The Music of Southwest Missouri

A History of Music in the Ozarks

Instruments line the stage, from banjos to fiddles to cellos, each hinting at what’s to come. Jeff Houghton, host of The Mystery Hour, introduces himself to the audience and provides some background of the Ozark Jubilee. “The music history in this town is crazy,” he said at the event. The Ozark Jubilee was a live, nationally broadcast television show that first aired in 1955, and it drew 25 million viewers. At the time, it put Springfield on par with New York City and Los Angeles in terms of entertainment. It was a place where many country stars made their television debut. Legends like Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and Red Foley graced the stage back in the day. Today, local performers like The Guinevere Goodwin Band, Abbey Waterworth and The Grass Pickers pay homage to the Ozark Jubilee and connect a new generation to Springfield’s musical heritage.

As people pile into the historic Fox Theatre, shifting across the funky-patterned carpet with the rest of the crowd, a man says, “Where’s the mosh pit?” followed by a whirl of laughs from the people in his vicinity. Folk music is playing over the speakers, and the theater is glowing with amber lighting and the joy of a chatty crowd. The audience skews older with a few token twenty-somethings who might say they’re here because they just like the music—or maybe their parents begged them to come along, hoping to share a glimpse of their youth. That’s really what tonight is about: The baby boomers are wide-eyed and eager to be taken back in time, swarmed by memories tied to melodies. While the younger crowd is hoping to learn something and get a peek into a life they’ve only heard about. They are together, bridging generations through music.

For many, music is more than a way to pass the time, it’s the background noise of life and an emotional outlet. For performers, it’s a way to express themselves and communicate beyond words. And culturally, music can preserve history and pass songs, hymns and anthems through generations. People attend concerts together, discuss genres together, sing along in the car together and connect through lyrics together. This unity is made clear through events like the Ozark Jubilee Tribute concert. “I was a kid when the Ozark Jubilee was on in the early ’50s and ’60s,” says author and former radio show host Wayne Glenn. “I was proud of the fact that the show was being done locally.” That sense of pride sparked a lifelong passion for music. Glenn, who hosted various radio shows from 1975 to 2021, became both a history and music expert along the way. “The Ozarks can be identified as a separate area as opposed to the Appalachians or Western music,” Glenn says. “The Ozarks geographically is a separate area and was pretty isolated in early history—say, pre-World War II. There was a lot of isolationism that forced the people to be content with the music they were exposed to when they came here to the Ozarks as pioneer settlers in the 1850s and on up.” Those settlers carried music with them from other countries, creating a melting pot of genres that shaped the Ozarks’ musical identity into what it is today. “If you go to places like Ava or even Branson, you’ll find younger people playing instruments that connect to older country music, folk music, bluegrass music—guitars, fiddles, banjos and things like that—I think that’s encouraging,” Glenn says.

Branson, Missouri's Live Music Scene

Branson is known for Silver Dollar City, outdoor recreation, the live entertainment and restaurants on the Branson Strip and, more recently, as the official vacation destination for the Kansas City Chiefs. But above all, Branson is famous for its numerous shows and concerts that create rich music history. Dubbed the “Live Entertainment Capital of the World,” the city is home to dozens of  theaters. The Baldknobbers are credited as Branson’s first country show. In 1959, the Mabe Brothers began performing two times a week in a converted building on the Lake Taneycomo waterfront. The Presley family joins The Baldknobbers as one of the iconic music groups that have been performing in the Ozarks since the beginning—literally, since people were packing into caves to hear their family performances.

Even before the Presleys, caves were a venue for a fun night out. In the late ’50s, the Presleys started a music show at the Underground Theatre—now known as Talking Rocks Cavern—near Kimberling City, featuring special guests from Ozark Jubilee like the legendary Red Foley. They later took the stage in Branson’s first music theater on Highway 76 in 1967, and they’ve been there ever since, bringing a mix of country, gospel, bluegrass and comedy to the Ozarks. More and more theaters began popping up around them—including The Baldknobbers’ theater in 1968—turning Branson into a country music locus. The Haygoods are another iconic Branson band, following in the footsteps of The Baldknobbers and The Presleys but in a more modern way. The Haygoods have been performing in Branson since 1993, representing a younger generation of entertainers who keep the family music group tradition alive in Branson (read more about The Haygoods).

The Next Generation of Ozark Musicians

When it comes to reminiscing on past shows, such as the aforementioned Ozark Jubilee, organizations like Ozark Mountain Music are key to keeping those musical traditions alive, providing a space for youth to practice and perform traditional dance and bluegrass music. “Old-time music was meant for dance and to bring the community together,” Executive Director Wendy Wright says. “Bluegrass was meant for performance.” Ozark Mountain Music hosts camps to teach youth how to play and collaborate as a band. Bluegrass Camp focuses on bluegrass performance, while the Old-Time Camp explores old-time music with square dancing and classic fiddle tunes passed down through generations. Programs like these are keeping the spirit of traditional music alive in the Ozarks.

It’s not just classic bluegrass and country music—pop music has a home in the Ozarks, too. Springfield native Les Garland has been a prominent figure in shaping the entire music industry into what it is today. A renowned music executive, he is best known for co-founding MTV in the ’80s, alongside Robert Pittman, WarnerMedia, Tom Freston and John Sykes. MTV was the first 24-hour music channel and went on to launch many big artists’ music careers, setting the stage for the future of music worldwide.

Speaking of the next generation, it’s impossible not to mention the incredibly talented Chappell Roan. With a sound uniquely her own, the Willard native is making waves in the music scene worldwide. Artists like Roan and rising pop musician and songwriter Jake Wesley Rogers remind us that it’s not uncommon for people from 417-land to reach the biggest stages. “I started writing songs when I was 13, and Springfield was my first place I shared it,” Rogers says. “It kind of all began there.” The Ozarks have become a backdrop and launchpad for many people, offering comfort as they experiment with their sound and share it with the world.

Roan and Rogers are the most recent artists from the Ozarks to make it big, but they aren’t the first. Their rise coincides with the same time The Ozark Mountain Daredevils—who are arguably the most well-known musicians from the region—prepare to launch their final tour. The Ozark Mountain Daredevils officially formed as a band in Springfield in 1971.

Initially, they were called Emergency Band, then Burlap Socks, and later Family Tree before signing their recording contract with A&M Records. Eventually, they pivoted to The Ozark Mountain Daredevils after a “name the band” party, where the idea of becoming “Cosmic Corncob and His Amazing Ozark Mountain Daredevils” was proposed. Since no one in the band wanted to be Cosmic Corncob (for obvious reasons), it was shortened to The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. The band traveled the world including London, England, where they recorded their debut self-titled album in 1973. Read more about The Ozark Mountain Daredevils.

The Ozarks provide many opportunities to experience local musical talent each week. From Hold Fast Brewing and Millsap Farms to Tie & Timber and local music venues like The Riff and Thunder Ridge Nature Arena, we encourage you to dive into the local music scene and experience the diverse sounds of the Ozarks.