Buddy Brayfield (piano) / John Dillon (guitars, vocals) / Mike Granda (bass, vocals) / Larry Lee (drums, vocals) / Randy Chowning (guitars, vocals) / Steve Cash (vocals)
American band The Ozarks were an unknown to me in terms of what they had done. Apparently they had scored a big success with a single ‘Jackie Blue‘ from their current album, ‘It’ll Shine When It Shines‘ but I didn’t know it, or if I did I’ve subsequently forgotten it; it clearly wasn’t all that memorable to me.
Melody Maker’s Chris Welch summed their performance up thus: “The Ozark Mountain Daredevils were neither daring nor devilish. They were six young Americans with beards and matted hair who made no announcements but played a selection that included items from their recent popular A&M album, ‘It’ll Shine When It Shines’, an example of cracker barrel philosophy if ever I heard tell. Dullsville – despite the inclusion of their hit ‘Jackie Blue’.” and that’s good enough for me, I’m afraid.
Tony Tyler and Chris Salewicz writing for New Musical Express said: “It was unfortunate perhaps that the Ozark Mountain Daredevils had been pre-ordained to Make It this year. Maybe they were too obvious. The only Americans on the bill, they couldn’t escape being compared with Commander Cody who, two years ago, stole the Friday night show from Rory Gallagher. They should have been ideal, though. It was unfortunate that the three acts preceding them on the Saturday – Thin Lizzy, Alan Stivell, and The (Heavy Metal) Kids – should have become part of a snowballing buzz that melted with the first seconds of the Ozarks’ ‘Coming Round The Mountain’. They should be perfect. Evening just getting underway. Let these musical second cousins of JJ Cake shirt the afternoon to one side and ride the lonesome prairie along with them. All twenty-five thousand of us. But maybe they’ve been studying The Kids‘ thoroughly Anglicized act. Maybe they’re plumb worn right out from their gig the previous night. They are apparently a sad shadow of the band who played Liverpool two days previously. Not bad. Just lacklustre.”
They clearly didn’t leave a lasting impression on me either.
Setlist: unknown, but included ‘ Coming Round The Mountain’ and ‘Jackie Blue’.
Here’s what the official programme said about the band…
And here’s the only photo that I can find of the band on stage on the day
Gigs'n'Stuff 