There used to be a thing called country rock, which combined some of the best parts of both genres. A few examples come to mind: Early Charlie Daniels, Pure Prairie League, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and The New Riders of the Purple Sage. Even some songs by the Eagles and the Grateful Dead (yes, really, check out their songs Me And My Uncle, Easy Wind or Tennessee Jed) fit this category.
One of the best, for my money, was the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Formed in 1972 in Springfield, Missouri, they seemed ideally situated to blend midwestern 70s guitar rock with country themes. The original name they came up with at a naming party was Cosmic Corn Cob & His Amazing Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Their other choices were Burlap Socks and Buffalo Chips, so, they probably made the best choice.
The band started up, landed a contract, and set about helping to define a genre. And, back in the day, when I was in my teens, they sure got a lot of radio play, which was a pretty good measure of success in those days.
Here are seven of my favorites.
If You Wanna Get To Heaven (1973): This is probably one of their best-known songs, with the other being Jackie Blue (see below). It’s pretty typical of their style, and featured some lyrics which, as I recall, some parents weren’t enamored of:
If you want a drink of water, you’ve got to get it from a well
It you want to go to Heaven, you’ve got to raise a little hell.
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It'll Shine When It Shines (1974): From the 1974 album of the same name, this one was actually recorded in an old pre-Civil War farmhouse that the band had been using for practice sessions and rehearsals. It’s a neat song, one that preaches the virtues of patience.
Jackie Blue (1975): Again from 1974’s It’ll Shine When It Shines, this song was the band’s biggest hit, and the second top 40 hit after If You Wanna Get To Heaven. It’s about a woman seeking happiness but lacking patience, making it a good follow-on to this album’s title cut. Back then, radio stations often cut the last verse, for reasons unknown:Seems like everyone is out
Looking for the sun
Singing rain and pain on he who hesitates
But it'll shine when it shines
You might think I'm wasting time
But I'm just a good old boy that's learned to wait
Everyday in your indigo eyes
I watch the sunset but I don't see it rise
Moonlight and stars in your strawberry wine
You'd take the world but you won't take the time
Read More: Start Your Weekend Right With Some Fantastic Allman Brothers Songs
Fly Away Home (1976): As time went on, the band started leaning harder into the country side of things, with more rural themes and more folk/bluegrass influences. This song typifies that transition pretty well, with the lyrics being more poetic than story-telling. It’s a fun listen.
Homemade Wine (1976): What could be more country than homemade booze? This one particularly sets me smiling, as it reminds me of my wife’s homemade dandelion and raspberry wines. Good stuff, although I hasten to note that it is for personal consumption only.Gonna Buy Me A Car (1990): This one’s an odd one for the Daredevils. It’s got an almost 1950s vibe to it, reminiscent in some ways of songs like Hot Rod Lincoln or 409, in story if not in style. And the car referenced? Also 1950s.Down in the hills of the Ozarks
There are some women that'll have your heart
All wrapped up in chains for a shame
If you make the bad mistake of telling them
All the crazy things you tell them
When you're high on that homemade wine
I'm gonna buy me a car with great big fins
I'm gonna ride through the bar
Gonna drink up all the gin
Smoke a big cigar and play the wheel
Drive around like a star, not a has-been
I once had the chance to buy a 1959 Cadillac convertible, white with a black top, and tail fins that wouldn’t have been out of place on the space shuttle. Someone beat me to it – but boy was that a neat car.
Chicken Train (2003): This more recent tune shows where the Daredevils sort of landed, with a more folk rock/bluegrass style starting to displace the rock. And the story, too; or, what there is of it, anyway. Seems to bear the tale of a guy stuck on a train full of chickens. My great uncle, who was a “king of the road” during the Depression, may have appreciated this one.And, again, with a few new faces, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils are still playing. You’ve got to admire their stick-with-itness.Chicken train runnin' all day
Chicken train runnin' all day
Chicken train runnin' all day
I can't get on, I can't get off
Chicken train, take the chickens away
Got any concert tales or other memories to share? As always, the comments are all yours.
