The Dillards
Encyclopedia
The Dillards are an American bluegrass
band from Salem, Missouri
, 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
).
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
).
movement in the late 1960s (which further extended from that genre into today's country music), their biggest claim to fame is playing the fictional bluegrass band "The Darlings
" on The Andy Griffith Show
. 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
.
, 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
.
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
.
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. This group was one of the blueprints for the country-rock movement.
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
band from Salem, Missouri
Salem, Missouri
-External links:* * Historic maps of Salem in the at the University of Missouri...
, consisting of Douglas Flint "Doug" Dillard (born March 6, 1937, East St. Louis, Illinois
East St. Louis, Illinois
East St. Louis is a city located in St. Clair County, Illinois, USA, directly across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 27,006, less than one-third of its peak of 82,366 in 1950...
) (banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
), Rodney Adean "Rod" Dillard (born May 18, 1942, Salem, Missouri
Salem, Missouri
-External links:* * Historic maps of Salem in the at the University of Missouri...
) (guitar, dobro
Dobro
Dobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
), Roy 'Dean' Webb (born March 28, 1937, Independence, Missouri
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
) (mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
), and Mitchell Franklin "Mitch" Jayne (July 5, 1928, Hammond, Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
– August 2, 2010) (double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
).
Other members of the band have included Dewey Martin
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
(drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Herb Pedersen
Herb Pedersen
Herb Pedersen is an American musician, guitarist, banjo player, and singer-songwriter who has played a variety of musical styles over the past forty years including country, bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, folk, folk rock, country rock, and has worked with numerous musicians in many different...
(banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, guitar), Billy Ray Latham
Billy Ray Latham
Billy Ray Latham is an American banjo player. He is best known as a member of the Kentucky Colonels . He then joined The Dillards in 1974, and left c.1978.-References:...
(banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, guitar, electric guitar), Ray Park (fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
), Paul York (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Jeff Gilkinson (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
), Douglas Bounsall (electric guitar, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
), Byron Berline
Byron Berline
Byron Berline is an American fiddle player.-Biography:Berline started playing the fiddle at age five and quickly developed a talent for it. In 1965, he recorded the album Pickin' and Fiddlin with the Dillards...
(fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
), Irv Dugan (bass), Bill Bryson (bass), Glen D. Hardin
Glen Hardin
Glen D. Hardin is an American piano player, songwriter and arranger. He has performed and recorded with such notable artists as Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris, John Denver, Ricky Nelson and many others.-Career:...
(keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
), Seth Papas (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Buddy Blackmon (banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
), Rick McEwen (bass), Ric Williams (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Joe Villegas (bass), Eddie Ponder (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Pete Grant (banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
), Steve Cooley (banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, guitar, upright bass), Wilbur Pace (banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, and Richard Godfrey (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
).
The Andy Griffith Show
Though The Dillards were a tremendous influence on the main core of musicians who started Southern California's country rockCountry rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
movement in the late 1960s (which further extended from that genre into today's country music), their biggest claim to fame is playing the fictional bluegrass band "The Darlings
The Darlings
The Darlings were a fictional family of musically-inclined hillbillies in the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.The Darlings lived in a mountain shack somewhere in the mountains neighboring Mayberry...
" on The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
. This was a recurring role and the Dillards were led by veteran character actor Denver Pyle
Denver Pyle
Denver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard .-Early life:...
as their father and jug
Jug (musical instrument)
The jug as a musical instrument reached its height of popularity in the 1920s, when jug bands, such as Cannon's Jug Stompers were popular. The jug is just that: an empty jug played with the mouth...
player, Briscoe Darling. Maggie Peterson
Maggie Peterson
Maggie Peterson Mancuso is an American television actress. She is best known for playing Charlene Darling on The Andy Griffith Show...
played Charlene Darling, their sister and the focus for the attentions of character Ernest T. Bass
Ernest T. Bass
Ernest T. Bass was a fictional character on the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. He was played by Howard Morris.Ernest T. was an ignorant and obstreperous mountain man with a penchant for troublemaking, particularly vandalous rock throwing, which wreaked havoc on the otherwise sedentary...
, played by Howard Morris
Howard Morris
Howard Morris was an American comic actor and director who was best known for his role as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show.- Life and career :...
. 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
Return to Mayberry
Return to Mayberry is an American television reunion movie for the 1960s American sitcoms The Andy Griffith Show and, to an extent, Mayberry R.F.D. as well. The movie premiered on April 13, 1986 on NBC, and was the highest-rated telemovie of 1986. Sixteen of the original cast members reunited for...
.
