1974 Ozark Mountain Daredevils – If You Wanna Get To Heaven
In 1971, a group of musicians in the Springfield Missouri area began appearing as The Family Tree. Reports of another band using that name dashed their hopes, and they held a naming party. The result: Cosmic Corn Cob & His Amazing Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
Aside from being too long, the name also could have led to confusion with the then popular band The Amazing Rhythm Aces, so they shorted the name to The Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
They circulated a few demo tapes to various labels that displayed their unique mixture of pop, country, bluegrass, and pop. The band eventually signed with A&M Records in 1973. The label sent the band to England to record their first album, which was completed and issued late that year.
Band members Steve Cash and John Dillon wrote the band’s first single, If You Wanna Get To Heaven. The record reached #25 on the Hot 100 in 1974.
Members Steve Cash and Larry Lee wrote the band’s biggest hit the of Jackie Blue in 1975. That single came off the band’s second album and reached #3 on the Hot 100.
The band continued releasing albums on A&M Records through 1978 without reaching the top forty again. After that, they recorded on a myriad list of other labels, but they never again even reached the Hot 100.
Three of the members in a 1970 lineup are currently in the band, appearing in a limited number of shows annually.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ozark_Mountain_Daredevils
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Wanna_Get_to_Heaven
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