Spotlight On revisits The Ozark Mountain Daredevils with Michael Kuelker
Read Time 2 mins |
January 20, 2023 |
Written by: Thomas Curtis
Series 8 of Spotlight On is in full flow. In the latest episode of the podcast, host Lawrence Peryer (Lyte Commercial Director and entertainment business mainstay) revisits the iconic American rock band The Ozark Mountain Daredevils with author, educator, and radio DJ Michael Kuelker.
Formed in 1972, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils had two major hits earlier in their career - ‘If You Wanna Get to Heaven’ from their eponymous debut album in 1974 and ‘Jackie Blue’ from their follow-up album It’ll Shine When It Shines, which went on to become the band’s most certified hit when it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975.
From then onwards the band carved out a storied career for themselves - a story which involved many highs and lows, as well as a series of lineup changes. It’s this rich story which became the subject of Michael Kuelker’s most recent book: The Ozark Mountain Daredevils On Record: A Narrative Discography.
Michael’s book uses the framework of the band’s discography to unravel their 50 years of story, but also delves deeper into the musical and cultural scenes throughout the Ozark region from which The Ozark Mountain Daredevils both comprehended and contributed to. It is a unique mode of storytelling, one worth reading and applying to other artists and scenes.
Throughout this episode of the podcast, LP discusses Michael’s work on the book and offers an absorbing, sincere insight into the The Ozark Mountain Daredevils and the world they developed in.
You can listen to the latest episode of Spotlight On featuring Michael Kuelker below:
Every week in Spotlight On, host Lawrence Peryer takes listeners on a behind-the-scenes exploration of the past, present and future of the modern music and entertainment business, with musicians, thought leaders, tech innovators and more.
