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The Ozark Mountain Daredevils are an American rock band formed in 1972 in
Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estima ...
. They are most widely known for their singles "
If You Wanna Get to Heaven "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" is a single by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils from their 1973 album ''The Ozark Mountain Daredevils''. This was the band's debut single and also the first of their two Top 40 hits reaching #25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...
" in 1974 and "
Jackie Blue Jacqueline Diane Miller (née Blue, born 2 June 1956), commonly known as Jackie Blue, is a New Zealand politician and former member of Parliament for the National Party. Personal life Blue was born in 1956. She attended Selwyn College in Au ...
" in 1975. Bassist Michael "Supe" Granda has also written a book about the band, ''It Shined.''


Name

According to the book ''It Shined'' by Michael Granda, the band name was derived from "Cosmic Corn Cob & His Amazing Ozark Mountain Daredevils", a name that John Dillon came up with at a
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
"naming party" after the band was told that the name they had previously been using, "Family Tree", was already taken. The band shortened the name because none of the band members at the time wanted to be called "Cosmic Corn Cob", and they did not want the name to sound similar to the
Amazing Rhythm Aces Amazing may refer to: Music Performers * The Amazing, a Swedish indie rock band Albums * ''Amazing'' (Banaroo album), 2006 * ''Amazing'' (Elkie Brooks album), 1996 * ''Amazing'' (Marcia Hines album) or the title song, 2014 * ''Amazin'' (Tri ...
.


Formation and the Family Tree

In 1971
Randle Chowning Randle Lynn Chowning (born April 4, 1950, in Mountain View, Missouri) is an American musician best known as the founder, one of the lead vocalists, and the lead guitarist of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. High school and college From a very ea ...
formed a band which included himself, Steve Cash, John Dillon, Elizabeth Anderson, Larry Lee, Rick Campanelli, Bill Jones and Michael Granda. The band recorded a demo at Springfield's Top Talent Studios (soon to be renamed as American Artists) and that demo, containing such early songs as "Rhythm of Joy", found its way to New York music executive John Hammond via the hands of band friend Steve Canaday, co–owner of the New Bijou Theater. In July 1972 Hammond sent a producer, Michael Sunday, to the band's Ruedi-Valley Ranch in Aldrich, Missouri, the house rented from Randle Chowning's Southwest Missouri State University teacher Mrs. Ruedi, where the band rehearsed and where Chowning and his brother Rusty lived. Sunday offered the group $500 to make another demo tape at American Artists but ultimately decided to pass on offering them a contract. Many of the songs on this demo appeared thirteen years later as the record ''The Lost Cabin Sessions''. The band later sent a tape to the team who managed fellow Missourians
Brewer & Shipley Brewer & Shipley are an American folk rock duo who enjoyed their peak success in the late 1960s through the 1970s, consisting of singer-songwriters Mike Brewer (born on April 14, 1944) and Tom Shipley (born on April 1, 1941). They were known ...
, Kansas City's Paul Peterson and Stan Plesser (who also owned the Vanguard, a popular coffee house, and ran their own Good Karma Productions). The pair gave the band a chance and became their managers as well in October 1972. The band then changed their name to the Ozark Mountain Daredevils (see "Name") and saw the departure of Campanelli and Jones along with the addition of Buddy Brayfield, a friend of Granda's, as the piano player. Anderson, though still romantically involved with Dillon, retired from the stage. Campanelli left on his own to pursue a master's degree in music; Jones rejoined the Daredevils briefly later and would continue to appear as a guest player on some of their shows and recording sessions.


