Today, the spotlight shines on author and educator Michael Kuelker, here to talk about his recent book, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils On Record: A Narrative Discography. Michae is a teacher, writer, and reggae radio DJ in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils are an American rock group who first formed in 1972. Hailing from Springfield, Missouri, the band had two major hits, "If You Wanna Get to Heaven" from their debut album in 1974 and a certified smash, "Jackie Blue" from their 1975 follow-up.
Michael’s book uses the framework of their discography as the scaffolding on which to hang not only over 50 years of their story, but to go back further to describe the music and cultural scenes of the Ozark region as well as the various threads of the music business and cultural industries that the band buffeted against over the years. It is a unique mode of storytelling, one worth reading and applying to other artists and scenes.
Michael joined us to talk about his work on the book and to give us some insight into the band and the world they developed in.