The Ozark Mountain Daredevils
A lot of classic rock acts yo-yo at the end of their careers: They do a farewell tour, then a few years later a comeback tour, then another farewell tour, and so on. The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, purveyors of groovy, rootsy rock ’n’ roll since the early 1970s, didn’t want to do it that way. So the band’s When It Shines farewell tour, which includes a stop at the Ryman Friday night, actually will be the band’s final run on the road.
“Supe says we’re going to land the plane at the end of 2025,” John Dillon, a multi-instrumentalist and singer who’s one of the two remaining original members of the Daredevils, tells the Scene. He’s quoting his fellow remaining original member, bassist Michael “Supe” Granda, who has called Nashville home since 1991.
“We decided to give it two years,” Granda says. “So we’re telling all of our fans, ‘OK, you have a two-year window to see us one last time.’”
In the mid-’70s, the group was riding high with a pair of Top 40 hits, “If You Wanna Get to Heaven” and “Jackie Blue.” But even then, the Daredevils were never road warriors to the same degree as many of their peers.
“We never really played a whole lot, and that was a problem with our record company back in the ’70s,” Granda says. “We never really went out for long, extended tours. I think the most we ever played was 80 or 90 gigs a year. For the last 10 years, we’ve played maybe 20 or 30 a year.”
Granda estimates that When It Shines will end with a total of 75 or so dates. Though the band will no longer tour, they will play the occasional special show.
“I think it’s healthy if it comes to an end in the proper way — where everybody agrees, for one thing,” Dillon says. “And then we sort of celebrate the joy that we’ve had together as a working band for the last 51 or 52 years.”
The Daredevils’ most recent collection of new music was 2019’s Heaven 20/20, and they currently have no plans to make another record. In the fall, however, they hope to release an album that has been on the shelf for more than three decades. They recorded Now Hear This in the late ’80s at Lou Whitney’s studio in Springfield, Mo., where everyone in the band except Granda is based.
“We think we have a home for [Now Hear This],” Granda says. “So hopefully — knock on wood — later this year, our fans and the public are going to have yet another new record.”
Granda has seen many shows at the Ryman since he moved to Nashville, but Friday’s show is the first time the Daredevils will grace the legendary venue’s stage. It’s a bucket-list experience for Dillon and Granda.
“We’re really looking forward to the Ryman because it’s every musician’s dream,” Granda says. “It’s the Mother Church, and they call it that for a reason.”
Reflecting on the Daredevils’ decision to leave the road behind, Dillon says it’s “nice to have an exit with some dignity and grace.” Granda agrees.
“I’m at peace with it,” Granda says, “because I don’t really have any desire to be Keith Richards. Priorities change for a 70-year-old man. The music is fun — the music is still wonderful. It’s the travel that wears on a 77-year-old body.”
