I remember seeing Black Oak Arkansas albums bought by my older siblings back in the days of my youth at the original Watson Compound. I can’t say that Black Oak Arkansas was one of my “wheelhouse” bands growing up, but after talking with the band’s longtime, original leader, Jim Dandy Mangrum, I can say he’s one of my favorite interviews I’ve done with an entertainer.
Listen to the half hour chat with the audacious, bodacious Jim Dandy by clicking HERE or at the top of this page by clicking on “Shows,” then “GLO Podcasts.” I hardly got in a question, but enjoyed it a lot and came away motivated. Motivated to do what? That’s another question.
Many of you will remember BOA putting on a spirited show along the Peoria Riverfront in August of 2011 as part of the Grand Nationals concert. Hear them headlining a show Saturday night at The Twisted Spoke Saloon in Pekin this weekend.
Jim Dandy, the nickname given to him by his dad when he was a youth and the name of the band’s biggest hit, grew up poor in rural Arkansas. He grew his blond hair long and paid the price of being a non conformist. The charismatic frontman spoke about the volume of fights he endured in his teens after school prior to finding his calling in music, with their Southern blend of blues, gospel, country and rock and roll. He and classmate Ricky Reynolds were the only kids with long hair there in the mid 60’s and got kicked out of all the public schools they attended. Let’s just say they weren’t born on the rich side of town.
The man can talk and can still perform on stage. Black Oak Arkansas has always been known as a live show band, and the guys headlined shows in the 70’s across the globe from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City to the Royal Albert Hall in London. They were on the bill for California Jam in ’74, playing and mingling with some of the biggest names in the rock world. Jim can drop some names – and does – of his entertainment contemporaries. He’s met or hung out with Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Ozzy Osborne and Tony Iommi, Sammy Hagar, Billy Bob Thornton, Ritchie Blackmore (he’s not a fan), David Lee Roth, etc.
Saturday night at The Twisted Spoke Saloon in Pekin, see BOA headline a show that features high-energy Southern rockers, Framing The Red, Sadistic Cowboys and local favorite Matt Miller. Doors at 7, show starts at 8. Get tix at The Spoke and online at twistedspokesaloon.com. Thanks to Pabst Blue Ribbon and RJ Distributing for bringing the rock legends back to the area – Black Oak Arkansas, Saturday night at The Spoke, from Peoria’s classic rock concert station, 95.5, GLO. And check out the youthful Jim Dandy performing one of their biggest hits, “a sex song with a sense of humor” he told me today, below.
Doc Watson
