Black Oak Arkansas is an American

Southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. History 1950s and 1960s: origin ...

band named after the band's hometown of

Black Oak, Arkansas Black Oak is a town in Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 262 in the 2010 census. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Black Oak is located in eastern Craighead County, ...

. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970s, charting ten albums. Their style is notable for multiple guitar players and the raspy voice and on-stage antics of vocalist

Jim "Dandy" Mangrum James Mangrum (born March 30, 1948), better known as Jim "Dandy" Mangrum, is an American singer. He is the lead singer and frontman of the Southern rock band Black Oak Arkansas, in which he is the sole remaining original member. He is noted fo ...

History

The Knowbody Else

Black Oak Arkansas, originally named "The Knowbody Else", was formed in 1963 by some "high school pals" living in the area around Black Oak, Arkansas. Original members included Ronnie "Chicky Hawk" Smith (vocals), Rickie Lee (alternately "Risky" or "Ricochet") Reynolds (guitar), Stanley "Goober Grin" Knight (guitar), Harvey "Burley" Jett (guitar), Pat "Dirty" Daugherty (bass), and Wayne "Squeezebox" Evans (drums). At some point the band and Ronnie "Chicky Hawk" Smith agreed that a mutual friend named James "Jim Dandy" Mangrum would make a better front man, while Smith agreed that he himself would make a better stage production manager. The band's first

PA system A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...

was stolen from Monette High School. The group cleaned out an old galvanized grain bin on the edge of town and began blasting out ear-piercing sounds that echoed their blend of music that came from rock, gospel, country and blues influences. Members of the group were subsequently charged in absentia with

grand larceny Larceny is a crime involving the unlawful taking or theft of the personal property of another person or business. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of Eng ...

and sentenced to 26 years at the Tucker Prison Farm, a sentence that was later suspended. This led to their retreat to the hills of rural north-central Arkansas where they lived off the land and refined their musical style. They also lived in Long Beach, Mississippi, and played at the local Lobe theater/dance hall and the short-lived venue, "The Black Rainbow". Some of their influences during this time were

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

and

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

. The Knowbody Else moved to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, in 1969 and signed a record deal with

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in September 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. ...

. Their self-titled debut album (Hip Records #HIS-7003 subsidiary of Stax was largely ignored by the public. During this time the band became interested in

psychedelia Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...

and

Eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

spiritualism Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...

which, combined with their

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...

upbringing, contributed to their sound.

Black Oak Arkansas

After several trips to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, in 1970, the band was signed by

Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the com ...

(whose parent label,

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

, once had a partnership with Stax) and rechristened Black Oak Arkansas. Their self-titled debut album ''

Black Oak Arkansas Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the band's hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970s, charting ten albums. Their style is notable for multiple guitar players and ...

'' was released in 1971. The record featured BOA classics such as "Hot and Nasty", "Lord Have Mercy On My Soul", "Uncle Lijiah" (written in pseudo-tribute to Harvey Jett's real-life great uncle) and "When Electricity Came To Arkansas", which fundamentalist religious groups claimed contained backward-masked "Satanic messages" (possibly from a live performance of the song in which Mangrum utters "dog si eh" and "natas" three times). The band toured extensively, gaining a reputation as a premier live act throughout the early 1970s across America, and later in Europe. ''

Keep the Faith ''Keep the Faith'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on November 3, 1992, by Mercury Records. It is Bon Jovi's last studio album to feature all five original band members as bass guitarist Alec John Such was di ...

'' followed in 1972, featuring the concert staple "Fever in My Mind". Drummer Wayne Evans left the band and was replaced by drummer

Tommy Aldridge Tommy Aldridge (born August 15, 1950) is an American heavy metal and hard rock drummer. He is noted for his work with numerous bands and artists since the 1970s, such as Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesn ...

on BOA's next release ''

If an Angel Came to See You, Would You Make Her Feel at Home? ''If an Angel Came to See You, Would You Make Her Feel at Home?'' is the third studio album released by southern rock band Black Oak Arkansas in 1972. It is the recording debut of drummer Tommy Aldridge. Track listing All selections written by ...

