since 1982 serving as the county assistant district attorney from 1992 to 1993. Snook was elected to become the county district attorney in 1994 and held the position until 2012.

For Snook, music is simply a labor of love.

“I enjoy doing it,” he explained. “Other than (raising) kids, music is one of those things I enjoy. These songs are a culmination of my playing career.”

Which still needs a tweak every now and then. When Orndorf joined the band, he revamped the set lists quite a bit.

“We made a list of songs that we really wanted to do,” Snook said. “It was Stan’s idea; he really does it well. He really added a lot to what we were doing, so it’s not just all acoustic.”

The songs included Neil Young’s classic “Rockin’ in a Free World” as well as other timeless treasures by Steely Dan, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, The Pretenders and Van Morrison. “We put a lot of time and work into (the) team,” Snook said. “Instead of just playing regular stuff.

“This has been the best music I’ve ever played,” he added. “It’s enjoyable, challenging music. I think we do creditable versions of very challenging songs. We’ve picked songs that we wanted to do that we had not done before.”

Snook has also become quite an aficionado of musical equipment as he owns eight to 10 vintage pieces – electric and acoustic guitars – and half a dozen amplifiers.

While the songs might have remained timeless, the industry has changed quite a bit, Snook said. Gone are the days where musicians and bands backed up their vans to unload bulky equipment for their shows.

“In today’s world, the equipment sounds so much better than it did before,” Snook said. “You can hear it in the recordings.”

After nearly a decade, Mr. Jimmy Trio is still playing the hits from the last 65 years of music, as their Facebook page said, adding “Come out and dance, rock out and have fun with us.”