Larry Lee, a founding member of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils who penned the hit „Jackie Blue“ with late bandmate Steve Cash, died early Saturday in Springfield.
News of the loss spread quickly, reaching members of the current band on tour in Wisconsin.
„It was unexpected for all of us,“ said manager Dwight Glenn, who confirmed the death of the band’s longtime „friend and brother.“
In a Sunday post on Facebook, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils wrote that Lee’s death „evokes a profound sense of loss that resonates deeply within the hearts of all those who knew him.“ He was 78.
„His contributions to this band and the music community at large were significant and his absence leaves an enduring void. The emotional weight of his loss is felt not only in the melodies he helped create but also in the personal connections forged through shared experiences for so many years.“
Glenn, and the band, said the lyrics and music that Lee created will „live forever“ and the band will celebrate his life by playing those songs on stage.
Lee, who sang lead vocals on „Jackie Blue“ was born in 1947 in Springfield. In junior high and high school, he played drums in local rock bands.
The 1965 graduate of Glendale High School served in the U.S. Navy.
„It was during my last two years of duty while stationed in Puerto Rico that I began writing songs,“ Lee wrote, in his online biography. „There was a small chapel on base and it was there, when no one else was around, that I taught myself how to play piano and by the time I was discharged I had written over 30 songs.“
In 1970, after the end of his military service, Lee returned to Springfield. He played drums and wrote songs with the beloved group, Granny’s Bathwater.
A short time later, Lee became an original member of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and in the decade that followed he saw „Jackie Blue“ top the radio charts.
Reached by phone Sunday, Glenn said the Daredevils acknowledge and pay tribute to original members, such as Lee, and others who has been part of the 53-year history of the band by continuing to perform and keep the music alive.
„Their lyrics and their songs are a big part of the reasons we do this,“ he said.
Glenn said music can be healing and cathartic.
In the early 1980s, Lee left the band and moved to Nashville, where he worked as a songwriter and background vocalist — singing on several Jimmy Buffett records and later touring with Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band.
According to Lee’s biography, his career evolved and he became a record producer for artists such as Alabama, Juice Newton and Restless Heart, among others.
In 1989, he helped form The Del Beatles with close friends and fellow session musicians, a nod to their shared love of British pop music. In 2000, the group changes its name to the Vinyl Kings and recorded albums „A Little Trip“ and the „Time Machine.“
In 2005, Lee collaborated with Daredevil bandmate Randle Chowning to release „Beyond Reach.“ He later moved back to Missouri.
Lee and Chowning received the Quill Award in 2015 as part of his induction into the Writers Hall of Fame, the first time it had been awarded to songwriters.
In 2023, Lee was inducted into the Springfield Public Schools Hall of Fame along with Chowning and Cash, who died in 2019.
Lee, who spent more than 20 years working in Nashville, passed along „observations from this life of mine“ to students in attendance.
„Always remain open to life’s mysteries, take time to daydream because daydreams nourish your imagination,“ said Lee, at the event. „Try to slow down enough to be conscious of what is happening in between the seconds and to do your best to understand and appreciate all the things that are different in life.“
More: Ozark Mountain Daredevils will end tour with trio of ‚curtain call‘ Springfield concerts
In early 2024, the current lineup of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils embarked on what was billed as its farewell tour, called „When It Shines“ — a nod to its second studio album released in 1973. The tour included shows near and far ranging from the Ozarks Amphitheater and Black Oak Amphitheater to the Grand Ole Opry and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where the band performed as part of the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
The beloved band will conclude its final tour of this magnitude with a trio of performances in Springfield. The historic three-night event is set for Nov. 13-15 at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts.
Ozark Mountain Daredevils' Larry Lee, co-writer of 'Jackie Blue' song, dies Saturday – Springfield News-Leader