'', which featured another BOA concert favorite, "Mutants of the Monster" and expanded on the group's eclectic musical style. In 1973, Black Oak Arkansas released their fourth LP, ''

Raunch 'n' Roll Live Raunchy or raunch may refer to: *Raunchy (instrumental), a 1957 song *Raunchy (band), a Danish metal band *Hardcore pornography *Raunch aesthetics Raunch aesthetics is a term in feminist theory which describes the ways in which women in hip hop ...

'', and took the unorthodox tack of including previously unreleased new songs on their first live concert album such as "Gigolo", "Gettin' Kinda Cocky", as well as two more BOA classics: "Hot Rod", featuring Dandy's double-entendre lyrics, and "Up", which spotlighted Aldridge's marathon drum solo, a portion of which he played with his bare hands. The four new songs were originally recorded and intended to be included on the follow-up studio album to ''If an Angel Came to See You ...'', but when Atco Records realized the band's strong suit was their concert act, the live album resulted. ''Raunch 'n' Roll Live'' was re-issued in 2007 by Rhino Records as a 2-CD set containing both concerts that the original vinyl album was culled from. The band's fifth album, '' High on the Hog'', also released in 1973, ended up being the high point of BOA's career, peaking at number 52 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

albums chart.

Ruby Starr Ruby Starr, born Constance Henrietta Mierzwiak (November 30, 1949 – January 14, 1995), was an American rock singer and recording artist who attained national prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, notably for her work with Black Oak Arkansas. Ch ...

also toured intermittently with Black Oak during this period, and her raspy voice can be heard on the group's remake of

LaVern Baker Delores LaVern Baker (born Delores Evans; November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American rhythm and blues singer who had several hit records on the pop charts in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were " Tweedle Dee" ...

's 1957 hit " Jim Dandy (To The Rescue)", which reached number 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Baker's song was recorded at the suggestion of Tom Dowd, who produced the album and was the engineer on the original LaVern Baker single. The band was riding high on the concert trail by this time, headlining venues like Kansas City's

Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). It was built at the same time as neighboring Kauff ...

and

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...

, and the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

in London, England. Black Oak Arkansas also played at the

California Jam California Jam (also known as Cal Jam) was a rock music festival co-headlined by Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, held at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, on April 6, 1974. It was produced by ABC Entertainment, Sandy Fe ...

festival in

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, it lies ...

, on April 6, 1974. The concert attracted over 200,000 fans, and BOA appeared alongside

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

;

Eagles Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

;

Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards) of The Nice, Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitars, producer) ...

;

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...

;

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...

;

Seals and Crofts Seals and Crofts were an American soft rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1969 by James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938). They are best known for their hits " Su ...

; and Rare Earth. Portions of the show were telecast on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

Television in the US, exposing the band to a wider audience. The follow-up to ''High on the Hog'', 1974's ''Street Party'' (featuring "Son of a Gun", "Brink of Creation", "Hey Ya'll" and "Dixie", as well as a cover of the Motown classic "Dancing in the Street"), failed to maintain the momentum, but another 1974 release entitled ''Early Times'', a shelved Stax recording by The Knowbody Else (now released on the back of their success and under the BOA banner), kept the band in the public eye. Guitarist Harvey Jett left the band after ''Street Party'' and was replaced by Jimmy "Soybean" Henderson in 1975 and he debuted on the band's final studio album for Atco Records, ''Ain't Life Grand''. This album included a remake of

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

's Beatles classic "

Taxman "Taxman" is a song by English rock band the Beatles, from their 1966 album ''Revolver''. Written by the group's lead guitarist, George Harrison, with some lyrical assistance from John Lennon, it protests against the higher level of progressive ...