1970s with A&M

The band began playing out in 1972 and 1973. On February 8, 1973, they played at Cowtown Ballroom in Kansas City, Missouri. Later that month, on February 21, they played a concert at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School in
Shawnee, Kansas Shawnee is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the seventh most populous municipality in the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 67,311. History Territory of Kansas Before ...
. Two weeks after that, on March 9 and 10, they played at Kiel Opera House in St. Louis and Cowtown Ballroom again, this time with Brewer & Shipley accompanied by
Loudon Wainwright III Loudon Snowden Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, and six compilations. Some of his best-known songs include "The Swimmin ...
. Performances from both those March shows later turned up on a CD called ''
Archive Alive ''Archive Alive'' is a live album released by American country rock band the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. It was recorded live at the Cowtown Ballroom in Kansas City, Missouri and the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri on consecutive nights i ...
'' in 1997. The group's demo tape eventually caught the attention of
A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
staff producer David Anderle, who was looking for an
Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large Bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Ou ...
country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal ...
type of band to place on the label. Anderle and the Eagles' first producer,
Glyn Johns Glyn Thomas Johns (born 15 February 1942) is an English musician, recording engineer and record producer. Biography Early history Johns was born in Epsom, Surrey, England. He had three siblings, two older sisters and a younger brother, Andy ...
, flew to Missouri to catch the band's aforementioned performance at Cowtown Ballroom on March 10, 1973. But the band, nervous about Johns and Anderle being in the audience, did not play their best. Later on, Paul Peterson invited the two men back to his place to hear the band give an unplugged performance by candlelight. This time Anderle and Johns were blown away and they were signed to A&M on May 1, 1973, and sent to England to record their first record at
Olympic Studios Olympic Studios was a renowned British independent commercial recording studio based in Barnes, London. It is best known for its recordings of many artists throughout the late 1960s to the first decade of the 21st century, including Jimi Hend ...
in London with Johns at the helm during that June and July. The first record, ''
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils The Ozark Mountain Daredevils are an American rock band formed in 1972 in Springfield, Missouri. They are most widely known for their singles "If You Wanna Get to Heaven" in 1974 and " Jackie Blue" in 1975. Bassist Michael "Supe" Granda has ...
'' (also referred to as "The Quilt Album"), was released in December 1973 and spawned the Top 30 hit "If You Wanna Get to Heaven" in the summer of 1974. The album introduced the band's unique mixture of rock, country, bluegrass and pop to the world and is still the favorite of many of the group's fans. For the second album, ''
It'll Shine When It Shines ''It'll Shine When It Shines'' is the second album by the American country rock band The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, released in 1974. Their debut album had been successful enough to give the band the clout to record their follow-up effort on th ...
'' (October 1974), Johns and Anderle came to Missouri to record, utilizing a mobile recording truck set up outside of the band's rehearsal home. During the sessions, Johns overheard Larry Lee sitting at a piano playing and singing a song about a mysterious friend of his who sometimes dealt drugs on the side. Johns loved the melody and thought it could be a smash hit if the lyrics were altered to be about a girl and the drug references downplayed. Lee and Cash did as Johns asked and the song, ''Jackie Blue'', became the Daredevils' signature song and a huge hit (No. 3) in the spring of 1975. The Ozark's third release, ''
The Car Over the Lake Album ''The Car Over the Lake Album'' is the third album by American country rock band The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, it was named after its cheerfully surreal cover illustration, which was borrowed from a poster adve ...
'' (September 1975), recorded in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
and produced by Anderle alone, featured their old compatriot, Bill Jones, joining them to play and arrange their songs. He also toured with them in 1975–1976. The album sold fairly well but produced no hits. One reason why the band's fortunes began to falter might have been their reluctance to relocate to
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...
after being asked to do so by A&M co-head
Jerry Moss Jerome S. Moss (born May 8, 1935) is an American recording executive, best known for being the co-founder of A&M Records, along with trumpet player and bandleader Herb Alpert. Music career After graduating from Brooklyn College with a degree ...
. Another reason was their reluctance to do the constant touring that many of their contemporaries were doing at the time. A further sticking point was the band's unwillingness to try and duplicate their biggest hit, "Jackie Blue", or copy what other groups were doing. As a result, A&M began to lose a bit of their enthusiasm for the act. Personnel shifts within the group also began to change the chemistry. In the spring of 1976, the band embarked on a tour of Europe. But by the time the exhausted troupe hit
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
,
