Monday, August 14, 2023

California Jam, Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, CA, 4-6-1974, Part 5: Black Oak Arkansas

The fifth act at the California Jam was Black Oak Arkansas. The festival was split into a more poppy first half and a more rocking second half, and this is the beginning of the second half.

I don't know much about Black Oak Arkansas. They're considered a Southern rock band, but with more variety than the likes of the Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd. They had one hit in 1973, "Jim Dandy," a cover of a hit from the 1950s. The female singer Ruby Starr appeared on that recording. She took part in this concert, though just on that one song. You can see her dressed in red on the album cover.

Unfortunately, it seems this set is incomplete. However, I don't know how much is missing or what other songs were played. But what is here sounds good. It was recorded from the TV and/or radio broadcasts, like most of the other sets from this festival. And like most of those others, I thought the lead vocals were rather low, so I boosted them using the UVR5 audio editing program.

This album is 23 minutes long.

34 Up (Black Oak Arkansas)
35 Mutants of the Monster (Black Oak Arkansas)
36 talk (Black Oak Arkansas)
37 Jim Dandy (Black Oak Arkansas with Ruby Starr)
38 talk (Black Oak Arkansas)
39 When Electricity Came to Arkansas (Black Oak Arkansas)
40 Dixie (Black Oak Arkansas)

https://www.upload.ee/files/15571594/CalifrniaJmOntrioMtorSpeedwyOntarioCA__4-6-1974_05BlckOakArknsas.zip.html

The cover photo comes from this exact concert. I had a choice of some others, but I thought it was nice to pick one that had Ruby Starr in it as well.

3 comments:

  1. It's easy to name the most prominent member in this band: TOMMY ALDRIDGE. He was the band's drummer from 1972 to 1976 and was the beginning of a really big career.

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  2. These losers were so stupid it's a wonder they found
    any success at all. I was 12 and we laughed at these
    guys. WE WERE 12!

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  3. David Lee Roth wasn't laughing at Black Oak Arkansas - he based his appearance and stage persona on Jim Mangrum.

    ReplyDelete