The band was originally brothers
Doug Dillard and
Rodney Dillard, plus
Mitch Jayne and
Dean Webb. They had had some successful singles in Missouri and moved to Los Angeles in 1962. Within weeks of their arrival, they were signed by both
Elektra Records and the
William Morris Agency, which soon had them booked on
The Andy Griffith Show, playing a family of mountain musicians called "
The Darlings". This was a recurring role, running from 1963 to 1966. In 1986, the Dillards reprised the role in the reunion show
Return to Mayberry. The Dillards released four albums in quick succession, but in 1967, Doug wrote and performed the banjo music for the soundtrack of the movie
Bonnie and Clyde. That led to an invitation to tour with
the Byrds, and he left the band; later, he released solo albums and formed the band
Dillard and Clark. In 1968, with Doug Dillard replaced by
Herb Pedersen, the Dillards released the album
Wheatstraw Suite, which Elektra founder
Jac Holzman called "one of the most innovative bluegrass albums of all time". The album "broke all the rules of bluegrass music", said Rodney Dillard. "We put strings on it, we went electric, we used drums, and we put layered vocals on it." Backlash from the bluegrass community arose, but the album inspired artists such as
Steve Martin,
Don Henley, and
Led Zeppelin's
John Paul Jones, who attributed his decision to play the mandolin to their influence. In 1970, the band released
Copperfields, a more progressive album with more orchestra and more drums. It was a further step away from traditional bluegrass, but continued to progress the genre and keep it in the public eye. One artist who was profoundly influenced by both albums was
Elton John, who said that on his first trip to America, his first act was to see a Dillards concert. In 1973, the Dillards joined John on his
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour. During the tour, the Dillards released
Roots and Branches, which became their most commercially successful album. In 1989,
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder
John McEuen, a long-time Dillards fan, wanted to capture the spirit and energy of the Dillards on film; the result was the 80-minute video
A Night in the Ozarks. In 2002, The Dillards performed with Arlo Guthrie and
Pete Seeger at
Carnegie Hall. In 2008, Guthrie and the Dillards released
32 Cents, Postage Due, an album of
Woody Guthrie songs. Over the years, the band has seen many personnel changes. Rodney and his wife, Beverly Cotton-Dillard, are the only remaining full-time members. Beverly is a native of
Morrisville, North Carolina, who performed with
Janette Carter,
Ola Belle Reed,
Tommy Jarrell, and
Doc and
Merle Watson. Cotton-Dillard is recognized as an authority on the traditional
clawhammer banjo technique, and her 1981 album
Clog-In: An American Folk Dance Classic is considered an American folk classic. The Dillards continue to release new music. For their most recent album, 2020's
Old Road New Again, they called upon Herb Pedersen,
Ricky Skaggs,
Sam Bush,
Bernie Leadon, and Don Henley to perform.
Past members •
Byron Berline (d. 2021) • Buddy Blackmon • Douglas Bounsall (d. 2012) • Bill Bryson (d. 2017) •
Billy Constable (d. 2015) • Steve Cooley •
Douglas Dillard (d. 2012) • Irv Dugan • George Giddens • Jeff Gilkinson • Jim Glaspy • Richard Godfrey •
Pete Grant • John Humphreys •
Mitchell F. Jayne (d. 2010) • Shane Lail •
Billy Ray Latham (d. 2018) •
Dewey Martin (d. 2009) • Rick McEwen • Seth Pappas •
Herb Pedersen • Eddie Ponder (d. 2018) • Gary Smith • Joe Villegas •
Dean Webb (d. 2018) • Ric Williams • Tony Wray • Paul Yorks ==Discography==