", as well as new originals like "Fancy Nancy", "Rebel", "Good Stuff", "Cryin' Shame", and "Let Life Be Good to You". The band signed a contract with MCA and promptly released ''X-Rated'' in 1975, which marked the beginning of Black Oak Arkansas's decline. In 1976, they released two nondescript and unsuccessful albums for MCA, '' Balls of Fire'' and ''10 Yr Overnight Success'', the latter as a five-piece band with the departure of Rickie Reynolds, who was replaced on tour by keyboardist Marius Penczner during this period. Also in 1976, Atco released a final BOA contractual-obligation album, the poorly-recorded but high-spirited ''Live! Mutha'', recorded on Mother's Day, 1975, in Long Beach, California. This recording saw a reappearance of Ruby Starr.

Black Oak

Following continued diminishing returns of the band's record sales (while still remaining a consistent concert draw), Mangrum dropped "Arkansas" from the group's name in an attempt to downplay their Southern-ness and replaced everyone except Henderson. He even altered his own vocal style in an attempt to sound more mainstream (and ostensibly impress music critics in the process). The other members of the "Black Oak" lineup were Greg Reding (guitar and keyboards), Jack Holder (guitar), Andy Tanas (bass), and Joel Williams (drums). Black Oak released two albums on the struggling Capricorn Records, ''Race with the Devil'' in 1977 and ''I'd Rather Be Sailing'' the following year. Neither album sold well. In 1978, guitarist

Shawn Lane Shawn Lane (March 21, 1963 – September 26, 2003) was an American musician who released two studio albums and collaborated with a variety of musicians including Ringo Starr, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Reg ...

joined the band at age 14 and toured with the band for four years.

Post-Capricorn Records

In the early 1980s, Dandy temporarily left the band for health reasons, but Reynolds kept the band going with former Zorro bassist Jack Brumby, AW Zeugner, and Les John. Bob Simpson took on lead vocals at first, but was later replaced by Randy Ruff for almost three years, until Mangrum's return. In 1984, the band released '' Ready as Hell''. Though the name "Black Oak Arkansas" was on the album cover, "Jim Dandy" appeared above it in larger type, almost as if it were a solo effort. ''Ready as Hell'' featured a heavier sound with

pinch harmonics Playing a string harmonic (a flageolet) is a string instrument technique that uses the nodes of natural harmonics of a musical string to isolate overtones. Playing string harmonics produces high pitched tones, often compared in timbre to a whis ...

and keyboards featured throughout. The album was also Rickie Lee Reynolds's first recording with Mangrum since the MCA years. In 1986, '' The Black Attack Is Back'' continued the heavy style of the previous album and featured the particularly adventurous track "I Want A Woman With Big Titties". Again, "Jim Dandy" received top billing on the album cover (though "BOA"—the band's initials—did appear above the frontman's name). Like its predecessor, ''The Black Attack Is Back'' made no commercial headway. In 1992, the band released ''Rebound'', this time under the band's aegis, with similar results. Things changed little with 1999's ''The Wild Bunch'', which was released under the name "Jim Dandy's Black Oak Arkansas". However, an original member would rejoin Black Oak and appear on this album. Patrick "Dirty" Daugherty rejoined in 1995, rekindling the once-forgotten Black Oak Arkansas. This momentum brought on a surge of performances with other 70's greats such as Foghat, Iron Butterfly, Edgar Winter Group, and many more. During the early 2000s, original lead guitarist Stanley Knight would join them on the road, not playing guitar, but as their soundman. Pat left the band a second time in the mid-2000s. James Mangrum has continued recording and touring with a series of different Black Oak lineups, up to the present day. Black Oak Arkansas currently enjoys a loyal fan following. Jim Dandy is credited with inspiring

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...

frontman

David Lee Roth David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Known for his wild and energetic stage persona, he was the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen for three stints: from 1974 to 1985, during 1996, and from 2006 to when ...

's image and onstage persona. In addition, in the 1980s former

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

Chris Greeley Christian David Greeley (May 16, 1962 – March 9, 2023) was an American politician who was a representative in the Maine state legislature. He was a Republican. He represented District 22 in the House of Representatives for four consecutive two ...

once 'opened' for them as a member of the

rock band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...

