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 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 "naming party" after the band was told that the name they had previously been using, "Family Tree", was already taken ("Burlap Socks" and "Buffalo Chips" were two other monikers that had been considered). 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.
Formation and the Family Tree
In 1971, Randle Chowning formed a band with 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, 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 (in 1974-1977) and would continue to appear as a guest player on some of their shows and recording sessions.
Former early band member Buddy Brayfield, now Dr. Sam Brayfield, is a family practice, hospice and palliative care physician in Osage Beach, Missouri, 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 Facebook 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's late 1980s drummer and washboard player Rick "Lumpy" Davidson, aged 72, died on February 21, 2020, after a bout with cancer.
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 appeared on the December 24, 2021 episode of Wheel of Fortune and won $9,500.
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 had played their first gig in 1972, still under the name "Family Tree".
On May 17, 2022 the group went to Nashville to make their Grand Ole Opry 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.
Larry Lee died on May 10, 2025, at the age of 78.
Members
(Founding members listed in bold)
Current
- Mike "Supe" Granda – bass, mandolin, vocals (1972–present)
- John Dillon – guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, autoharp, keyboards, mouth bow, vocals (1972–1982, 1983–present)
- Bill Jones – woodwinds, horns (1974–1977, 2010–present)
- Ruell Chappell – keyboards, percussion, vocals (1976–1980, 2008–present)
- Ron "Rongo" Gremp – drums (1990–present)
- Dave Painter – lead guitar, vocals (2004–present, occasional fill-in 1998–2004)
- Kelly Brown – keyboards, vocals (2007–present)
- Nick Sibley – rhythm guitar, harmonica, mandolin, vocals (2010–present)
- Molly Healey – fiddle, vocals (2014–present, frequent guest 2012–2014)
Former
- Randle Chowning – lead guitar, harmonica, vocals (1972–1976, 1982–1983, 1984–1986)
- Larry Lee – drums, percussion, keyboards, guitar, vocals (1972–1982, 1984, 1986) (died 2025)
- Steve Cash – harmonica, percussion, vocals (1970–1982, 1983–2019, his death)
- Buddy Brayfield – keyboards, oboe, backing vocals (1972–1976)
- Jerry Mills – mandolin (1976–1978)
- Rune Walle – lead guitar, banjo, sitar, vocals (1976–1980)
- Joe Terry – keyboards, vocals (1982–1983)
- Bobby 'Lloyd' Hicks – drums (1982–1983) (died 2017)
- Terry Wilson – lead guitar, vocals (1980–1982)
- Jason LeMasters – lead guitar (1983)
- Gary Smith – rhythm guitar, vocals (1982–1983, occasional fill-in 1979–1982)
- Steve Canaday – guitar, drums, vocals (1976–1982, 1983–1989) (died 1999)
- D. Clinton Thompson – lead guitar, vocals (1986–1989)
- Rick "Lumpy" Davidson – drums (1989, fill-in 1991) (died 2020)
- Bill Brown – lead guitar, vocals (1990–2004, his death)
- Tom Whitlock – drums (occasional fill-in in the early 80s) (died 2023)
- Kelly O'Shea – guitar (occasional fill-in 1992–1994)
Timeline
Discography
Official US studio albums
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Album
! style="width:45px;"|<small>US</small>
! style="width:45px;"|<small>AUS</small>
|-
| 1973
| The Ozark Mountain Daredevils
| style="text-align:center;"| 26
| style="text-align:center;"| 72
|-
| 1974
| It'll Shine When It Shines
| style="text-align:center;"| 19
| style="text-align:center;"| 73
|-
| 1975
| The Car Over the Lake Album
| style="text-align:center;"| 57
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|-
| 1976
| Men from Earth
| style="text-align:center;"| 74
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|-
| 1977
| Don't Look Down
| style="text-align:center;"| 132
| style="text-align:center;"| 87
|-
| 1980
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils
| style="text-align:center;"| 170
| style="text-align:center;"| 97
|-
| 1997
| 13
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|-
| 2018
| Off The Beaten Path
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|}
Official US live albums
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Album
! style="width:45px;"|<small>US</small>
! style="width:45px;"|<small>AUS</small>
! style="width:50px;"| <small>US$</small><br />
! style="width:50px;"|<small>AUS<br /></small>
| rowspan="3"| The Car Over the Lake Album
|-
| "Thin Ice"
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|-
| "Keep On Churnin"
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1977
| "You Know Like I Know"
| style="text-align:center;"| 74
| style="text-align:center;"| 55
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| 62
| rowspan="2"|Men From Earth
|-
| "Noah"
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|-
| "Crazy Lovin'"
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| Don't Look Down
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1980
| "Take You Tonight"
| style="text-align:center;"| 67
| style="text-align:center;"| 83
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| rowspan="2"|Ozark Mountain Daredevils
|-
| "Oh, Darlin'"
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|}
References
External links
- Official website