Pioneering Influences
The Dillards are notable for being among the first bluegrass groups to have electrified their instruments in the mid-1960s. They are considered to be one of the pioneers of the burgeoning southern California folk rockFolk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
, country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
and so-called progressive bluegrass
Progressive bluegrass
Progressive bluegrass is one of two major subgenres of bluegrass music. It is also known as newgrass, a term attributed to New Grass Revival member Ebo Walker. Musicians and bands John Hartford, New Grass Revival, J.D. Crowe and the New South, The Dillards, Boone Creek, Country Gazette, and the...
genres, and are known to have directly or indirectly influenced artists such as The Eagles, The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
, Dan Fogelberg
Dan Fogelberg
Daniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass music...
, Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
, Iain Matthews
Iain Matthews
Iain Matthews is an English musician and songwriter. He was born Iain Matthew McDonald, in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. He was known in the 1960s first as Ian McDonald, then as the 1960s progressed, as Ian Matthews...
, The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers was an early country rock band, best known for its influential debut album,The Gilded Palace of Sin . Although the group is most often mentioned in connection with country rock legends Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, the group underwent many personnel changes.-Original...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
, The New Grass Revival
New Grass Revival
New Grass Revival was an American progressive bluegrass band founded in 1971, and composed of Sam Bush, Courtney Johnson, Ebo Walker, Curtis Burch, Butch Robins, John Cowan, Béla Fleck and Pat Flynn. They were active between 1971 and 1989, releasing more than twenty albums as well as six singles....
, J. D. Crowe and the New South
J. D. Crowe
James Dee Crowe is an American banjo player and bluegrass band leader. He first became known during his four year stint with Jimmy Martin in the 1950s.-Biography:...
, Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...
, The Seldom Scene
The Seldom Scene
The Seldom Scene is an American bluegrass band formed in 1971 in Bethesda, Maryland.-Early history:The band formed out of the weekly jam sessions in the basement of banjo player Ben Eldridge. These sessions included John Starling on guitar and lead vocals, Mike Auldridge on Dobro and baritone...
, The Dixie Bee-Liners
The Dixie Bee-Liners
The Dixie Bee-Liners are an American Bluegrass group, formed in New York City in 2002 by Buddy Woodward and Brandi Hart. The band members currently reside in Bristol, Virginia, and Asheville, North Carolina...
, and Joe Bethancourt
Joe Bethancourt
W.J. Bethancourt III is a traditional American musician , based in Phoenix, Arizona.-Biography:Bethancourt was born in El Paso, Texas. He began learning banjo at age 9, after he heard his maternal grandfather, C. H. Burnett, playing fiddle. His first banjo was given him by his grandfather, and...
.
The Dillards' roots sank deep into the mainstream of popular music --- after leaving The Dillards in 1968, Doug Dillard teamed up with Gene Clark
Gene Clark
Gene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark was an American singer-songwriter, and one of the founding members of the folk-rock group The Byrds....
who had just left The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
to form Phoenix at A&M records with Laramy Smith and led to the formation of Dillard & Clark
Dillard & Clark
Dillard & Clark was a country rock duo which featured ex-Byrds member Gene Clark and bluegrass banjo player Doug Dillard. The group was formed in 1968, shortly after Clark departed The Byrds, and Dillard left The Dillards. They were backed up by, among others, Bernie Leadon, Chris Hillman, Sneaky...
.
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
legends, such as Bernie Leadon
Bernie Leadon
Bernard Mathew "Bernie" Leadon, III is an American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the Eagles. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member of two pioneering and highly influential country rock bands, Dillard & Clark and the Flying Burrito Brothers...
, an original member of The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers was an early country rock band, best known for its influential debut album,The Gilded Palace of Sin . Although the group is most often mentioned in connection with country rock legends Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, the group underwent many personnel changes.-Original...
& later the archetypal country rock group The Eagles; Chris Hillman
Chris Hillman
Christopher Hillman was one of the original members of The Byrds which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, and Michael Clarke....
, who also had left The Byrds and also played in FBB with Leadon; Sneaky Pete Kleinow
Sneaky Pete Kleinow
Peter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist...
, another FBB member; Laramy Smith and Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke (musician)
Michael Clarke , was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the 1960s rock group The Byrds from 1964 to 1967. He died in 1993, at age 47, from liver failure, a direct result of more than three decades of heavy alcohol consumption.-Biography:Clarke was born Michael James Dick in...