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, for the tour's final stop at Daddy's Dance Hall in early May, they were confounded by a horrible sound mix for their show. An angry Randle Chowning responded by turning up his amplifier all the way which upset the other band members and resulted in a huge shouting match at the end of the night. Upon their return home, Chowning refused to speak to the others or take their calls. Norwegian musician Rune Walle, whom the band had met while on tour in Europe with his band the
Flying Norwegians Flying Norwegians (occasionally ''Flyvende Nordmenn'') were a Norwegian country rock group formed in 1974, who became highly successful and popular during the 1970s. History Formation In the late 1960s, guitarist Rune Walle (b. 1951) and drumm ...
, was then contacted in June to replace him. Walle's first show with the group was at
Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium has been officially named GEHA Field at Arrowhead Sta ...
in Kansas City on July 23, 1976, on a bill that also included
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
,
the Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...
,
Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock music, rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, ...
and
Firefall Firefall is an American country rock band that formed in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974. It was founded by Rick Roberts, former member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Jock Bartley, who had been Tommy Bolin's replacement in Zephyr. The band ...
. Chowning went on to form his own Randle Chowning Band That same year, the Daredevils headed west to the Rockies, to Caribou Ranch near Nederland, Colorado, to record their fourth album, which they had originally titled ''Nuclear Fishing'' but then changed to ''
Men From Earth ''Men from Earth'' is the fourth album by American country rock band The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Founding band member Randle Chowning left to go solo after ''The Car Over The Lake Album'' and was replaced by Rune Walle in time for "Men From Eart ...
'' after A&M objected. The ''Nuclear Fishing'' title was later used up in Canada for a greatest hits album release. Anderle was once again in the producer's chair and
Evergreen, Colorado Evergreen is an unincorporated town, a post office, and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Jefferson County, Colorado, U.S. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Eve ...
resident Jerry Mills joined the band on mandolin and also served as the group's advance publicist. Another face from the past, Steve Canaday, also came back into the group's life in 1975 as road manager and opening act before joining the band during the making of ''
Men From Earth ''Men from Earth'' is the fourth album by American country rock band The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Founding band member Randle Chowning left to go solo after ''The Car Over The Lake Album'' and was replaced by Rune Walle in time for "Men From Eart ...
''. In the fall of 1976, Buddy Brayfield departed to study medicine and Ruell Chappell (vocals, keyboards), from the popular Springfield group Spillwater Junction, came in. But the band's next several releases – ''
Men From Earth ''Men from Earth'' is the fourth album by American country rock band The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Founding band member Randle Chowning left to go solo after ''The Car Over The Lake Album'' and was replaced by Rune Walle in time for "Men From Eart ...
'' (September 1976), '' Don't Look Down'' (October 1977, produced by David Kershenbaum, once again at Caribou Ranch) and '' It's Alive'' (September 1978) – sold in smaller quantities than their previous records had. Jerry Mills and his mandolin were dropped from the group after ''It's Alive'' since the band was performing fewer acoustic numbers in their show by this time. During the summer of 1978, the Daredevils went out for a short run of shows where they opened for
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the li ...
. Granda was not available since he was at home helping his wife with the birth of their second child, so Springfield bassist Larry Van Fleet (from the Randle Chowning Band) sat in for these dates. On August 26, 1978, the Ozarks appeared at Canada Jam on a large bill that also included
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...
,
Atlanta Rhythm Section Atlanta Rhythm Section (or ARS) is an American Southern rock band formed in 1970 by Rodney Justo (singer), Barry Bailey (guitar), Paul Goddard (bass), Dean Daughtry (keyboards), Robert Nix (drums) and J. R. Cobb (guitar). The band's current ...
,
the Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...
, the Commodores and others. Also in 1978, John Dillon and Steve Cash contributed to an album, ''
White Mansions ''White Mansions'' is a 1978 concept album written by English singer-songwriter Paul Kennerley which imagines the lives of American Southerners in the Confederacy during the Civil War. The songs were performed by country singers, each portrayi ...
'', which documented life in the
Confederacy Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
.
Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...
, Eric Clapton,
Jessi Colter Mirriam Johnson (born May 25, 1943), known professionally as Jessi Colter, is an American country singer who is best known for her collaborations with her husband, country musician Waylon Jennings, and for her 1975 country-pop crossover hit " I' ...
,
Bernie Leadon Bernie Leadon (pronounced ''led-un''; born July 19, 1947) is an American singer, musician, songwriter and founding member of the Eagles, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member ...
and several other musicians appeared on this record as well. 1978 also had Larry Lee recording a solo album for A&M that was not released. In September 1978, the group flew to
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
to appear on ''The Midnight Special''. But when A&M's Jerry Moss witnessed the inebriated band members race through their set on the show, he decided not to pick up the option on their record deal and the Ozarks found themselves without a home in 1979.


