The Dillards | |
|---|---|
 The band in 1977 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Salem, Missouri, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Members |
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| Past members | |
| Website | www |
The Dillards are an American bluegrass and country rock band from Salem, Missouri. [1] The band is notable for introducing bluegrass music into the popular mainstream with their appearance as "The Darlings" on The Andy Griffith Show . [2]
The Dillards originally consisted of:
In 1968, Doug Dillard left to form Dillard and Clark. He continued to play occasionally with his brother until a few years before his death, in 2012. [4]
The 2015 lineup included:
Other members of the band have included:
Though The Dillards were already an established bluegrass band, [2] they achieved additional fame by performing musically as members of the fictional Darling family on The Andy Griffith Show , introducing bluegrass to many Americans who had never heard it. [6] 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. As the Darling brothers, the band members spoke no dialogue and presented themselves as unemotional and disengaged unless they were performing a song. 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 2012 tour, Rodney Dillard answered questions about the TV series. He said the songs such as "Dooley" are about people the family knew. [6]
On the October 1963 episode "Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee", the Dillards performed the first wide scale airing of the 1955 Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith composition Feudin' Banjos (Dueling Banjos).
According to Jim Clark of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club, three albums have been produced with songs performed on the show. Clark says "Songs That Make Me Cry" is the only one currently available with real performances and has the three songs which included Maggie Peterson as Charlene. "Back Porch Bluegrass" and "Live Almost" include five songs that were sung on the show, and Rodney Dillard released another album with the real performances of other songs. [7]
The Dillards are notable for being among the first bluegrass groups to have electrified their instruments in the mid-1960s. [8] They are considered to be pioneers of country rock and progressive bluegrass. [1] They are known to have directly or indirectly influenced artists such as the Eagles, the Byrds, and Elton John. [9] In 1972, The Dillards joined Elton John on his first American tour. [6] John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin has also acknowledged their influence, particularly in his decision to play the mandolin. [10]
Rodney Dillard is a founding member of The Dillards – the group he formed with his brother, Douglas Dillard in the late 1950s. Credited throughout the years as the driving force behind the group's musical direction, success, and phenomenal longevity as a working act. Today, Dillard's musical duties include lead and harmony vocals, guitar, and dobro.
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. Cotten-Dillard is recognized as an authority on the traditional "clawhammer" banjo technique and is a featured member of The Dillards live shows. Her 1981 album Clog-In 'is considered an American folk classic." [6]
George Giddens is a classically trained musician who is an awarded fiddler and mandolin player for the band.
Gary J. Smith was added to the lineup, having recorded double bass in the 2015 studio sessions for the new Dillards album. Smith is well known in Nashville circles after stints with Tom T. Hall, The Brother Boys, and Ed Snodderly.
Former member, Dean Webb, died at the age of 81, on June 30, 2018. [3]
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Top 200 | CAN | |||
| 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 | 56 | 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 | — | — | |
| 2020 | Old Road New Again | — | — | Pinecastle Records |
| 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 |
| 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 | No. 92 | Anthem | |
| 1972 | One A.M. | No. 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 |
James Dee Crowe was an American banjo player and bluegrass band leader. He first became known during his four-year stint with Jimmy Martin in the 1950s. Crowe led the bluegrass group New South from 1971 until his death in 2021.
Will the Circle Be Unbroken is the seventh studio album by American country music group The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, released in November 1972, through United Artists Records. The album was a collaboration with many famous bluegrass and country-and-western players, including Roy Acuff, "Mother" Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Merle Travis, Pete "Oswald" Kirby, Norman Blake, Jimmy Martin, and others. It also introduced fiddler Vassar Clements to a wider audience.
The Darlings are a fictional family of musically inclined hillbillies in the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.
Doyle Wayne Lawson is an American traditional bluegrass and Southern gospel musician. He is best known as a mandolin player, vocalist, producer, and leader of the 6-man group Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Lawson was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
Dillard & Clark was a country rock collaboration between ex-Byrds member Gene Clark and bluegrass banjo player Doug Dillard.
Through the Morning, Through the Night is the second and final album from the country rock duo Dillard & Clark, released in September 1969.
Nobody Knows What You Do is an album by John Hartford, released in 1976.
Wheatstraw Suite is the fourth album by American band the Dillards. Released in 1968, the album showcased an "unpredictable" mix of bluegrass, country, folk, rock and pop. For the album's sessions, the band recorded with a full orchestra, electric instrumentation and occasional drums.
Glitter Grass from the Nashwood Hollyville Strings is an album by John Hartford, Doug Dillard, and Rodney Dillard, released in 1977.
Steep Canyon Rangers is an American bluegrass band based in Asheville and Brevard, North Carolina.
Back Porch Bluegrass is the debut album by American band the Dillards, released in 1963. "Dooley" and "Duelin' Banjo" were released as singles.
Copperfields is the fifth album by American band the Dillards. Further distancing themselves from traditional bluegrass music, the album draws from bluegrass, rock, folk and country music, with prominent orchestra and increased use of drums, electric bass guitar and electric guitar on "Brother John". Herb Pedersen, who replaced Doug Dillard starting with Wheatstraw Suite, assumes a more prominent role on this album, writing more songs, contributing more vocals and appearing more prominently on the album cover.
Tribute to the American Duck is the seventh album by American band the Dillards. Released only a year after Roots and Branches,Tribute features the same lineup and a country rock sound. Billy Ray Latham's electric guitar features on "Caney Creek", and rock influences are evident in the song writing and cover choice. The album features a re-recorded version of "Dooley" from the Dillards' debut, Back Porch Bluegrass.
Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III is the 2002 album from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. This album reached 18 on the US Country chart. Earlier albums in the series include Will the Circle Be Unbroken and Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume II.
Walker's Run is an acoustic bluegrass band based out of Lexington, Virginia who also play New Grass and Jazz music.
Live...Almost!!! is the second album by bluegrass quartet The Dillards, recorded live at The Mecca, Los Angeles, in front of a clearly appreciative audience. The Dillards perform with a lot of spirit, warmth and enjoyment, which seems to have been their usual approach: "There isn't a song that the Dillards do that they don't thoroughly enjoy, and they do them with equal enthusiasm on the back porch, or in concert before five thousand people".
The Lonesome River Band is an American contemporary bluegrass band. The band has released 15 recording projects since its formation in 1982. Lonesome River Band is led by Sammy Shelor who is a member of the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame and a 5-Time International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the Year Award recipient. The band has experienced numerous personnel changes over the years, and has not included an original member since Tim Austin left the band in 1995 to focus on Doobie Shea Records.
Follow Me is the third album by Bearfoot, released in 2006.
Douglas Flint Dillard was an American musician noted for his banjo proficiency and his pioneering participation in late-'60s country rock.
Dean Webb was a bluegrass and rock musician who was a member of The Dillards as well as other recording acts.
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