The Dillards’ Rodney Dillard (guitar) and Douglas Dillard (banjo) grew up playing music with their family and friends including a teenaged John Hartford in Missouri. They performed on a St. Louis radio station as The Dillard Brothers in 1958, recording for a local label.
The Dillards played their first show at Washington University in St. Louis and hit the road for Los Angeles in 1962. A DesiLu Studios rep saw an ad in Variety magazine about Elektra signing The Dillards and within days they were called in to audition for the role of The Darlins on The Andy Griffith Show. Their original songs have become bluegrass standards like The Old Home Place, Dooley Doug’s Tune, Banjo in the Holler and There is a Time.
The Dillards incorporated stand-up comedy into their stage show and their talents as entertainers brought bluegrass to new audiences in urban clubs from Los Angeles to New York City on college campuses, in movie scores at folk festivals and on tour with mainstream rock bands and comedians.
The band’s unique flair for songwriting and arrangement affected a broad range of important future musicians in the bluegrass and pop music world alike. They are credited with helping set the stage for the country rock movement and the burgeoning progressive sounds of bluegrass. The Dillards were inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2009.
Rodney Dillard now tours with The Dillard Band and the group released I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry on Rural Rhythm.
Rodney Dillard was inducted into the Missouri Music Association’s Hall of Fame in 2011.
Douglas Dillard died on May 16, 2012.
Discography:
Back Porch Bluegrass (Elektra 1963)
Live!!!! Almost!!! (Elektra 1964)
Pickin’ and Fiddlin’ with Byron Berline (Elektra 1965)
Wheatstraw Suite (Elektra 1968)
Copperfields (Elektra 1970)
Roots and Branches (Anthem 1972)
Tribute to the American Duck (Poppy 1973)
The Dillards vs. The Incredible L.A. Time Machine (Flying Fish 1977)
Mountain Rock (Crystal Clear 1978)
Decade Waltz (Flying Fish 1979)
Homecoming and Family Reunion (Flying Fish 198)
Let It Fly (Vanguard 1991)
Take Me Along For The Ride (Vanguard 1992)
A Long Time Ago: The First Time Live (Varese Sarabande 1999)
Early Recordings – 1959 (Varese Sarabande 1999)
I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry (Rural Rhythm 2001)
Don’t Wait for the Hearse to Take You to Church (Rural Rhythm 2011)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