Toyz Toyz may refer to: * '' ToyZ'', a 2009 album by Cinema Bizarre * Toyz (gamer), a retired professional ''League of Legends'' player See also * Toy (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

The return to Atlantic Records

The band released an album for

on October 15, 2013, titled ''Back Thar N' Over Yonder''. The album contained five newly recorded songs and 10 previously unreleased 1970s tracks which were produced by

Tom Dowd Thomas John Dowd (October 20, 1925 – October 27, 2002) was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multitrack recording method. Dowd worked on a veritable "who's who" of recordings ...

. The new songs featured a lineup of original and current members. Reunited originals Jim "Dandy" Mangrum, Rickie Lee "Risky" Reynolds, Pat "Dirty" Daugherty, and Jimmy "Soybean" Henderson, were joined by current drummer Johnnie Bolin, bassist George Hughen, guitarist Buddy Church and lead guitarist Hal McCormack. The first single off the record "Plugged In And Wired" was released August 26, 2013. The band toured to support the album.

2019 to present

On May 24, 2019, Black Oak Arkansas released ''Underdog Heroes'', their first album consisting of all new recordings in 30 years. The album featured founding members Jim Dandy Mangrum and Rickie Lee Reynolds, and Sammy B Seauphine as an additional vocalist. On September 22, 2023, the band released ''The Devil's Jukebox'', a cover album, on Cleopatra Records. In 2024, the new lineup for Black Oak Arkansas was unveiled, featuring Jim Dandy on lead vocals, Sammy Seauphine on duet vocals, Kinley Wolfe on bass guitar, Josh Decker on rhythm guitar, and Chris Craig on drums. The lineup debuted on March 1st as the opening act for

Rickey Medlocke Rick Medlocke (born February 17, 1950) is an American musician, best known as the frontman/guitarist for the Southern rock band Blackfoot and a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. During his first stint with Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1971 to 1972, he played dru ...

in Medina, Minnesota. In 2025, the band embarked on a mini-tour of the West Coast, featuring an appearance the 53rd anniversary party for the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood, California. On April 12th, Jim joined

Michael Monroe Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm (born 17 June 1962), better known by his stage name Michael Monroe, is a Finnish rock musician who rose to fame as the vocalist and saxophonist for the glam punk band Hanoi Rocks and has served as the frontman ...

onstage for a performance of the Black Oak Arkansas song "Rock N' Roll." Black Oak was joined by

Monster Magnet Monster Magnet is an American rock music, rock band formed in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 1989 by Dave Wyndorf (vocals and guitar), John McBain (musician), John McBain (guitar), and Tim Cronin (vocals and drums). The band has since undergone severa ...

guitarist

Ed Mundell Edward Mundell is an American rock guitarist known for his space rock 1970's inspired sound. From 1992 to 2010, he was the lead guitarist for stoner rock band Monster Magnet, contributing to eight albums in total. As of 2024, Mundell contribut ...

at the Rainbow anniversary party for a performance of "Space Lord," which the band covered on their album The Devil's Jukebox, as well as the Black Oak classic "Mutants of the Monster."

Members

List of classic band members

* James L. Mangrum (AKA

) – lead vocals, washboard (1968–early 1980s, 1983–present) * Rickie Lee "Risky"/"Ricochet" Reynolds – rhythm guitar, 12-string guitar, vocals (1965–1977, 1984–2021) * Harvey "Burley" Jett – lead guitar, banjo, piano, vocals (1965–1974) * Pat "Dirty" Daugherty – bass guitar, vocals (1965–1977, 1996–2002) * Wayne "Squeezebox" Evans – drums (1965–1972) * Stanley "Goober Grin" Knight – lead guitar, steel guitar, organ, vocals (1969–1976) *

– drums (1972–1976) (who later joined the

Pat Travers Patrick Henry Travers (born April 12, 1954) is a Canadian rock guitarist, singer and songwriter who began his recording career in the mid-1970s. Early life Travers was born and raised in Toronto. Soon after picking up the guitar at age 12, h ...

