It stands to reason that, after thirty-eight years at the helm of J.Roberts Menswear in Elkhorn,

that Jim Schoberg would know a little bit about a perfect fit. And Schoberg’s all about fitting in.

When it comes to his own gigs, sitting in at a musical jam or ten or just adding that little

something extra at friends’ shows, Jim is like “Have Harmonica, Will Travel.”

Jim would be the first to admit that he’s a bit of a late bloomer. And he took his sweet time to

get to where he is today. Nonetheless, Schoberg has turned the sit-in into an art form.

When it comes to his own gigs, sitting in at a musical jam or ten or just adding that little

something extra at friends’ shows, Jim is like “Have Harmonica, Will Travel.”

    And fool around, he did. “I wasn’t very good as first

    and I never played around (wife) Marilyn,” Jim

    explained. “I played in the car for two years. I played

    on the lawn tractor. I played in the house. I played

    in the basement.”

    He took his newly honed skill on the road and started

    the journey that led him here  today. And when I say

    road,  I mean T-H-E R-O-A-D!

    Jim played his first time in front of people at a castle in

    Ireland.

A couple of other pieces to this musical pastiche are definitely the Country touch of Mickey  

Raphael, who played alongside Willie Nelson for a bunch of years, wailing away on his Hohner

Echo Harp and last (but certainly in no way least): Stevie Wonder.

Schoberg remembers being mesmerized when seeing Stevie on the Ed Sullivan Show when they

were both young teenagers.

In addition to Mexico, Ireland, Scotland and England, Jim has played all over Asia as his two sons

have lived and worked in Thailand for a few years. A recent trip for a son’s wedding had him

harping in the former Siam (natch), Cambodia and Vietnam among others.