Douglas Flint Dillard (March 6, 1937 – May 16, 2012) was an American musician noted for his banjo proficiency and his pioneering participation in late-60s country rock.
Biography
Early life
Dillard, who grew up on a farm near
Salem, Missouri
Salem is the county seat of Dent County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,608 at the 2020 census, which allows Salem to become a Class 3 city in Missouri; however, the city has chosen to remain a Class 4 city under Missouri Revise ...
, began learning guitar and fiddle at age five, and banjo at age 15.
He began playing in the family band, with his father Homer Sr. on fiddle, his mother Lorene on guitar, and his older brother Earl on keyboards.
His banjo heroes were
Earl Scruggs
Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-fin ...
,
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Edmund Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016) was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of ...
, and
Don Reno
Donald Wesley Reno (February 21, 1926Trischka, Tony, "Don Reno", ''Banjo Song Book'', Oak Publications, 1977, – October 16, 1984) was an American bluegrass and country musician, best known as a pioneering banjo and guitar player who pa ...
.
After corresponding with Scruggs, Dillard persuaded his parents to drive him to Scruggs' home in Madison, Tennessee, where Scruggs installed "Scruggs Tuners" on Dillard's banjo.
By age 19, Dillard was performing regularly on a weekly radio show hosted by Howe Teague on
KSMO, a Salem radio station.
Ozark Mountain Boys and the Dixie Ramblers
From 1956 to 1959, Doug was a founding member of the Ozark Mountain Boys with his younger brother Rodney, along with Bill Glenn, Henry and Jim Lewis, and Paul Breidenbach. Mitch Jayne (future member of The Dillards) invited the Ozark Mountain Boys to play on his KSMO Saturday morning radio show, "Hickory Hollow."
In 1958, Doug and Rodney joined the Dixie Ramblers, based in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
. Other members included
John Hartford
John Cowan Hartford (December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001) was an American folk, country, and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive kno ...
(who had frequently played fiddle with Dillard's father), Buddy Van Hoosier, and Joel Noel.
The Dillards
Doug and Rodney began performing on their own, and recorded a single "Banjo in the Hollow" for K-Ark Records, followed by three more single releases. With the addition of
Dean Webb (mandolin) and
Mitch Jayne (bass), they formed
The Dillards
The Dillards are an American bluegrass and country rock band from Salem, Missouri. The band is best known for introducing bluegrass music into the popular mainstream with their appearance as "The Darlings" on ''The Andy Griffith Show''.
Band ...
in 1962. Inspired by their popularity on college campuses, The Dillards moved to Los Angeles. They participated in several after-hours club sessions, and then recording industry executive
Jim Dickson signed them to a contract with
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
.
The Andy Griffith Show
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characte ...
's manager Dick Linke arranged an audition for The Dillards to play the part of a musical backwoods family on
The Andy Griffith Show
''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color.
The ...
.
Along with
Denver Pyle
Denver Dell Pyle (May 11, 1920 – December 25, 1997) was an American film and television actor and director. He was well known for a number of TV roles from the 1960s through the 1980s, including his portrayal of Briscoe Darling Jr. in se ...
and
Margaret Ann Peterson, they were the Darlings of Mayberry from 1963 to 1966.
Doug was given the name of Jebbin Darling. They made only six appearances, but are credited with introducing bluegrass music to a wider audience.
This led to guest spots on shows hosted by
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
and
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991), known professionally as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American singer and television host who enjoyed success in the country and western, pop, and gospel musical genres. Noted for h ...
, and on other variety shows.
The Folkswingers
Doug and Rodney Dillard created the Folkswingers, a side project teaming their talents with
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodt ...
and
Tut Taylor
Robert Arthur "Tut" Taylor Sr. (November 20, 1923 – April 9, 2015) was an American bluegrass musician.
Taylor played banjo and mandolin as a child, and began playing dobro at age 14, learning to use the instrument with a distinctive flat-pick ...
. The Folkswingers recorded two albums for the
World Pacific
Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded in 1952 by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988) and drummer Roy Harte (1924–2003). Harte, in 1954, also co-founded ...
record label.
Dillard and Clark
In 1968, Doug left the Dillards and joined
the Byrds
The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
for their first European tour. Then he teamed up with
Gene Clark
Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...
to record two albums as
Dillard & Clark
Dillard & Clark was a country rock duo which featured ex-Byrds member Gene Clark and bluegrass banjo player Doug Dillard.
History
The group was formed in 1968, shortly after Clark departed the Byrds and Dillard left the Dillards. It was consid ...
.
Other participating musicians included
Bernie Leadon
Bernie Leadon (pronounced ''led-un''; born July 19, 1947) is an American singer, musician, songwriter and founding member of the Eagles, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member ...
,
Mike Clarke, and
Byron Berline
Byron Douglas Berline (July 6, 1944 – July 10, 2021) was an American fiddle player who played many American music styles, including old time, ragtime, bluegrass, Cajun, country, and rock.
Life and career
Berline was born in Caldwell, Kansas ...
.
Blending banjo, fiddle, drums, electric guitars, steel guitar, and keyboards, Dillard and Clark played an important role in the country rock popularity expansion.
Others bands following their example soon appeared, such as
the Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is perhaps best known for its connection to band founders Gram Parsons and Chris ...
,
Poco
Poco was an American country rock band originally formed in 1968 after the demise of Buffalo Springfield. Guitarists Richie Furay and Jim Messina, former members of Buffalo Springfield, were joined by multi-instrumentalist Rusty Young, bassi ...
, and the
Eagles
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
.
Solo career
In 1966, Doug and Rodney Dillard provided music for the film ''
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...
''.
[
>] Dillard played banjo on Glen Campbell's recording of John Hartford's "
Gentle on My Mind
"Gentle on My Mind" is a song that was written and originally recorded by John Hartford, and released on his second studio album, '' Earthwords & Music'' (1967). Hartford composed the song after watching ''Doctor Zhivago'' in 1966, as he was i ...
." This recording earned four Grammy awards in 1968.
In 1969, Doug recorded the ''Banjo Album'',
followed by other solo projects.
He also performed extensive session work, including TV ads and guest appearances, film scores, and numerous sessions for other musical artists.
In 1982, he launched the Doug Dillard Band. Through the subsequent years, he also maintained his solo career and occasionally reunited with Rodney for projects and performances.
The Dillards briefly reunited in 1986 to appear on the TV movie ''Return to Mayberry''. They also toured as the Original Dillards.
Awards
In 1989, Dillard's album ''Heartbreak Hotel'' was nominated by
the Recording Academy
The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...
for the
Grammy award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best Bluegrass Recording.
In 2009, the Dillards were inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame by the
International Bluegrass Music Association
The International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music.
Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International ...
(IBMA).
Dillard was inducted individually into the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) Preservation Hall of Greats in 1992.
Death
Dillard suffered a collapsed lung, in several months developed a lung infection, and died in a Nashville hospital. He'd stopped touring several years before his death but still participated in occasional recording sessions and a few concert performances.
Discography
Filmography
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillard, Doug
1937 births
2012 deaths
American bluegrass musicians
American country banjoists
Burials in Tennessee
Country musicians from Illinois
People from East St. Louis, Illinois
People from Salem, Missouri
Country musicians from Missouri
The Dillards members
Elektra Records artists
Flying Fish Records artists