Black Oak Arkansas
February 1974
Imagine the thrill I got when out of the blue I get an email from Atlantic Records wanting to use three of my Black Oak Arkansas photos for their comeback album,
Back Thar n’ Over Yonder!
I spotted my work in several different places on their Webisodes for VH-1 and got my name and website on their CD cover. I am also in their Black Oak Arkansas group on Facebook!
Click on these for full view.
Out of the blue I get a request from Atlantic Records to use a few of my photos for a Webisode for Black Oak Arkansas!
WELL! HELL YES!
Shane K Smith
Which hand did Jim usually wear that ring on?
Is this right or does it need flipped. Looking at the slide isn’t always a clue. Did Jim Dandy wear that ring on his left hand? But it looks like he wears rings on both hands.
The guitar on this shot could be right handed and the speaker logos or writing on his washboard “Ain’t right”!
Now this worries the hell out of me tonight 20190325. I have questions Rickie Lee Reynolds and fans can help me with. I’m thinking How did Tommy Aldridge the drummer set up his mIc? Was it usually to his lft of Tom Tom? I can’t make out the logo. What kind of speakers are those? Was the logo in the top right hand corner? Are those Fender heads to the far left? Do they look right or did I flip this shot? Did Jim Dandy usually play the washboard with his right or left hand? I can’t make out the writing on the washboard.
See what I mean! This looks more like Rickie Lee Reynolds is left side facing with Tommy on his right. I’m trying to air guitar in my head. His strumming hand bent out and chord hand (left) more tight by his side. But they say you remember things over 30 years plus backwards. The new selfie craze produces a lot of backassward photos. I’ll either repost the album or come back later tonight and flip them. Looks like I flipped a couple when I scanned the slides. The logo on the speakers and holding the guitar in the opposite direction should be a clue. Looks like I got Jim Dandy right unless he liked to hold the mic left handed!
I mean there are questions here like does Jim Dandy hang to the left or to the right? The guitar player may have been left handed. Did Tommy Dixon mic his Tom Tom like that? Can you read the guitar make or cymbal make?
I could sure use help figuring out if this photo needs to be flipped. if so that would explain Rickie Lee Reynolds playing left handed her, if it is Rickie and which side the logo on those big speakers are on!
I can’t make out if the name on these speaker heads or Tommy’s drums. Or how is the washboard branded? Are those letters backwards? Is that a lot like playing the album backwards?
He has a freckle on his left bicep. or should that be his right bicep?
Flickr is slowy letting me flip horizontally and maintaining the views from 2009. Thanks to the help of Bill Gans, Rickie Lee Reynolds and fans of Black Oak Arkansas group page on Facebook for helping me adjust these photos. Leave a comment if you see I need to flip horizontally anymore.
Bill Gans “yes your pic is reversed, hi-hat is on the wrong side, i was probably the sound eng. on this tour(showco), notice the shure 548 mics, not sure of the year this pic was taken, don’t see ruby, she was on all the tours i did with them.”
https://www.facebook.com/officialblackoakarkansas/
Piper Dandy
I had the great fortune to meet Jim Dandy’s daughter via The Black Oak Facebook group. She very politely responded to a comment I made on her videos she is documenting of her famous Father, Jim Dandy.
From Piper
“The ride home from Black Oak with my dad, Jim Dandy. Oh lawd, he talkin’ lol
12,922 views
•Dec 12, 2019
3.27K subscribers
“Sheezus dudes, thi vid took SOOOO LOOOONG TO MAAAAAKE because if you know my dad, Mr. Jim Dandy Mangrum, you know that being quiet isn’t his strong suit lol. So, after MANY many tries….. its finally done. I hope you enjoy it! It’s got some crazy stories in it! From bootlegging booze in the 1800’s to mom lol the WHOLE DANDY SPECTRUM hahaha also, bare in mind that he didn’t know I was filming until we got to my house, so he looks a bit disheveled and “undone” because he had just planed to be riding in the car with me and not being seen by thousands lol so just know he’s not dressed to be seen, he’s just in casual dad mode. I hope you enjoy and as always, THANKS FOR WATCHING!!“
“The Ride – Episode 2: From Black Oak to Rickie Lee’s! In this installment, my boyfriend josh and I pick up my pops (Jim Dandy Mangrum) in Black Oak (Arkansas) and take him to Memphis to his best and oldest friends house. Mr. Rickie Lee Reynolds, the other founding member, & rhythm guitarist in Black Oak Arkansas. It’s just a snapshot into our lives and the conversations we have. I hope you enjoy! If you like my content, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment and click that like button! Until next time dudes! LLAP”
“Hey all! Piper D here, I’m super excited to share episode 3 with ya’ll! In this episode, I will be explaining how, & where, I was born! Details inside! Don’t forget to like, share, & subscribe if you enjoy my content! New videos EVERY WEEK! Until next time dudes! LLAP”
“Hey y’all! Welcome back! Here’s another crazy time from my childhood that’s hard to believe but completely true. This one was a scary one for my mom, but I had no clue how scary it actually was until around a decade later. Watch and you decide! Thanks for checking out my channel! If you like what you see, please leave a like and subscribe!! Until next week dudes! Xoxo”
“A short but sweet story about what life was like between one of Dad’s booking agents and I. Hope you like it! & if you enjoy stories like this one, check out the other videos from the Growing Up Dandy series! There will be tons more, so please subscribe to my channel and smash that like button & notification bell! Until next week dudes! (I Upload every tues & weds of each week) LLAP!! remember to Keep The Faith!! – Piper Dandy Mangrum, Daughter of Jim Dandy Mangrum from the band Black Oak Arkansas”
Be sure to subscribe To Growing Up Dandy by Piper Dandy. As of 20200720 she has at least 8 videos and plans to do more. Be sure to mark my page so you can come back and visit!