1980s

By 1979 the group had moved over to
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
and put out the self-titled '' Ozark Mountain Daredevils'' in April 1980. This album, recorded in Los Angeles, was produced by famed
country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal ...
pioneer producer John Boylan and did not feature Chappell or Canaday, and Walle only contributed slide guitar to a few songs, since Boylan insisted on bringing in session players for a more typical "California
country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal ...
laid back sound", which was popular at the time. But
country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal ...
's popularity seemed to be on the wane at the dawn of the 1980s as groups such as the Ozarks,
Poco Poco was an American country rock band originally formed in 1968 after the demise of Buffalo Springfield. Guitarists Richie Furay and Jim Messina, former members of Buffalo Springfield, were joined by multi-instrumentalist Rusty Young, bass ...
and
Firefall Firefall is an American country rock band that formed in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974. It was founded by Rick Roberts, former member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Jock Bartley, who had been Tommy Bolin's replacement in Zephyr. The band ...
saw their sales begin to slip away. The album saw the band moving away from country towards a harder rock sound. But it failed to find many takers at the record stores and Columbia dropped the group after only one record. In 1980 Walle left the Daredevils to be replaced by Springfield guitarist Terry Wilson (who had been playing with Granda in a side project created for fun called the Dog People). Chappell also split in 1980. In December 1980 Brayfield, Chowning, Jones, Chappell and Walle reunited with the band for two shows, one in Springfield and one in Kansas City. The first was at Hammons Student Center on December 6 and the second, on December 31, occurred at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City. The latter show was later put out on CD (in August 2006) and DVD (in June 2007) as ''1980 Reunion Concert: Rhythm And Joy''. Larry Lee left the band and relocated to
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
, to pursue his own career in 1982, after releasing a solo album, ''Marooned'', that had been recorded in Los Angeles for Columbia and released in March of the same year. He also worked as a songwriter and country producer (for
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
,
Juice Newton Judith Kay "Juice" Newton (born February 18, 1952) is an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categorieswinning once in 1983as well ...
and others) and would still play drums on occasion with other acts. In the mid-'80s, he even did a stint with
Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffe ...
's
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. After Lee's 1982 departure the group was left a quintet, with Dillon, Cash, Granda, Canaday and Wilson. Later the same year, there was another major upheaval as Dillon and Cash decided that they'd had enough as well. After some consideration, it was decided that the group would continue with Granda and the returning Randle Chowning leading a new lineup that included Bobby "Lloyd" Hicks (vocals, drums, percussion, ex-
Steve Forbert Samuel Stephen "Steve" Forbert (born December 13, 1954) is an American pop music singer-songwriter. His 1979 song " Romeo's Tune" reached No. 11 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary Chart. It also ...
), Joe Terry (vocals, keyboards, from the St. Louis group the Couch Dancers) and
Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
guitarist Gary Smith. Canaday stayed on and once again became the band's road manager. This new grouping only lasted about a year and a half before Chowning left again, Hicks took a job with Kerry Cole & the Lefty Brothers and Joe Terry joined a new band,
the Morells The Morells are an American rock band from Springfield, Missouri. They released an album titled ''Shake and Push'' in 1982. The band's members have included bassist and producer Lou Whitney, guitarist D. Clinton Thompson, keyboardists Kelly Brow ...
. At this point, Dillon and Cash agreed to rejoin and Gary Smith stayed around a few months more before relocating to
Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, Missouri, Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County, Missouri, Stone County. Branson is in the Ozarks, Ozark Mountains. ...
, so the mid-1984 Ozarks lineup was: John Dillon, Steve Cash, "Supe" Granda, Steve Canaday and Gary Smith, the latter soon succeeded by Jason LeMasters (guitar), before LeMasters departed to work for
Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the Ni ...
and was replaced by Chowning, back for his third stint with the Daredevils. In 1984 the group's managers, Stan Plesser and Paul Peterson, closed their Good Karma Productions company as the band began to manage and book themselves from this point on. In 1985 the band followed singer/drummer Larry Lee to Nashville to record a new album produced by Wendy Waldman that, like their 1980 Columbia release, utilized session players. Lee briefly rejoined for this album but there was no interest at all from any of the labels in Nashville in the project. A small French company, Dixiefrog Records, eventually picked up the record and it was released in France as ''Heart of the Country'' in 1987. Many of the same songs were released in England in 1989 as ''Modern History'' on the Conifer label. In the meantime, the Daredevils continued on with Morells guitarist Don Clinton Thompson in 1985 after Chowning left yet again during the recording of the aforementioned Nashville album in 1985. Also released in 1985 were a group of mostly unreleased tracks (the aforementioned demos that they had recorded for Michael Sunday and John Hammond back on July 6 & 7, 1972) that appeared on Varèse Sarabande Records as ''The Lost Cabin Sessions''. An expanded version of this release, with additional songs, was later released on CD. During the spring of 1988, the people at Dixiefrog Records in France brought the Daredevils over to play there and other European dates in support of ''Heart of the Country'' that had recently been released there. There were more personnel changes as Canaday, who had been managing the group as well as playing drums, ran afoul of some marriage difficulties and some rough waters with the group's business affairs and decided to leave to move to Nashville in 1988 to work as tour manager for
Lee Roy Parnell Lee Roy Parnell (born December 21, 1956) is an American country music and blues artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Active since 1990, he has recorded eight studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...
,
Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...
and Marshall Chapman; he was briefly succeeded on drums by the band's sound man, Rick "Lumpy" Davidson, who previously had sometimes joined the group onstage playing washboard. At the end of 1989, Thompson quit to reform his old band, the Skeletons, and Davidson moved to Branson to take a job as sound mixer at
Ray Stevens Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "Misty", as well as novelty ...
' theater. In 1990 guitarist Bill Brown (from Supe's side band Supe & the Sandwiches) and Morells drummer Ron "Rongo" Gremp came aboard. The band continued their now-limited touring.