Band; he also played with

Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career, he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, Heavy metal music, heavy ...

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...

, and

Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1978. The group were originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their ow ...

, among others).

Current touring band members

* James L. Mangrum (

) – lead vocals, guitar, washboard (1968–1980, 1983–present) * Chris Craig – drums (1979–1982, 2023–present) * Kinley "Barney" Wolfe – bass guitar, backing vocals (1981–1983, 2021–present) * Sammy B. Seauphine ("Lil Bit") – duet vocals, backing vocals, washboard (2013–present) * Tim Rossi – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2021–2023, 2024–present) *

– lead and rhythm guitar (2024–present) * Josh Decker – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2024–present)

Past members

* Randy Ruff – lead vocals, piano, organ (1980–1982) * Rickie Lee "Risky"/"Ricochet" Reynolds – rhythm guitar, 12-string guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1965–1977, 1984–2021) (died 2021) *

– duet vocals, backing vocals (1973–1976) (died 1995) * Pat "Dirty" Daugherty – bass guitar, vocals (1970–1977, 1996–2002) * Andy Tanas – bass guitar (1977–1979) * Dave Wilson – bass guitar (1979–1981) (died 2013) * George Hughen – bass guitar (1985–1996, 2002–2016) * Johnnie Bolin – drums (1985–2024) * Jimmy "Soybean" Henderson – guitar (1975–1979) (died 2016) * Deke Richards – guitar, piano (1977–1978) * Greg Reding – guitar, keyboards, vocals (1977–1979) * Jack Holder – guitar (1977–1979) (died 2015) *

– guitar (1978–1982) (died 2003) *

Dave Amato David Paul Amato (born March 3, 1953) is an American musician, the lead guitarist of the rock band REO Speedwagon from May 1989 until their retirement in 2024. and a rhythm guitarist/singer for Ted Nugent in the mid-1980s. Early years Amat ...

– guitar (1980) * Mick Chelsvig – guitar (1980–1981) * Tony Bullard – guitar (1981–1982) * Robert Gregory – guitar (1985) *

Angelo Earl Angelo Earl is an American guitarist, record producer, songwriter and owner of Soul Street Records. Earl is most widely known for playing electric guitar on Al Green's "He Is The Light", Bobby Rush's "Southern Soul", the Bar-kays' "The Real Thi ...

– guitar (late 1980s) * Buddy Church – guitar (1989–1994, 2013–2014) (died 2016) * David Flexer - lead guitar (1995-1996,2017-2018) * Harvey "Burley" Jett – lead guitar, banjo, piano, vocals (1970–1974) * Stanley "Goober Grin" Knight – lead guitar, steel guitar, organ, vocals (1970–1976) (died 2013) * Hal McCormack – lead guitar (2003–2013) * Kevin Rees – lead guitar (early 1980s) * John Roth – lead guitar (July 1986–October 1987, 1991) * Arthur Pearson – lead guitar, rhythm guitar (1989–present/on call) * Kevyn Williams – lead guitar (early 1990s) * Danny Leath – lead guitar (199?–????) * Rocky Athas – lead guitar (1996–2001) * Terry "Slydman" Powers – lead guitar (2000–2004) * Wayne "Squeezebox" Evans – drums (1970–1972) * Gary "GT" Taylor – drums (1970–1972) *

– drums (1972–1976) * Bobby "T" Torello – drums (1977) * Joel Williams – drums (1977–1978) * Darrell Miller – drums (1970s) * Cozy Johnson – drums (early 1980s) * Paul Simmons – drums (1985–1986) * Victor Lukenbaugh – drums (1987–1989, 2018–2020) (died 2020) * Johnny Monk Courville - drums (1989-1996, 2021) * Sammi Jo Bishop – drums (2022) * Marius Penczner – keyboards (1975–1977) * David "Dave" Mayo – piano, bass guitar (1976) * Gary D. Rollins – keyboards (1978) * Luke Williams – lead guitar, backing vocals (2024)

