One of country rock’s more inventive exponents, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils was formed in 1971 by the songwriting team of John Dillon (b. 6 February 1947, Stuttgart, Arkansas, USA; guitar/fiddle/vocals) and Steve Cash (b. 5 May 1946, Springfield, Missouri, USA; harmonica/vocals), with Randle Chowning (guitar/vocals), Buddy Brayfield (keyboards), Michael ‘Supe’ Granda (b. 24 December 1950, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; bass) and Larry Lee (b. 5 January 1947, Springfield, Missouri, USA; drums) completing the line-up. The unit was originally based in Springfield, Missouri. Their acclaimed 1973 debut album, recorded in London under the aegis of producer Glyn Johns, contained the US Top 30 single ‘If You Wanna Get To Heaven’, while a second success, ‘Jackie Blue’, which reached number 3, came from the band’s follow-up collection, It’ll Shine When It Shines. Recorded at Chowning’s ranch, this excellent set showcased the Ozark Mountain Daredevils’ strong harmonies and intuitive musicianship, factors maintained on subsequent releases, The Car Over The Lake Album and Men From Earth. A 1978 release, It’s Alive, fulfilled the band’s obligation to A&M Records and two years later they made their debut on CBS Records with new members Buddy Emmons (steel guitar) and Rune Walle (mandolin) now part of the line-up. Paradoxically this work lacked the purpose of those early releases, and the band ground to a halt in the mid-80s.
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils were reactivated in the late 80s by Dillon and Cash with Granda, Steve Canaday (b. 12 September 1944, Springfield, Missouri, USA, d. 26 September 1999, Nashville, Tennessee, USA; drums) and D. Clinton Thompson (guitar) and the resulting album, Modern History, released on the UK independent Conifer label, found the Ozark Mountain Daredevils with a new lease of life. The band carried on into the new millennium with a line-up featuring Dillon, Cash, Granda, Ron Gremp (drums) and Bill Brown (b. USA, d. 23 July 2004, Springfield, Missouri, USA; guitar). The unit continues to enjoy a cult popularity.