1990s

A 1990 release, ''
Now Hear This! ''Now Hear This'' was a self-produced and distributed album by country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and ...
'', was put out on cassette tape only. In 1991 Granda, like Lee and Canaday before him, decided to uproot himself and settle in Nashville where he peddled his songs, searched for a deal for his side band, Supe & the Sandwiches, and became involved in other projects, including a stint as bass player in Michael Clarke's Byrds. In the summer of 1992, the Daredevils resumed their ever-dwindling schedule of gigs. Kelly O'Shea from the Titanic Blues Band sometimes filled in for Brown on lead guitar from 1992 to 1994. In 1996 the Ozarks were approached by their former manager, Stan Plesser, to re-record some of their best-known songs for a company called Eclipse Records. This was recorded in Nashville with producer Bob Wright with only Dillon, Cash and Granda (Larry Lee and Steve Canaday guested on backup vocals) playing on this project accompanied by session players. The CD was titled ''Jackie Blue'' and appeared in March 1997 as a budget product sold mostly at
truck stop A truck stop, known as a service station in the United Kingdom, and a travel center by major chains in the United States, is a commercial facility which provides refueling, rest (parking), and often ready-made food and other services to motori ...
s. This CD has been re-released many times since then under different titles, including ''
Our Most Dangerous Stunts The Ozark Mountain Daredevils are an American rock band formed in 1972 in Springfield, Missouri. They are most widely known for their singles "If You Wanna Get to Heaven" in 1974 and " Jackie Blue" in 1975. Bassist Michael "Supe" Granda has al ...
'' in June 2006. New Era Productions, a company formed by an old Springfield buddy of the group's, Benny Smith, agreed to fund another album of brand new material in 1996, ''13''. This was recorded in their hometown of Springfield and mixed mostly in Nashville by Larry Lee, who played and sang on it as well. Chowning also contributed to the album, but after the band was unable to secure a major label release, he had himself removed from it. ''13'' was released in June 1997. Also that year came ''
Archive Alive ''Archive Alive'' is a live album released by American country rock band the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. It was recorded live at the Cowtown Ballroom in Kansas City, Missouri and the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri on consecutive nights i ...
'', a CD containing performances from their March 1973 shows at Cowtown Ballroom in Kansas City and Kiel Opera House in St Louis. On September 25, 1999, Steve Canaday was killed, aged 55, when the small plane he was traveling in crashed in Nashville, Tennessee while he was working as an aerial photographer.