Piper Dandy!
No shit 1:59! He picks up a Frisbee and wings it! Do ya think I like that? HELL YES!
Look what Piper is up to!
https://www.etsy.com/search?q=piper%20Dandy
These business cards and keychains are clickable! THANK YOU PIPER!
The No Tell Motel & Hotel Association of The World has given Shane’s Flying Disc Show and Shane K Smith Photography his own key to a restful night (or day)!
Find Your Custom Key Chains Here!
https://www.etsy.com/search?q=piper%20Dandy
Thank You Piper!
From Piper Dandy 20220504
Black Oak Arkansas Fans
I’ve never shared this with anyone but Rickie Lee, and the people from the festival it was for. Rickie Lee passed less than a month after he had me make this for him. Its a video of his other band, “Rickie Lee & Da Mutz”. It was a video for the promoters of the festival they were going to play later that year. It’s private on my YouTube page so no one can see it but the people that have the actual link because I wanted only Rickie to be able to share it. But he went into the hospital days after this was made. I’m sure Christopher has seen it, but I doubt anyone else has. I love all of the pics Rickie sent me to put in the video. So why not share it with the people that truly loved and still continue to love Rickie Lee Reynolds!! SPREAD THE LOVE FOLKS! Love is hard to find in this day and age. There’s so much anger to be seen. Let’s show love and light in this space! We’re all about the love, so you’ll always find it here. 
#WeLoveYouUncleRickie! #BOAforever! — with Johnny Courville and Christopher Lee Crowther.
https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/black-oak-arkansas–2/photos?page=1#photo-tabl
Piper Mangrum
“My dad has put out a new album of covers! It doesn’t release until October, but the label has put out a few visualizer teasers on YouTube. He says he had fun doing it & that it was relaxing to do covers vs. the stress of writing (I assume that’s because his writing partner, my uncle Rickie lee, has now gone to a different plane) The first chosen single was “California Dreamin”. These covers of course are mostly songs from his era, but there is at least 1 current jam on there by monster magnet. Anyhoo, go give this a view and a like and help me support my dads art!”
“
Jay Brook Lipe
“I don’t know how it happened, but I became friends with Black Oak Arkansas. I lived with them, played music with them, toured with them, and laughed with them. Rickie Lee Reynolds and Victor Lukenbaugh and Harvey Jett treated me so freakn cool and were each a personal friend of mine. we all talked shop often..Fly High Brothers !!!.. I would sit at Jim Dandys house and drink chocolate milk with him and chat about Elvis and Smoking Js with Jerry Garcia…. it was Greg Ginn of Black Flag that turned me onto them years ago and ironically it was Greg that was with me back in the green room at a club in Kansas City while on tour with Black Flag when I got the call to be asked to play bass for them… It was a whirlwind experience. We headlined a new state fair every week. From one side of the usa to the other.. One time on stage, it became so surreal, it left me speechless….and Rickie looked over at me while we were playing and I realized he knew what I was thinking.. he knew I knew that we were riding in some kind of time machine.. I mean, Cheech and Chong opened for these dudes.. they toured and did shows with kiss, the eagles, black sabbath, lynyrd skynyrd, the rolling stones, james brown…. heck, even David Lee Roth of Van Halen copied Jim’s moves.. the list is endless. I had the promoter of the whiskey go go calling me. It was insane… did our 2019 tour crash and burn in my backyard? My answer is… What shooting star doesnt ? When electricity came to Alton.. I tried to have them play my hometown twice, but lightning never strikes the same place a second time. Right before our first show I told Jim… bro, I don’t have your look.. he told me to put a stetson hat on.. the rest is history.”
One thought on “Black Oak Arkansas”
You must log in to post a comment.