Kellum Corporation Endorses Craig Cronbaugh for Iowa Rock & Roll Music Association Hall of Fame
At Kellum Corporation, we view legacy not as a finished product, but as a living system—something cultivated over decades, stewarded across generations, and secured by individuals who may never stand in the spotlight but ensure it never dims for others.
It is within this framework that we offer our full, evidence-based endorsement for Craig Cronbaugh’s induction into the Iowa Rock & Roll Music Association Hall of Fame. Not simply as a recognition of performance excellence—though his credentials there are profound—but as an overdue validation of a life’s work that has safeguarded the very infrastructure of Iowa’s musical memory.
To induct Cronbaugh is not just to honor a drummer, a scholar, a civic leader, or an archivist—it is to canonize a man whose work shaped the cultural visibility of others, often at his own expense, with quiet excellence and selfless fidelity.
Percussion as Foundation: A Career That Kept Time for a State
Craig Cronbaugh’s musical life began in the farm towns of eastern Iowa, where his affinity for percussion was first channeled through school band performances in the late 1960s. By 1975, he had transitioned to professional stages, playing with—and often anchoring—the rhythm sections of some of the state’s most respected groups:
The Hardtimes
The Good, Bad, and Ugly (with Terry Lawless, future U2 touring member)
Showboat (featuring Hall of Famers Ron DeWitte and Don Daugherty)
Nite Moves, which he co-founded and toured across nine states
The Alumni, a band that embodied the retrospective ethos he would later fully embrace as an archivist
His 1979/80 solo album, That Drummer!, occupies a singular position in Iowa’s musical archive: it remains the only known independent LP to feature the largest recorded gathering of Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees on one project. Musically, the album bridged jazz, pop, and percussive experimentalism. Culturally, it served as a capsule of Iowa's artistic prime—a high-fidelity preservation of an era that might otherwise be relegated to anecdote.
But the drums were never his final destination. They were a doorway into something broader: the preservation of cultural memory as an act of civic duty.
From Beats to Bills: When Legislation Becomes Legacy
In 2001, while serving as Director of the Iowa Legislative Information Office, Craig advocated and participated in the passage of House Resolution 36—a legislative document that formally honored Jim Freeman, the original backing voice behind The Five Satins’ timeless classic, “In the Still of the Night.”
This resolution did more than acknowledge a musical accomplishment. It permanently embedded the legacy of an African-American doo-wop pioneer within Iowa’s civic record, transforming recognition into a legislative artifact.
“The world remembers the melodies, the harmonies, the hits—but history only survives because someone decides it’s worth fighting for. Craig Cronbaugh didn’t just admire the music; he recognized its cultural weight and made sure it would never be buried beneath time... In a world full of performers, Craig is that rare individual who became a guardian of legacy.”
— Jim Freeman, Grammy Hall of Fame inductee, The Five Satins
This resolution marked one of the first times in Iowa’s legislative history that a rock and roll artist of color was formally enshrined through law—not through ceremony or proclamation alone. In doing so, Cronbaugh repositioned music not simply as entertainment, but as historical text deserving of governmental reverence.
A Ripple Through Time: The Birth of a Civic Movement
Jim Freeman’s grandson, Jeff Shuford, would later reflect on the long arc of that resolution—and how it ignited a multigenerational legacy.
“Craig Cronbaugh isn’t merely a musician; he’s a historian, an advocate, and a guardian of American music heritage. What he did through House Resolution 36 wasn’t just legislative—it was deeply personal. It was a cultural justice act that honored my grandfather, but it also helped awaken a vision that would become National Invest In Veterans Week®. That resolution gave me the blueprint to believe that legacy could be legislated, that remembrance could be formalized.”