Session members

* Kenny Rodgers – guitar * Alex Among – guitar * Steve "The Axe" Nunenmacher – lead guitar, rhythm guitar (Ready As Hell) Later formed

Lillian Axe Lillian Axe is an American hard rock band from New Orleans, Louisiana, best known for its major label albums, ''Lillian Axe'', '' Love + War'', ''Poetic Justice'' and ''Psychoschizophrenia''. Originally formed in 1983, the group is still activ ...

as 'Steve Blaze' * William Lemuel – bass guitar (Ready As Hell) * Jon "J.R."/"Thunder Paws" Wells – drums (Ready As Hell) * Billy Batte – keyboards, violin (Ready As Hell) * Michael "Narley Dude" Martin – lead guitar (The Black Attack Is Back) (died 2005) * Biff "The Beast" Bingham – 2nd lead guitar (Ready As Hell, The Black Attack Is Back) * Mike Farriss – bass guitar (The Black Attack Is Back) * Jerry A. Williams – drums (Ready As Hell, The Black Attack Is Back) * Garrett Bearden – drums (1980s) * Mickey "Tricky" Smith – drums, road tech

Timeline

Discography

Albums

The Knowbody Else

*''The Knowbody Else'' (Hip Records #HIS-7003 subsidiary of Stax Records October 1969; reissued 2008 on Purple Pyramid/

Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label that has the sub-labels Hypnotic Records, Goldenlane, Stardust, Purple Pyramid, Deadline and X-Ray Records. History Founded in January 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in go ...

) *''Soldiers of Pure Peace'' (Arf! Arf! Music, November 13, 2012; demo material originally recorded in 1967)

Black Oak Arkansas

*''

'' (

, March 1971) US No. 127,

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

Gold *''

'' (Atco, January 1972) US No. 103 *''

'' (Atco, June 1972) US No. 93 *''

Raunch 'N' Roll Live Raunchy or raunch may refer to: *Raunchy (instrumental), a 1957 song *Raunchy (band), a Danish metal band *Hardcore pornography *Raunch aesthetics Raunch aesthetics is a term in feminist theory which describes the ways in which women in hip hop ...

'' (Atco, February 1973; recorded December 1 & 2, 1972) US No. 90, RIAA Gold *'' High on the Hog'' (Atco, September 1973) US No. 52, RIAA Gold; Can. No. 81 *''Early Times'' (

, March 1974; demo material originally recorded in 1968/1969 as The Knowbody Else) *''Street Party'' (Atco, July 1974) US No. 56; Can No. 52 *''Ain't Life Grand'' (Atco, April 1975) US No. 145 *''X-Rated'' ( MCA Records, September 1975) US No. 99 *''Live! Mutha'' (Atco, January 1976; recorded May 11, 1975) US No. 194; Can No. 90 *''Balls of Fire'' (MCA, May 1976) US No. 173; Can No. 71 *''10 Yr Overnight Success'' (MCA, October 1976) *''Rebound'' (Goldwax Records #GW-5003, 1991) *''King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Black Oak Arkansas'' (King Biscuit Flower Hour Records/BMG, March 10, 1998; recorded November 21, 1976, at the Reading Festival in England) *''Live on the King Biscuit Flower Hour'' (King Biscuit Entertainment/Pinnacle, September 27, 1999; reissue of the KBFH material...all 12 songs) *''Jim Dandy To The Rescue (DVD Documentary)'' (Cabal Records, 1999/2023) *''Live'' (

EMI-Capitol Special Markets EMI-Capitol Special Markets was an EMI subsidiary handling distribution for special markets. It bought 3C Records in the early nineties. It later operated as EMI Music Marketing and EMI Music Distribution in North America but have since been abs ...

subsidiary of Capitol-EMI Records May 4, 2000; another reissue of the KBFH material minus 2 songs) *''Keep the Faith: Live Concert Performance'' (Disky Communications, 2001; yet another reissue of the KBFH material...all 12 songs) *''Live at Royal Albert Hall'' (S'More Entertainment, November 25, 2005; recorded 1975) *''The Complete Raunch 'N' Roll Live'' (

Rhino Handmade Rhino Entertainment Company (formerly Rhino Records Inc.) is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded ...

