The Dillards
The Dillards are an American bluegrass band from Salem, Missouri, originally consisting of Douglas Flint "Doug" Dillard (born March 6, 1937, East St. Louis, Illinois) (banjo), Rodney Adean "Rod" Dillard (born May 18, 1942, Salem, Missouri) (guitar, dobro), Roy 'Dean' Webb (born March 28, 1937, Independence, Missouri) (mandolin), and Mitchell Franklin "Mitch" Jayne (July 5, 1928, Hammond, Indiana – August 2, 2010) (double bass). The current lineup indludes Rodney Dillard and his wife Beverly Cotten-Dillard (clawhammer banjo, vocals), Shane Lail (guitar), Jim Glaspy (banjo, guitar), and George Giddens (fiddle, mandolin, harmony vocal).
Other members of the band have included Dewey Martin (drums), Herb Pedersen (banjo, guitar), Billy Ray Latham (banjo, guitar, electric guitar), Ray Park (fiddle), Paul York (drums), Jeff Gilkinson (bass, cello, harmonica, banjo), Douglas Bounsall (electric guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle), Byron Berline (fiddle), Irv Dugan (bass), Bill Bryson (bass), Glen D. Hardin (keyboards), Seth Papas (drums), Buddy Blackmon (banjo), Rick McEwen (bass), Ric Williams (drums), Joe Villegas (bass), Eddie Ponder (drums), Pete Grant (banjo, steel guitar), Steve Cooley (banjo, guitar, upright bass), Wilbur Pace (banjo, fiddle, and Richard Godfrey (drums).
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[edit] The Andy Griffith Show
Though The Dillards were a tremendous influence on the main core of musicians who started Southern California's country rock movement in the late 1960s (which further extended from that genre into today's country music),[citation needed] their biggest claim to fame is playing the fictional bluegrass band "The Darlings" on The Andy Griffith Show, introducing many Americans to bluegrass who had never heard it.[1] This was a recurring role and the Dillards were led by veteran character actor Denver Pyle as their father and jug player, Briscoe Darling. Maggie Peterson played Charlene Darling, their sister and the focus for the attentions of character Ernest T. Bass, played by Howard Morris. The appearances of the Dillards as the Darlings ran between 1963 and 1966. In 1986, the Dillards reprised the role in the reunion show Return to Mayberry.[citation needed] As part of their current tour, Rodney Dillard answers questions about the TV series. He says the songs such as "Dooley" are about people the family knew.[1]
[edit] Pioneering Influences
The Dillards are notable for being among the first bluegrass groups to have electrified their instruments in the mid-1960s.[2] They are considered to be one of the pioneers of the burgeoning southern California folk rock, country rock and so-called progressive bluegrass genres, and are known to have directly or indirectly influenced artists such as The Eagles, The Byrds, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dan Fogelberg, Linda Ronstadt, Iain Matthews, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Elton John, Fairport Convention, The New Grass Revival, J. D. Crowe and the New South, Ricky Skaggs, The Seldom Scene, The Dixie Bee-Liners, and Joe Bethancourt.[citation needed]
The Dillards' roots sank deep into the mainstream of popular music --- after leaving The Dillards in 1968, Doug Dillard teamed up with Gene Clark who had just left The Byrds to form Phoenix at A&M records with Laramy Smith and led to the formation of Dillard & Clark.[3] This pioneering duo also featured as session players a veritable who's-who of Southern California country rock legends, such as Bernie Leadon, an original member of The Flying Burrito Brothers & later the archetypal country rock group The Eagles; Chris Hillman, who also had left The Byrds and also played in FBB with Leadon; Sneaky Pete Kleinow, another FBB member; Laramy Smith and Michael Clarke, former drummer for The Byrds.[3] This group was one of the blueprints for the country-rock movement.[4]
In 1972, The Dillards joined Elton John on his first American tour.[1]
[edit] Current members
Rodney Dillard has recorded Don’t Wait for the Hearse to Take You to Church and I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry on the Rural Rhythm Records label with his wife Beverly. He says, "Beverly and I want to make you comfortable. We draw the audience in, in many ways."[1]
Beverly Cotten-Dillard is a native of Morrisville, North Carolina who performed with Janette Carter, Ola Belle Reed, Tommy Jarrell, and Doc and Merle Watson. She has appeared on Hee Haw and the Disney Channel and at Carnegie Hall. Her 1981 album Clog-In 'is considered an American folk classic."[1] She met her husband after performing at the Edmonton Folk Festival. After they married, they moved to Branson, Missouri.