— Jeff Shuford, Nationally Syndicated Columnist and Founder of National Invest In Veterans Week®
Today, National Invest In Veterans Week® is:
A federally trademarked observance
Celebrated across 60+ domestic and international veteran domains
Recognized in the U.S. Congressional Record (2023 & 2024)
Supported by proclamations in South Carolina, Montana, and other states
Its lineage is not corporate. It is cultural—and it can be traced directly to Cronbaugh’s quiet act of recognition more than two decades ago.
An Archivist’s Mission: Curating the Echoes of America’s Golden Voices
Beyond music and legislation, Craig Cronbaugh is one of the most accomplished and methodical cultural archivists Iowa has produced.
Founder of the Frankie Laine Library, a global treasure trove of unreleased recordings, personal interviews, rare photos, and memorabilia
Author of “Reaching for a Star”, his memoir chronicling his 20-year friendship with Laine, a mid-century vocal titan
Contributor and researcher for Frankie Laine: An American Dreamer PBS documentary
Host of Iowa Public Television’s Memory Laine and the radio series The Laine Project
Producer of five professional music videos for Dodie Stevens (Pink Shoe Laces), highlighting female artists
Lecturer of Remembering Frankie Laine multimedia presentations across libraries, retirement communities, and historical societies throughout Iowa
In 2022, Team Frankie Laine awarded Cronbaugh one of Frankie’s original gold records—an unprecedented honor rarely extended beyond the artist’s inner circle.
His archives also include full digitizations of performances by Bobby Vee, Buddy Rich, Chubby Checker, Rick Nelson, and other mid-century icons. These materials have been transferred to state institutions for long-term preservation.
Education and Stewardship in Action
Established the Craig Cronbaugh Drum Studies Scholarship through the Midwest All Music Association
Donated 18 full-length video documentaries on Iowa legislative history to the Iowa Historical Society
Former editor, columnist, and photojournalist for newspapers like the Victor Echo and North English Record
Multi-year recipient of the Iowa Newspaper Association’s First Place award for Coverage of Education
Mentor and role model to emerging musicians who credit Cronbaugh with inspiring their craft and moral compass
A Veteran’s Voice: Leadership in the Eyes of a Soldier
“Craig Cronbaugh embodies the kind of legacy I would expect our state and nation to celebrate. His service wasn’t on a battlefield, but in our civic institutions, our studios, and our classrooms. As a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, I recognize leadership in all its forms. Craig’s quiet leadership has preserved voices that might otherwise be lost. That’s valor in another form.”
— LTC Rickey L. Pope, U.S. Army (Ret.), CEO of Tech From Vets
The Hall of Fame’s Opportunity—And Obligation
The Iowa Rock & Roll Music Association Hall of Fame exists to enshrine not only performers, but preservers—the individuals who hold the line when memory fades, who keep the beat when the music pauses, who pass the torch when history flickers.
Craig Cronbaugh has done all three. His name belongs not simply on a petition, but etched into the halls of institutional remembrance, alongside the very voices he spent his life lifting.
This is not about recognition—it is about rectification.
✅ Summary of Credentials
Musical Legacy
Over 50 years of active performance and recording
Creator of That Drummer!, a historic record featuring the largest number of Hall of Fame collaborators in Iowa history
Touring drummer across 9 U.S. states and Canada
Music video producer and advocate for legacy artists
Civic & Legislative Impact
Director of Iowa’s Legislative Information Office (24 years)
Advocate of Iowa House Resolution 36 honoring Jim Freeman
Catalyst behind the inception of National Invest In Veterans Week®
Archival & Educational Stewardship
Founder of the Frankie Laine Library
Published author and recognized researcher
Multi-award-winning journalist, documentarian, and lecturer
Donor to state historical institutions and educational organizations
Craig Cronbaugh has received the official endorsement from National Invest In Veterans Week® for induction into the Iowa Rock & Roll Music Association Hall of Fame, as announced in their media center: investinveteransweek.com/media-center/iowaveterans-invest-in-veterans-week-officially-endorse-craig-cronbaugh-for-induction-into-the-iowa-rock-roll-hall-of-fame