Ozark Mountain Daredevils 1973: (L to R) Buddy Brayfield, Randle Chowning, Supe Granda, John Dillon, Steve Cash, Larry Lee.
ORIGINAL MEMBERS
John Dillon - vocals, guitar, fiddle, mouth bow
Steve Cash - vocals, harmonica
Michael "Supe" Granda - vocals, bass
Larry Lee - vocals, drums
Randle Chowning - vocals, lead guitar, mandolin
Buddy Brayfield - keyboards, vocals
CURRENT MEMBERS
John Dillon - vocals, guitar, fiddle, mouth bow
Steve Cash - vocals, harmonica
Michael "Supe" Granda - vocals, bass
Ron Gremp - drums
Dave Painter - lead guitar, vocals
Kelly Brown - keyboards, vocals
Ruell Chappell - vocals, percussion
Nick Sibley - vocals, guitar, mandolin
Bill Jones - saxophone, flute
(Bold Names are original members. Bold Italics indicate early members, though not original.)
WHO'S IN THE BAND?
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils currently (2013) feature three of the original six members, along with two musicians who played with the band during their heyday–their tenure with A&M Records during the 1970s.
John Dillion and Steve Cash were the writers of "If You Wanna Get to Heaven," although Randle Chowning handled the lead vocal on the record. Chowning was the first to leave the band (around 1976) and Dillion has been singing the song ever since, including on their live album for A&M. The song sounds basically the same live today.
Dillion was the lead vocalist on many crowd favorites, including "Standing on the Rock," It'll Shine When It Shines," and "You Made It Right." And, of course, the best (only?) mouth bow player in the U.S., giving "Chicken Train" its original twang.
Speaking of which, Steve Cash still mans the harps, giving the band their unique sound. He also takes the vocal (as he did on the records) on several long time concert favorites, like "Black Sky," E.E. Lawson," and the aforementioned "Chicken Train."
"Supe" Granda has long been the M.C. of the live shows. He only had a couple of lead vocals during the A&M years, and normally does "It Probably Always Will," along with some humorous songs off his solo albums.
Bill Jones has been around since the beginning–actually even before the beginning–playing with various members before the band was formed. He didn't ever technically become a Daredevil until much later. However, he showed up as a guest musician (or, as the band calls them "Sparedevils") on many of their albums, playing flute, sax, and arranging vocals. Bill adds his horns, percussion, and usually breaks into the theme from The Benny Hill Show at some point during their current shows.
Ruell Chappell replaced Buddy Brayfield on keyboards in 1976, also adding an additional strong voice to the mix. Ruell, along with his musical partner away from the Daredevils, Nick Sibley, were brought into the current line-up to fill out the harmony vocals after Larry Lee and Randle Chowning once again left the reformed band. Ruell had taken over singing lead on "Country Girl" during his earlier tenure with the band, and takes the lead on it still today. Sibley fills in the missing pieces in the songs, playing guitar, mandolin - even bass harmonica.
Ron Gremp has been playing drums for the Daredevils since 1990.
Dave Painter came onboard in 2004. An excellent guitarist, he's able to recreate the lead licks from the records, while also adding his own twist - just enough to make them unique.
Kelly Brown has been nailing the keyboard parts since 2007.
WHAT WON'T YOU HEAR
Larry Lee and Randle Chowning have occasionally played dates with the reformed band, but because of personal differences (Chowning has rejoined and left the band more times than you can probably count), it appears that they're no longer interested in playing in OMD, nor is OMD interested in inviting them. With "Jackie Blue" being mainly a Larry Lee composition (with some help from Steve Cash), and Lee handling the high, lilting vocal…well, they still play it. A #3 hit is a #3 hit, and the crowds expect the band to play it. They've handed the lead vocal around to various members, with Chappell currently doing it, but no one really comes close to sounding like Lee.
"Spaceship Orion," "You Know Like I Know," well, basically most of Larry Lee's songs aren't included. The exception (other than "Jackie Blue") is "Homemade Wine," which features some fun fiddle playing by John Dillon, with Supe taking over the lead vocal. Sounds like the record? Not really. Fun? Absolutely.
Also missing in action are most of Randle Chowning's songs. Other than "Country Girl," the missing songs include "Look Away," "Leatherwood," "Whippoorwill," and "Road to Glory."
WORTH SEEING?
The band started out as a group of singer-songwriters. As such, every album is a bizarre mix of styles, voices and instrumentation. You'll find a swamp rock song next to a piano pop song, followed by a fiddle tune next to a ballad that was literally recorded with an acoustic guitar on a back porch. This is one of the reasons their fans love the band. Likewise, seeing the band in concert is a mix of styles and voices. With so many songs to pick from their long career, you'll hear plenty of your favorites – far outweighing the ones you might not hear. This is also a band worth seeing on a regular basis (they play every fall at Wildwood Springs Lodge in Steelville, MO, along with a handful of other dates). In addition to the "must-plays," they'll pick several seldom heard songs from the early albums, including some that they NEVER played live after the initial recording.
The huge majority of their set list comes from their first four A&M albums, occasionally throwing in a rarity from their later output, and usually a new song or two each year. (Listen closely, because you probably won't ever hear those songs again.)
So, yes, I strongly recommend catching the Daredevils before they retire back to their Ozark fishin' holes, standing around waiting for their seeds to grow.
OFF SHOOTS
Larry Lee and Randle Chowning do mainly acoustic shows, along with David Wilson and Ned Wilkinson, as the band Beyond Reach. They've also released two CDs. They don't appear to be doing many shows, although Chowning has been doing some acoustic solo shows and released a solo album in 2013. Lee also has some solo CDs available.
Ruell Chappell and Nick Sibley do a weekly show at McSalty's in Springfield, MO. Call ahead to make reservations.
"Supe" Granda always has some side projects going on. Highly recommended is his book "It Shined: The Saga of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils." He also has solo CDs, along with his other band, Supe and the Sandwiches. CDs and book available at the Daredevils site (link below).
BAND LINKS
Official band site: www.ozarkdaredevils.com
Beyond Reach: www.beyondreachmusic.comLarry Lee: www.larrymichaellee.com
"Supe" Granda: www.supeline.com
Disclaimer: Bands can change members, even in the middle of a tour. I'll try to keep these pages up to date, but there is no guarantee that the members listed above will be in the group at any given time. This is for informational purposes only, and is not endorsed by any of the listed groups.