, former drummer for The Byrds. This group was one of the blueprints for the country-rock movement.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Top 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Back Porch Bluegrass Back Porch Bluegrass Back Porch Bluegrass is the debut album by bluegrass quartet The Dillards. Dooley and Deulin' Banjo were both released as singles.- Track listing :# "Old Joseph" – 1:25... |
— | Elektra Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... |
| 1964 | Live!!!! Almost!!! Live!!!! Almost!!! 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... |
— | |
| 1965 | Pickin' and Fiddlin' (with Byron Berline) | — | |
| 1968 | Wheatstraw Suite Wheatstraw Suite Wheatstraw Suite is the fourth album by progressive bluegrass band The Dillards, released in 1968 . It is the Dillards' fourth album, and their first to move away from their traditional bluegrass sound by using a full orchestra and occasional drums.The band had been moving toward a more... |
— | |
| 1970 | Copperfields Copperfields Copperfields is the fifth album by bluegrass group The Dillards. The album continues the country rock style begun on the group's previous album, Wheatstraw Suite, featuring the same prominent orchestra and increased use of drums, electric bass and even electric guitar on "Brother John." Herb... |
— | |
| 1972 | Roots and Branches Roots and Branches Roots and Branches is the sixth album by bluegrass group The Dillards, and their only for Anthem Records. The group is listed for this album only as "Dillards" with no "The," unless you look at the LP itself, where you will find "The Dillards." It was their most successful album, their only LP to... |
79 | Anthem |
| 1973 | Tribute to the American Duck Tribute to the American Duck Tribute to the American Duck is the seventh album by bluegrass group The Dillards. Released only a year after Roots and Branches, Tribute features the same lineup and a similar sound. Billy Ray Latham's electric guitar features on "Caney Creek," and folk rock influences are evident in the song... |
— | Poppy |
| 1977 | The Dillards vs. The Incredible L.A. Time Machine | — | Flying Fish Flying Fish Records Flying Fish Records was a Chicago-based eclectic blues and country record label. It was founded in 1974 by Bruce Kaplan, former president of the University of Chicago's Folklore Society.... |
| 1978 | Mountain Rock | — | Crystal Clear |
| 1979 | Decade Waltz | — | Flying Fish Flying Fish Records Flying Fish Records was a Chicago-based eclectic blues and country record label. It was founded in 1974 by Bruce Kaplan, former president of the University of Chicago's Folklore Society.... |
| 1980 | Homecoming and Family Reunion | — | |
| 1991 | Let It Fly (The Dillards album)>Let It Fly | — | Vanguard Vanguard Records Vanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary... |
| 1992 | Take Me Along For The Ride | — | |
| 1999 | A Long Time Ago: The First Time Live | — | Varèse Sarabande Varèse Sarabande Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract... |
| 2006 | Early Recordings - 1959 | — |
Compilations
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Country Tracks | Elektra Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... |
| 1986 | I'll Fly Away | Edsel |
| 1991 | There Is a Time (1963-70) | Vanguard Vanguard Records Vanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary... |
| 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 Warner Strategic Marketing Warner Strategic Marketing is a record label that is part of the Warner Music Group. It specializes in compilation albums, much like sister division Rhino Entertainment. However, unlike Rhino, it does not reissue classic albums in the WMG catalogue... |
| 2004 | Pickin' and Fiddlin', Wheatstraw Suite & Copperfields | |
| 2005 | Let The Music Flow: The Best of the Dillards 1963-1979 | Raven Raven Records Raven Records is an Australian record label that specializes in retrospectives and reissues or recordings by American, British and Australian artists.Raven Records was established in 1979 by Glenn A. Baker, Kevin Mueller and Peter Shillito.... |
Singles
| Year | Title | Billboard Hot 100 | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Dooley | — | Back Porch Bluegrass Back Porch Bluegrass Back Porch Bluegrass is the debut album by bluegrass quartet The Dillards. Dooley and Deulin' Banjo were both released as singles.- Track listing :# "Old Joseph" – 1:25... |
Elektra Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... |
| Hootin' Banjo [Duelin' Banjo] | — | |||
| 1965 | Nobody Knows | — | singles only | Capitol Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... |
| 1966 | The Last Thing On My Mind | — | ||
| 1968 | Reason To Believe | — | Wheatstraw Suite Wheatstraw Suite Wheatstraw Suite is the fourth album by progressive bluegrass band The Dillards, released in 1968 . It is the Dillards' fourth album, and their first to move away from their traditional bluegrass sound by using a full orchestra and occasional drums.The band had been moving toward a more... |
Elektra Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... |
| 1969 | Listen To The Sound | — | ||
| 1970 | Rainmaker | — | Copperfields Copperfields Copperfields is the fifth album by bluegrass group The Dillards. The album continues the country rock style begun on the group's previous album, Wheatstraw Suite, featuring the same prominent orchestra and increased use of drums, electric bass and even electric guitar on "Brother John." Herb... |
|
| Close The Door Lightly | — | |||