2000s

On July 23, 2004, guitarist Bill Brown died of smoke inhalation in a house fire in Springfield that also took the life of another popular Springfield guitarist, Don Shipps (from Supe's side band, Supe & the Sandwiches, the Titanic Blues Band and earlier Granny's Bathwater). On October 16 of this same year, the group and several other Springfield bands appeared at the
Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque The Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque (often known locally as "the Shrine Mosque" or simply "the Shrine") is a building of arabesque design located in downtown Springfield, Missouri, United States. It was built in 1923 for a cost of $600,000. It is own ...
in a memorial show for Brown and benefit for his family. Since that time the band has gone into semi-retirement but usually emerges each year to play shows. The 2004 lineup contained Dillon, Cash, "Supe", Ron Gremp and Dave Painter (who joined for the 2004 Shrine Mosque show). Beginning with a series of shows in May 2007 at
Gillioz Theater __NOTOC__ The Gillioz Theatre is a historic theater located at Springfield, Missouri, United States. It was built by M. E. Gillioz of Monett, Missouri. Mr. Gillioz was in the business of building bridges, and the theater was built with steel and ...
in Springfield, Kelly Brown joined as the group's new keyboardist. These shows were recorded for a 2008 DVD release called ''
Revival (Live at the Gillioz) ''Live at the Gillioz'' is a limited edition two DVD set concert film release by country rock band the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. The concert was taped on May 10, 11 & 12 2007, at the Gillioz Theatre in Springfield, Missouri. It features over two ...
''. Starting in 2005, Lee and Chowning re-teamed in a new group, Beyond Reach, that formed in Nashville but has since moved its base back to the two men's hometown of Springfield, Missouri. In 2006 and 2007 Lee and Chowning began appearing as special guests at some of the Daredevils shows but haven't done so in recent years due to personal differences. It appears that they're no longer interested in playing with the Daredevils, nor are the Daredevils interested in having them. Concurrently, also in 2005 Steve Cash wrote a science fiction trilogy titled ''The Meq'' published by
Del Rey Books Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn, by Penguin Random House. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. I ...
.


2010s

A brand new live album by the Daredevils, a two-disc set featuring 21 tracks, including old favorites, rare songs and a couple of new ones, titled ''Alive & Wild'', was made available in October 2011. This was taken from shows performed at Wildwood Springs Lodge in Steelville, Missouri in November 2010. The band line up for these shows included: John Dillon, Steve Cash, Michael "Supe" Granda, Ron Gremp, Dave Painter, Kelly Brown, Bill Jones, Ruell Chappell (who'd returned in 2008, now on percussion and vocals) and Nick Sibley (guitar, mandolin, harmonica, backing vocals), a former bandmate of Chappell's. From 2010 to 2019, the band continued to make concert appearances with this nine piece lineup, occasionally joined (from 2012 on) on stage by violinist/cellist/guitarist/singer-songwriter Molly Healey, who became a permanent member in 2014. Former early band member Buddy Brayfield, now Dr. Sam Brayfield, is a family practice, hospice and palliative care physician in
Osage Beach, Missouri Osage Beach is a city in Camden and Miller counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is in Camden County, while a small eastern sliver is in Miller County. The population was 4,351 at the 2010 census. History Osage Beach was inc ...
and plays with a local band Buddy and the Notes. For the first time since 1980, Brayfield rejoined the group for a reunion concert at Gillioz Theater in September 2010 that included four of the original six members. Brayfield indicated that he decided to play in the Missouri concert since his children had never seen him play with the group. Bobby "Lloyd" Hicks, the group's 1982 drummer, died on February 19, 2017, after suffering extensive lung damage stemming from double pneumonia, just three weeks shy of his 70th birthday. In early 2018, the band announced on their
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page the release of a new album, ''Off The Beaten Path'', as a self release. On May 17, 2019, the band self released ''Heaven 20/20'', a 7 track EP featuring five new songs, one live song and a re-recording of "If You Want To Get To Heaven." It would be the last album to feature co-founder Steve Cash before his death later that year. Steve Cash died on October 13, 2019, at age 73 after an extended illness.


