Song:Jackie Blue
Album:Time Warp: The Very Best Of The Ozark Mountain Daredevils
If The Ozark Mountain Daredevils remind you of The Eagles, that is not a coincidence. The group was sold on their resemblance to The Eagles especially their biggest hit Jackie Blue in 1975. The group was formed in Springfield, MO in 1971. The band name was because with the long hair and beards, they looked different from other Ozark residents. The main members of the band were Steve Cash on keyboards, Randle Chowning on guitar, John Dillon on guitar, Larry Lee on drums and Mike Granda on bass. Later on they added pianist Buddy Brayfield when two founding members left. At first they were called Family Tree and then changed it to Ozark Mountain Daredevils. A demo got the attention of legendary Columbia Records talent scout John Hammond. But they didn't get a record deal. A & M Records house producer David Anderle was looking for a band that sounded like The Eagles and he brought Eagles producer Glyn Johns to an Ozark Mountain Daredevils show. They signed with A & M and their 1974 debut album produced the top 30 hit If You Ever Get To Heaven. Jackie Blue is from their second album It'll Shine When It Shines. Jackie Blue reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. Johns heard Larry Lee singing the song in the studio. It was originally about a drug dealer. Johns got Lee and Cash to rewrite the song and get rid of the drug references. Lee sang the lead vocal. Subsequent albums didn't do as well and A & M lost interest in the group partially because they wouldn't move to Los Angeles. Chowning and Brayfield left in 1976 and A & M dropped them in 1978. This comp is a good intro to their music. They signed with Columbia in 1979 but only recorded one album there and split up. Dillon, Granda and Cash still lead a version of The Ozark Mountain Daredevils today. Here's The Ozark Mountain Daredevils performing Jackie Blue on The Old Grey Whistle Test 1975.
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