By 1812Blockhouse
For a band that helped define late-1960s pop radio, Christmas albums might seem like a late-career footnote. In the case of Ohio Express, that assumption would miss the point. Their second holiday release, Christmas with Ohio Express, feels like a continuation of a long local story.
Released by San Juan Music Group, the album gathers 12 seasonal tracks produced by longtime band leader Tim Corwin and Warren Sawyer. The recording and mixing took place at Sawyer Sound, Sawyer’s studio in Bellville, keeping the project rooted close to home.
From 2018 to Now, Reintroduced
The songs themselves are not entirely new. They first appeared in 2018 as part of a broader holiday compilation, Christmas Day Classics – 20 Festive Greats, produced by Mickey Yannick. What’s changed is context. Presented now under the Ohio Express name alone, the material reads differently. It sounds less like a compilation contribution and more like a band statement, modest but intentional.
That distinction matters. Ohio Express has always lived in a curious space between brand and band, studio creation and touring reality. A focused Christmas release fits that history better than a one-off track tucked into someone else’s project.
Where Listeners Can Find It
Christmas with Ohio Express is currently available as a manufactured-on-demand CD through several major online retailers. Best Buy lists it under the title Ohio Express’ Christmas Hits, using the same 12-track lineup. Amazon and Walmart both carry the CD as well, and the European retailer CeDe.de lists it as a CD-R on demand.
The band’s official website also promotes the release and links directly to purchasing options, making it clear this is an active, supported title rather than a forgotten reissue.
A Mansfield Story That Keeps Going
Ohio Express originated in Mansfield in 1967, evolving out of the local group Sir Timothy & the Royals before being reshaped by Super K Productions’ Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz. The result was one of the era’s most recognizable bubblegum pop acts, known for hits like “Yummy Yummy Yummy,” “Chewy Chewy,” and “Down at Lulu’s.”
Those records famously relied on New York session musicians, including vocalist Joey Levine, while the Mansfield members carried the live performances. It was an unusual split, but it worked, at least long enough to put the band on the pop charts and into the cultural memory of a generation.
The original lineup included Dale Powers, Doug Grassel, Dean Kastran, Jim Pfahler, and Tim Corwin. Today, Corwin continues to lead the band, with a touring group that includes Warren Sawyer and Johnny Baker, among others.
Why This Album Makes Sense
For Ohio Express, this release isn’t about competing with Bing Crosby or Mariah Carey. It’s about continuity. Recording locally, working with longtime collaborators, and presenting familiar material in a focused way all speak to a band that understands what it is at this stage. Christmas with Ohio Express isn’t chasing relevance. It’s documenting presence.
For a Mansfield-born group still recording and performing decades after its first hit, that might be the most fitting holiday message of all.
Image by Gigxels .com from Pixabay