2020s

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils and Major Brands, the largest Missouri based distributor of premium alcohol and non-alcohol beverages announced production of Ozark Dry Gin that will exclusively be sold to retailers and restaurateurs in Missouri. The band has been very active on their Facebook account posting stories, pictures, news, and videos. One post from December 2021 announced a project celebrating the bands 50th anniversary in 2022, the publication of ''The Ozark Mountain Daredevils on Record: A Narrative Discography''. Band bassist Michael "Supe" Granda won $9,500 on the December 24, 2021, episode of '' Wheel of Fortune'' but did not win his game on that episode. To further mark their 50th anniversary, the band announced a return to their hometown to perform three gigs at The Landers Theatre (on March 17–19, 2022), where they'd played their first gig in 1972 still under the name "Family Tree". On May 17, 2022, the group went to Nashville to make their
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debut as part of their Time Warp Tour, celebrating their Fiftieth Year Anniversary. And on June 30 their documentary, ''Ozark Mountain Daredevils Backstage'', debuted on PBS Television.


Members

(Founding members listed in bold)


Current members

* Mike 'Supe' Granda – bass, mandolin, vocals (1972-present) * John Dillon – guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, autoharp, keyboards, vocals (1972–1982, 1984-present) * Bill Jones – woodwinds, horns (1974–1976, 2010-present) * Ruell Chappell – keyboards, percussion, vocals (1976–1980, 2008-present) * Ron 'Rongo' Gremp – drums (1990-present) * Dave Painter – lead guitar, vocals (2004-present) * Kelly Brown – keyboards, vocals (2007-present) * Nick Sibley – rhythm guitar, mandolin, vocals (2010-present) * Molly Healey – fiddle, vocals (2014-present)


Former members

*
Randle Chowning Randle Lynn Chowning (born April 4, 1950, in Mountain View, Missouri) is an American musician best known as the founder, one of the lead vocalists, and the lead guitarist of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. High school and college From a very ea ...
– lead guitar, harmonica, vocals (1972–1976, 1982–1984, 1984–1985) * Larry Lee – drums, percussion, keyboards, guitar, vocals (1972–1982, 1985) * Steve Cash – harmonica, percussion, vocals (1970–1982, 1984–2019, his death) * Buddy Brayfield – keyboards, oboe, backing vocals (1972–1976) * Jerry Mills – mandolin (1976–1978) * Rune Walle – lead guitar, banjo, vocals (1976–1980) * Joe Terry – keyboards, vocals (1982–1984) * Bobby 'Lloyd' Hicks – drums (1982–1984) (died 2017) * Terry Wilson – lead guitar, vocals (1980–1982) * Jason LeMasters – lead guitar (1984) * Gary Smith – rhythm guitar, vocals (1982–1984) * Steve Canaday – guitar, drums, vocals (1976–1982, 1984–1988) (died 1999) * Don Clinton Thompson – lead guitar, vocals (1985–1989) * Rick 'Lumpy' Davidson – drums (1988–1989) * Bill Brown – lead guitar, vocals (1990–2004, his death)


Member Timeline


Discography


Official US studio albums


Official US live albums


Official US compilation albums


European compilation albums


Live DVDs


Singles


References


External links


Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ozark Mountain Daredevils Rock music groups from Missouri American southern rock musical groups American country rock groups Musical groups from Missouri Musical groups established in 1972 A&M Records artists