Courtesy of the
Official
Black Oak Arkansas Site
These
bad boys of the south set standards for live performances, and still electrify
audiences to this day.
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Early
in their career, their touring schedule kept them on the road for as many
as 10 months at a time. They have 3 gold albums, and have appeared
on such TV shows as Don Kirshner’s ‘Rock Concert’, ‘Midnight Special’,
and ABC’s ‘In Concert’. The King himself, Elvis Presley, encouraged them
to perform the LaVerne Baker Classic, which has become their “signature”
song, ‘Jim Dandy to the Rescue’.
KISS
(1974) and Bad Company’s first American tours were opening acts for BOA
in the early 70’s. Black Oak Arkansas was also the first rock band
to take comedians such as Steve Martin and Cheech and Chong on the road.
Evel Knievel’s daredevil show highlighted a few of the outdoor festivals.
A concert at the Paladium in Los Angeles featured BOA with Chuck Berry
and The Rolling Stones as his backup band.
Over
the years Black Oak Arkansas has toured with the likes of . . .
.38
Special
Eagles
Styx
Foghat
Grand
Funk Railroad
J.
Geils Band
Blue
Oyster Cult
Ted
Nugent
Pat
Travers
Rick
Derringer
Johnny
and Edgar
Winter
Montrose
Steppenwolf
Brownsville
Station
Allman
Brothers
Lynyrd
Skynyrd
Blackfoot
B.B.
King
King
Crimson
Robin
Trower
Ten
Years After
Humble
Pie
Iron
Butterfly
Leon
Russell
Mountain
.
. . and many more!
Along
with Black Oak Arkansas, the first California Jam in 1974 included . .
. Emerson Lake & Palmer Black Sabbath Deep Purple
Black
Oak Arkansas has been named the influence of countless artists—a few being
David Lee Roth, which holds a similar likeness to the infamous Jim Dandy,
and Jesse James DuPree (Jackyl).
When
the band did find the time to relax, they would retreat to their “mountain”
lodge in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. The band members and families shared
a 1,500-acre spread. There were several cabins, a community center, and
even an in-ground heated swimming pool.
Even
amidst all the fame and glory, they never forgot where they came from.
The band had donated money for some of the schools in the Harrison, Arkansas
area for renovation and additions, BOA was also responsible for replacing
the last one-room schoolhouse in the state.
BOA
Today . . .
Jim
“Dandy” Mangrum—Original founding member and lead vocalist Rickie “Ricochet”
Reynolds—Original rhythm guitar, and background vocals Pat “Dirty” Daugherty—Original
bass player and background vocals Rocky Athas—lead guitar player from Dallas,
Texas Johnny Bolin—Drums, who is brother to the late Tommy Bolin (Deep
Purple, James Gang; along with a solo career as well). From Sioux City,
Iowa
To
find out more Visit the
Official
Black Oak Arkansas Site
Also
a great history of the band can be found here |
