Black Oak Arkansas

Black Oak Arkansas was a Southern heavy-metal group whose boogie philosophy and long-haired, bare-chested frontman, Jim Dandy Mangrum, were briefly popular in the early to mid-'70s. All of the band's original members grew up in rural Arkansas near the small town of Black Oak. They were in a juvenile gang before becoming a band. (In a 1976 press release they boast of having stolen a P.A. system.) They toured the South as Knowbody Else and released one album on Stax before moving to L.A. in 1969 and changing their name to Black Oak Arkansas. They soon signed with Atlantic, the first of several labels for which they recorded.

With almost constant touring, they eventually built up an enthusiastic following, composed mainly of young fans who appreciated the group’s down-home Dixie boogie and quasi-mystical lyrics. In 1970 they made their national debut, but big-time success eluded them until High on the Hog (1973) and Raunch ’n’ Roll/Live (1973) went gold. They also had a #25 hit with “Jim Dandy,” which featured Dandy exchanging double entendres with a female singer, a sometime group member named Ruby Starr. By the mid-’70s the group was a huge draw on the U.S. concert circuit. The group sustained numerous personnel changes, and by 1977 Mangrum was the only original member of the band left. He later cited “despotic management” and the rigors of the road for driving the band apart. After recovering from a heart attack, Mangrum recorded a 1984 solo album with original Black Oak guitarist Ricky Reynolds. Several touring versions of the band existed in the ’80s and ’90s. Daugherty rejoined in time for Black Oak’s 1999 studio effort.

from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)