| One Too Many Mornings | — | singles only | White Whale White Whale Records White Whale Records was an American record label, founded in 1965 by Ted Feigin and Lee Lassiff in Los Angeles, California, and probably best known as the record label of The Turtles.... |
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| Comin' Home Again | — | |||
| 1971 | It's About Time | #92 | Anthem | |
| 1972 | One A.M. | #111 | Roots and Branches Roots and Branches Roots and Branches is the sixth album by bluegrass group The Dillards, and their only for Anthem Records. The group is listed for this album only as "Dillards" with no "The," unless you look at the LP itself, where you will find "The Dillards." It was their most successful album, their only LP to... |
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| America (The Lady Of The Harbor) | — | single only | ||
| 1973 | Hot Rod Banjo | — | Tribute to the American Duck Tribute to the American Duck Tribute to the American Duck is the seventh album by bluegrass group The Dillards. Released only a year after Roots and Branches, Tribute features the same lineup and a similar sound. Billy Ray Latham's electric guitar features on "Caney Creek," and folk rock influences are evident in the song... |
Poppy |
| 1975 | Stones Throw Away | — | single only | United Artists United Artists Records United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:... |
| 1977 | The Poet | — | The Dillards Vs. The Incredible L.A. Time Machine | Sonet Sonet Records Sonet Records is a jazz record label operating as an imprint of Universal Music Sweden. It was founded in Sweden in 1956.Sonet Records was established by Sven Lindholm and Gunnar Bergström, who managed the label into the 1980s. Dag Haeggqvist, the owner of Gazell Records, became an executive of the... |
Trivia
- Doug, Rodney and Byron BerlineByron BerlineByron Berline is an American fiddle player.-Biography:Berline started playing the fiddle at age five and quickly developed a talent for it. In 1965, he recorded the album Pickin' and Fiddlin with the Dillards...
can be seen in the movie The RoseThe Rose (film)The Rose is a 1979 American musical drama film which tells the story of a self-destructive 1960s rock star who struggles to cope with the constant pressures of her career and the demands of her ruthless business manager...
starring Bette MidlerBette MidlerBette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
. They played musicians in Harry Dean StantonHarry Dean StantonHarry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
's band and their faces can be seen on the screen for around ten minutes. - Doug Dillard appears as "Farmer Clem" in Robert AltmanRobert AltmanRobert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
's movie PopeyePopeye (film)Popeye is a 1980 live-action film adaptation directed by Robert Altman and adapted from E. C. Segar's Thimble Theatre aka Popeye comic strip.Marketed with the tagline, "The sailor man with the spinach can!", the film is a musical...
, which starred Robin WilliamsRobin WilliamsRobin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
and features a musical score by Harry NilssonHarry NilssonHarry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as 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 NilssonHarry NilssonHarry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
, Van Dyke ParksVan Dyke ParksVan Dyke Parks is an American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, author and actor. Parks is perhaps best known for his contributions as a lyricist on the Beach Boys album Smile....
, Klaus VoormannKlaus VoormannKlaus Voormann is a German Grammy Award-winning artist, noted musician, and record producer. He designed artwork for many bands including The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Wet Wet Wet and Turbonegro. His most notable work as a producer was his work with the band Trio, including their worldwide hit "Da Da...
, 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 BandNitty Gritty Dirt BandThe Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
album Will The Circle Be Unbroken - Part 3. - Doug joined producers Randall FranksRandall FranksRandall Franks is an award-winning bluegrass singer and musician who plays fiddle, mandolin, guitar and mountain dulcimer. He was recognized by the International Bluegrass Music Museum in 2010 as a Bluegrass Legend; inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004; and was designated...
and Alan AutryAlan AutryCarlos Alan Autry is an American actor, politician, and former National Football League football player. He is best known for his role as Captain Bubba Skinner on the television series In the Heat of the Night; he also has been in numerous movies and other television shows...
, who also appeared in "Popeye," for the In the Heat of the Night (TV Series)In the Heat of the Night (TV series)In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995...
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 SkynyrdLynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
bassistBassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Leon WilkesonLeon WilkesonLeon Russell Wilkeson was the bassist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2001.-Early life:...
can be seen wearing a Doug Dillard "My Grass Is Blue" shirt on both versions of "Street Survivors"Street SurvivorsStreet Survivors is the fifth studio album by Southern rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on October 17, 1977. The LP is the last Skynyrd album ever recorded by original members Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins, and is the sole Skynyrd studio recording by guitarist Steve Gaines...
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