Album of the Day

Named after the sextet's tiny home town, Black Oak Arkansas served up some of the greasiest Southern rock of the 1970s, cutting a string of albums for Atco, of which HIGH ON THE HOG was the most successful. There's some fine funk and bodacious boogie in the nine originals here, including “High And Dry,” “Happy Hooker,” “Swimming In Quicksand” and an unusual instro, “Moonshine Sonata,” which suggests these good ol' boys had a weird streak. There's just one cover, but it's a corker - “Jim Dandy To The Rescue.” According to legend, Elvis suggested BOA cut a version of the LaVern Baker favorite; with guest vocalist Ruby Starr joining in, the song gave the band their biggest hit single and gave larger-than-life frontman Jim “Dandy” Mangrum his nickname. Mangrum was born on this day in 1948, and to mark the occasion we'll go HIGH ON THE HOG today!