bookerʼs springfield batch review

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(as of Jan 07, 2025 14:45:54 UTC - Details)

As the turbulent 60's began to fade into the calmer 70's, a coterie of young singers, songwriters, musicians, artists, and poets began to congregate, musically on the stage of The New Bijou Theater - the Springfield, Missouri nightclub that would become the loose-knit group's home. What started as an informal weekly gathering, quickly morphed into a formal band. Dubbed the Family Tree, they became a favorite of the local counter-culture, as well as a continuation of the tradition-rich, Springfield music scene - which, until recently, included the Ozark Jubilee (the nation's first televised country music show). Though unprofitable at the time, they stuck to their guns and their original songs. When a rough tape of an early Bijou gig caught the ear of music mogul, John Hammond, it culminated in a 26-song studio demo, which caught the ear of A&M executive, David Anderle. The group signed with the label, changed their name to its present moniker, and whisked off to London to record their debut album under the tutelage of Glyn Johns. The album contained "If You Want to Get to Heaven". Their subsequent album, recorded in rural Missouri, contained "Jackie Blue". Both songs remain staples on 'classic rock' radio. By the early 80's, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils found themselves right where the Family Tree had stood a decade before - in Springfield with no record deal. They did, though, find themselves with legions of loyal fans around the world. Amidst personnel changes, personal turmoils and a cornucopia of tales from the rock-n-roll highway, the next twenty years were spent 'on the road'. Though continuing to write, they could garner little interest among the rapidly modernizing music industry - a situation many long-haired, long-named hippie bands of the 70's find themselves in. Their music, though, lives in the hearts of their fans.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Authorhouse; First Edition (August 26, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 508 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1434391655
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1434391650
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.8 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
Reviewer: CH
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great book
Review: Not only is it a history of the band but it gives a behind the scenes look at the music industry, which was just as interesting.

Reviewer: SW
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: great book!
Review: if you are an ozark mountain daredevils fan this is a must read:) Supe makes me laugh out loud in places..he is quite a character! i feel like i was there with them in other places. this is a rollicking read and gives you a good history of the ducks if you are a fan.

Reviewer: Sharon
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good book
Review: Well written and informative

Reviewer: Crazy Feline
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Granda Comes Through
Review: OMD bassist Michael Granda comes through with this great autobiography of the "Supe Man" and his time with the band, of which he apparently is still a touring member.From their humble beginnings in Springfield MO to playing the big houses in Europe, Granda winds his way through the good times of touring and making music.Granda is quite the character and his humor and wit set this book apart from other rock and roll tales of the road.This book will obviously appeal to longtime fans of the group, but is still an interesting read detailing the inner workings of a famous band, albeit short term fame at that.The fact that Granda can remember so much (as he must have kept journals) attests that even with all the drugs and booze, there's a book in all of us.Even though the band had only two Top 40 hits, their back catalog is chock full of terrific songs well worth seeking out.Any one of the first three albums would be a good starting point, before the personnel changes started to take hold.

Reviewer: GayboyJax
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: If you are a fan, it's a MUST read!
Review: I've been a long time fan of the OMD 's. I remember the very first time hearing "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" on my car radio & how this sounded unlike anything else I had ever heard. Goodness how I miss the old radio system....You could hear a cut from the Ozarks, then a Motown tune, followed up by something from Elton John ... Radio sucks now..Album after album the Ozarks continued to make incredible music. From reading this I now understand why every 2 albums seemed to have a cohesiveness that I just didn't understand before.Supe writes in an easy reading manner that is both informative & funny. Makes me feel I am right there with him during it all.I never got to see them play live, so the next best thing is to read all about it! A truly great read if you are a fan like I am!And don't forget to go to the OMD website and get their albums now on CD !Sometimes Amazon has them as well, but the OMD website has a complete discography and you can find those albums you might be missing. Thanks to Supe for writing the story of a great band that wasn't as fully appreciated as they should have!!

Reviewer: PHArlington
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Love the Band More than the Book
Review: One of my favorite bands from the 70’s - A sextet with five good songwriters and everybody sings and plays multiple instruments. But the book - Party, play, party, break up, party, get back together, repeat. For nearly 500 pages. It’s interesting at first. And knowing how record companies screw up something that was working is worth knowing. But we don’t really gain any insight into the personalities of these very creative people, or how they came to write their songs. Yep, we learn Randall Chowning left the band several times. But we never learn why. Yep, we learn Supe’s marriage fell apart. Did Supe care? Did he ever see his daughters? And to be honest, if you were so stoned at all of those gigs, how do you know that “we played great”? I’ve been there - really, you don’t know. A little introspection would have gone a long way here.

Reviewer: JITM001
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Simply Wonderful!
Review: Growing up a couple hours southwest of Springfield, MO, I'd heard of the Ducks, of course, and even saw them live twice in the 70's. I never knew their tale. I'd always wondered how they came to be, and as a kid I wondered how people from Springfield ever got discovered and actually played on the radio. This book lays it all out there and at the end you are left with a feeling of satisfaction, amusement, and a dose of melancholy.I own most of their stuff and introduce others to them whenever I can. This book is full of their spirit, at least as I imagine it to be, and seems to really solidify their place in the history of modern music. It made me want to seek out Supe Granda and share a beer or two while we throw stones in the creek. It's just that sort of thing.Members of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils might quibble with the exact times and places that this all went down, as any group would, but they should be very proud of what Supe has done here. I've listened to more of their music in the past month than I have in two decades. ( okay...3 decades...that's just how old I am )Thanks Supe. I don't know you, but ... I feel like I really know you.

Reviewer: vicwier
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Fun Interesting Read
Review: What a fun book this was to read about my very favorite band. Lots of interesting backstory. Really happy I bought it.

Reviewer: Michael Collins
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great read as long as you ignore spellcheck and continuaty lol but really great story of how they startedIf you like the Ozarks then you need to read this book.😃

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Ever since hearing for the first time "Jackie Blue", I have loved The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. But it really wasn't until their music was released on CD that I heard ALL of their music. I fell in love with so many of their songs. So when I came across this biography on the band ,I had to read it. What a great story ,fabulously written about a great bunch of guys. So unique. No-one I ever talk to hear in Australia has ever seemingly heard of them, but they do remember "Jackie Blue".