Before producing the first
Elektra Records bluegrass records he produced his first record, an LP on his own label, Vaya. He eventually sold the rights of
Lord Buckley's 1955 album ''Hipsters, Flipsters and Finger Poppin' Daddies, Knock Me Your Lobes
to Elektra and it was in print for another 25 years. Jim Dickson was the lone individual behind Elektra Records Los Angeles bluegrass albums. In 1962 he produced his first bluegrass record for Elektra called Dian and the Greenbriar Boys'' by
the Greenbriar Boys and a Hollywood country singer,
Dian James. While working on the collaboration between
Greenbriar Boys and Dian James, Dickson discovered
the Dillards and with the help of
Ralph Rinzler convinced
Elektra Records that they were a good bluegrass group. He would go on to produce three of their records, 1963's
Back Porch Bluegrass, 1964's
Live!!!! Almost!!! and 1965's ''
Pickin' and Fiddlin' which featured fiddler, Byron Berline. Rosenberg notes that Pickin' and Fiddlin''' "was unlike any previous bluegrass album; it was an LP of old-time fiddle music played to bluegrass backing". Dickson was behind the first ever recording of a
Bob Dylan song by a bluegrass band,
The Dillards recording of Bob Dylan's "
Walkin' Down the Line" on their 1964 album
Live!!!! Almost!!! The album,
Country Born was released in April 1964. The LP was released in April 1964 on
World Pacific WP 1820. In addition to the three records he produced for
the Dillards, Dickson, now working as an independent producer, produced the best-selling instrumental album,
12 String Guitar! for studio project The Folkswingers and
12 String Guitar! Vol. 2. These records featured
Glen Campbell on the twelve string guitar along with
the Dillards as the backing band to make up
the Folkswingers. These records included traditionals as well as songs written by
Woody Guthrie,
Pete Seeger,
Ma Rainey,
Lead Belly,
Merle Travis,
A.P. Carter, and
Bob Dylan. Dickson was very adamant about the recording of Dylan tunes. Dickson persuaded them to record
Bob Dylan's "
Mr. Tambourine Man" which reached number one on both the
Billboard Hot 100 chart and the
UK Singles Chart, as well as becoming the title track of their first album,
Mr. Tambourine Man. Dickson also co-produced two albums by
The Flying Burrito Brothers, 1970's
Burrito Deluxe and 1971's
The Flying Burrito Bros; both records feature
Bob Dylan songs. ==References==