Posted on 05/17/2012 9:05:24 AM PDT by beaversmom
Banjo player and TV performer Doug Dillard, who gained fame for his appearances on "The Andy Griffith Show" with musical group the Dillards (known on the TV series as the "Darlings") has died following a lengthy illness. A family spokesperson tells The Boot that Dillard was taken to a Nashville emergency room on Wednesday night (May 16) and died shortly thereafter.
Doug Dillard was born in Salem, Mo., in 1937 and was playing guitar by age 5. He received his first banjo as a teenager and soon began performing with various bands on radio and TV. He had been encouraged to pursue his instrument by banjo legend Earl Scruggs. According to his official bio, at 16, Dillard wrote a letter to Scruggs and received a positive reply. He then pestered his parents into driving him to Scruggs' home in Madison, Tenn., some five hundred miles away from Salem. Doug brazenly walked up to the front door and rang the bell, introducing himself and asking the iconic banjo picker to install Scruggs' tuners on his banjo.
Along with his brother Rodney, Doug soon formed the Dillards. Their folk-bluegrass blend became popular on college campuses and elsewhere, which led to their move to California and resulted in a recording contract and their stint on the hit CBS series starring Andy Griffith. After parting ways with the Dillards, Doug joined folk-rock group the Byrds on their first European tour. After the tour, Doug teamed up with former Byrds member Gene Clark, forming the influential Dillard & Clark, one of the first acts to popularize the country-rock sound that would include other artists such as Gram Parsons and the musicians who would later form the Eagles. Comedian and banjo player Steve Martin recently told The Boot that Doug Dillard was among the first influences on his banjo playing.
A Grammy-nominated instrumentalist, Doug's distinctive banjo can also be heard on albums by everyone from Hoyt Axton, Johnny Cash, Arlo Guthrie and Linda Ronstadt to Kay Starr, Glen Campbell, the Monkees and the Beach Boys. In 2009, the Dillards were inducted into the IBMA's Bluegrass Hall of Fame.
Funeral arrangements for Doug Dillard are pending.
I can name 3 banjo players:
Earl Scruggs
Dave Dillard
Steve Martin
If I were Steve Martin, I’d be nervous.
Bela Fleck
"Oh death and grief and sorrow and murder...."
That’s how I first heard about them: through Andy Griffith. In more recent times, my husband kept playing an old folk music/blues/bluegrass tape with a mixture of artists. After he kept playing it over and over in the car last summer, it dawned on me that one track sounded like the Darlings.
Reuben’s Train
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-MTmErL1Og
Thanks for posting that.
You’re welcome :)
Loved the “Darlings” episodes on Andy Griffith
Rest in Peace, Mr Dillard!
Nice, hadn’t heard that before.
Thanks for the pic...I remember those episodes.
Me too! I still find myself quoting the funny things Charlene and Briscoe said on the show.....LOL. They were a hoot!
RIP Mr. Dillard.....and thanks for the great memories. :(
Why do I always learn about thes epeople through their obituaries? No chance to show my appreciation by buying an album, or attending a concert while they are alive.
I think that I saw this guy on Matlock just yesterday. Ben matlock and the prosecutor Julie were chasing down a witness in the back country and came upon a group of guys “picking”. Ben (Andy Griffith) grabbed a guitar and joined in. It was some pretty good banjo/guitar picking. The “pickers” later stole Matlock’s distribuutor cap and got Julie and him kidnapped, etc., etc. I’m pretty sure that the banjo player was this guy — may he RIP.
I liked the part where they would talk about playing a song, and someone would say “Let’s play ‘Don’t Hit Your Grandma With A Great Big Stick,’”, and Charlene would always say, “No, that song always makes me cry.”
Classic.
Immediately hearing Ernest T. Bass singing “jumped in the pot, the pot too hot...”
I heard the Dillards at the Lewis Family homecoming back in 2005. Here was their closing song:
The Andy Griffith Show
written by David Bellamy
tabbed 8/13/05
That old evening news is sure depressing
This world is in a mess and it don’t get better
Terrorism’s in fashion and even love can kill you
Oh but I have found a better place to go
We’re all livin’ in the shadow of the bomb
Tuned in to the lifestyles of the rich and greedy
Oh but meanwhile back in Mayberry no one says the “F” word
Thank God for the reruns
CHORUS:
On the Andy Griffith Show, Angie’s letting Otis out of jail
Gomer’s helpin’ Goober drive the mail
Oh and Barney’s lookin’ for his bullet, you better watch out for your toes
I wish life was like the Andy Griffith Show
Now they’re dealing in souls on the airwaves
All them false profits tryin’ to make a buck
But old Floyd the barber, he just goes on trimmin’ hair
And we ain’t heard the last of Ernest T. Bass you know
CHORUS:
On the Andy Griffith Show, Aunt B’s cookin’ lamb and turnip greens
Now everyone dance while the Darlins pick and sing
Yeah that old kid’s diggin’ worms to go fishin’ don’t ya know
I wish life was like the Andy Griffith Show
Thelma Lou told Wanita to call Helen Crump
Then round up Clara and Emmett and Howard Spray
There’s a town meeting down at Andy’s office
Barney’s gonna try to take us all back in time
CHORUS:
To the Andy Griffith Show, the biggest hastle there was makin’ moonshine
They sat swingin’ on the porch with an easy mind
Oh and maybe it was unreal, but when this old world blows
I hope I end up on the Andy Griffith Show
I wish life was like the Andy Griffith Show
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.