Steve Cash, center, in plaid; Andrew Putler/Redferns/Getty Images

Steve Cash, center, in plaid; Andrew Putler/Redferns/Getty ImagesSteve Cash, a founding member of the veteran Southern rock group The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, died Sunday at his home in Springfield, Missouri, according to the Walnut Lawn Funeral Home website. He was 73.

Cash played harmonica and sang backing vocals in The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, and also wrote or co-wrote many of their songs. Among the tunes Steve co-wrote are the band’s two biggest chart hits, “Jackie Blue” and “If You Wanna Get to Heaven,” which reached #3 and #25, respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975 and 1974.

A message posted on the group’s Facebook page reads, “Steve Cash spent 48 years pouring his heart and soul into this band. He was our poet laureate, an amazingly talented harp player, but more importantly, he was our friend and brother and that presence cannot be replaced.”

The note adds, “We ask that you send good thoughts to his family in this difficult time. Steve Cash may be gone from this Earth, but his lyrics and music will live on forever.”

In August, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils announced that Cash was retiring from touring with the band to focus on unspecified health issues.

Cash is survived by a son, a daughter and four grandchildren.

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