Doug Dillard rarely tours with the group.
Jim Glaspy has won the Texas State Flat Picking competition twice.[1]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | US Top 200 | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Back Porch Bluegrass | — | Elektra |
| 1964 | Live!!!! Almost!!! | — | |
| 1965 | Pickin' and Fiddlin' (with Byron Berline) | — | |
| 1968 | Wheatstraw Suite | — | |
| 1970 | Copperfields | — | |
| 1972 | Roots and Branches | 79 | Anthem |
| 1973 | Tribute to the American Duck | — | Poppy |
| 1977 | The Dillards vs. The Incredible L.A. Time Machine | — | Flying Fish |
| 1978 | Mountain Rock | — | Crystal Clear |
| 1979 | Decade Waltz | — | Flying Fish |
| 1980 | Homecoming and Family Reunion | — | |
| 1991 | Let It Fly | — | Vanguard |
| 1992 | Take Me Along For The Ride | — | |
| 1999 | A Long Time Ago: The First Time Live | — | Varèse Sarabande |
| 2006 | Early Recordings - 1959 | — |
[edit] Compilations
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Country Tracks | Elektra |
| 1986 | I'll Fly Away | Edsel |
| 1991 | There Is a Time (1963-70) | Vanguard |
| 1995 | The Best of The Darlin' Boys | |
| 1996 | Roots and Branches/Tribute to the American Duck | Beat Goes On |
| 2001 | Back Porch Bluegrass & Live!!!! Almost!!! | Warner Strategic Marketing |
| 2004 | Pickin' and Fiddlin', Wheatstraw Suite & Copperfields | |
| 2005 | Let The Music Flow: The Best of the Dillards 1963-1979 | Raven |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Billboard Hot 100 | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Dooley | — | Back Porch Bluegrass | Elektra |
| Hootin' Banjo [Duelin' Banjo] | — | |||
| 1965 | Nobody Knows | — | singles only | Capitol |
| 1966 | The Last Thing On My Mind | — | ||
| 1968 | Reason To Believe | — | Wheatstraw Suite | Elektra |
| 1969 | Listen To The Sound | — | ||
| 1970 | Rainmaker | — | Copperfields | |
| Close The Door Lightly | — | |||
| One Too Many Mornings | — | singles only | White Whale | |
| Comin' Home Again | — | |||
| 1971 | It's About Time | #92 | Anthem | |
| 1972 | One A.M. | #111 | Roots and Branches | |
| America (The Lady Of The Harbor) | — | single only | ||
| 1973 | Hot Rod Banjo | — | Tribute to the American Duck | Poppy |
| 1975 | Stones Throw Away | — | single only | United Artists |
| 1977 | The Poet | — | The Dillards Vs. The Incredible L.A. Time Machine | Sonet |
[edit] Trivia
- Doug, Rodney and Byron Berline can be seen in the movie The Rose starring Bette Midler. They played musicians in Harry Dean Stanton's band and their faces can be seen on the screen for around ten minutes.
- Doug Dillard appears as "Farmer Clem" in Robert Altman's movie Popeye, which starred Robin Williams and features a musical score by Harry Nilsson. A soundtrack album was released on Boardwalk records (SWAL 36880), the basic tracks were recorded on location in Malta by "The Falcons" (Ray Cooper, Doug Dillard, Harry Nilsson, Van Dyke Parks, Klaus Voormann, and The Mysterious Karsten). Nilsson wrote all of the songs except for "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man".
- Rodney sings the Dillards song "There Is A Time" (written by Rodney and Mitch Jayne) on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album Will The Circle Be Unbroken - Part 3.
- Doug joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry, who also appeared in "Popeye," for the In the Heat of the Night (TV Series) cast CD “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” performing "Christmas Time's A Comin'" with the cast on the CD released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.
- Dean Webb now plays in the band called The Missouri Boatride http://missouriboatride.com/ with Justin Sifford, Bob Gideon, and Larry Sifford.
- Late Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkeson can be seen wearing a Doug Dillard "My Grass Is Blue" shirt on both versions of "Street Survivors".
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Rifkin, Carol (2012-03-02). "From Mayberry to Black Mountain: The Dillards play mighty fine bluegrass". Asheville Citizen-Times. http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20120302/ENT02/303020016/From-Mayberry-Black-Mountain-Dillards-play-mighty-fine-bluegrass?odyssey=mod. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- ^ Liner Notes for The Dillards' Wheatstraw Suite
- ^ a b The Dillard & Clark Expedition
- ^ Billboard.com - Biography - The Dillards