Records, 2007) 2CD *''Black Oak Arkansas...The Knowbody Else '69'' (Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra Records, 2008; reissue of Hip Records #HIS-7003) *''Back Thar N' Over Yonder'' (Atlantic/Atco Records, October 15, 2013; includes 5 new songs with 10 previously unreleased studio out-takes from 1972/1973/1974) *''Underdog Heroes'' (Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra Records, May 24, 2019) *''The Devil's Jukebox (cleopatra records 2023) Note: all of BOA's original Atco albums have been reissued on CD by Wounded Bird Records in 2000/2001, except ''High On The Hog'', which has been reissued by Rhino Records; also note that in 2013, the first five Atco studio albums (''BOA'', ''Keep the Faith'', ''If an Angel Came to See You'', ''High on the Hog'', and ''Street Party'') were collected/reissued in a slipcase box set, titled ''Black Oak Arkansas: Original Album Series'' PC: 081227968373by Rhino Entertainment; and in 2021, seven albums (''X-Rated'', ''Live! Reading '76'' ''KBFH Presents: BOA'' ''Race with the Devil'', ''I'd Rather Be Sailing'', ''Ready as Hell'', ''The Black Attack is Back'', and ''Rebound'') were collected/reissued in another slipcase box set, titled ''Jim Dandy to the Rescue'' PC: 889466206726by Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra Records.

Jim Dandy (without BOA)

*''Flash Fearless Versus the Zorg Women, Parts 5 & 6'' (Chrysalis Records, 1975) -note: Jim Dandy sings 2 songs..."Country Cooking" and "Blast Off" on this various artists/original studio cast "comic book hero/rock opera" album.

Black Oak

*''Race with the Devil'' (

Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio fou ...

, November 1977) *''I'd Rather Be Sailing'' (Capricorn, June 1978)

Jim Dandy's Black Oak Arkansas

*''Ready as Hell'' (Hacienda Records, 1984) *''The Black Attack is Back'' (Heavy Metal America Records, 1986) *''The Wild Bunch'' (Deadline/

, November 2, 1999) *''Top Musicians Play ZZ Top'' (Sleeping Giant Records, 2010) -note: Jim Dandy's BOA do just one song..." La Grange" on this various artists "tribute" album. *''Underdog Heroes'' (Cleopatra Records) May 24, 2019 *''The Devil's Jukebox'' (Cleopatra Records) 2023

Compilations

* ''Hot and Nasty (The Best of Black Oak Arkansas)'' (Atlantic/WEA K 1974) -note: single LP with 12 tracks * ''The Best of Black Oak Arkansas'' (Atco, April 1977) * '' Hot & Nasty: The Best of Black Oak Arkansas'' (

Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

Records, 1992) * '' 'Hot And Nasty' And Other Hits'' (Flashback/Rhino Records, 1997) * ''The Definitive Rock Collection'' (Atlantic/Rhino Records, October 17, 2006) 2-CD set

Charted singles

*" Jim Dandy (To the Rescue)" (Atco, December 1973; from the ''High on the Hog'' album) US No. 25; Can No. 12 *"Strong Enough to Be Gentle" (MCA, January 1976; from the ''X-Rated'' album) US No. 89

Books

*''An Analysis of the Southern Rock and Roll Band 'Black Oak Arkansas' '' by Cecil Kirk Hutson (1996, Publisher: The Mellen, Edwin Press) *''Evil Thingies'' by Rickie Lee Reynolds of Black Oak Arkansas (2016, Publisher: Cowboy Buddha Publishing, LLC)

References

External links

Official Black Oak Arkansas Website
*Atlantic Record
Black Oak Arkansas Sign With Atlantic – News – Atlantic Records
* * {{Authority control 1963 establishments in Arkansas Musical groups established in 1963 Rock music groups from Arkansas American southern rock musical groups Atco Records artists