Doug Dillard (1937 to 2012) was the banjo player in the Dillards, the Missouri band that played the Darling family on The Andy Griffith Show from 1963 to 1966. Those six TV appearances brought bluegrass banjo into millions of homes. He then formed Dillard and Clark with former Byrd Gene Clark in 1968, one of the first country rock bands. He also played the banjo on Glen Campbell’s Grammy-winning Gentle on My Mind.
Why Dillard matters
For many Americans, the first bluegrass banjo they ever heard was Doug Dillard on a Mayberry porch. He took clean, driving Scruggs-style banjo to network television, to Los Angeles clubs, and into rock and pop sessions. He showed that a bluegrass banjo could fit in front of any audience, and he did it without watering the style down.
Life and career
Dillard was born on March 6, 1937, and grew up on a farm near Salem, Missouri. He started guitar and fiddle at five and banjo at 15, playing in a family band with his father on fiddle. His heroes were Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, and Don Reno. After writing to Scruggs, he got his parents to drive him to Scruggs’s home in Madison, Tennessee, where Scruggs put Scruggs tuners on his banjo. By 19 he played on a weekly radio show on KSMO in Salem.
From 1956 to 1959 he and his brother Rodney played in the Ozark Mountain Boys. In 1958 they joined the Dixie Ramblers in St. Louis, a band that included John Hartford on fiddle. The brothers cut a single, Banjo in the Hollow, for K-Ark. In 1962 they added Dean Webb on mandolin and Mitch Jayne on bass and formed the Dillards. They moved to Los Angeles and signed with Elektra. From 1963 to 1966 they played the Darlings on The Andy Griffith Show, with Doug as Jebbin Darling.
Dillard left the Dillards in 1968 and formed Dillard and Clark with Gene Clark of the Byrds. He played as a sideman for Arlo Guthrie, the Monkees, the Beach Boys, and Glen Campbell. He released The Banjo Album in 1971 and Duelin’ Banjo in 1973. In 1979 he formed the Doug Dillard Band, with members over the years including Byron Berline, Ginger Boatwright, Kathy Chiavola, and David Grier. His 1989 album Heartbreak Hotel earned a Grammy nomination. In 1980 he appeared in the film Popeye and survived a serious fall from a cliff during filming. He played reunion shows with the original Dillards from 1994 to 2000 and toured with Rodney from 2004. He died in a Nashville hospital on May 16, 2012, at 75.
Playing style
Dillard played straight-ahead Scruggs-style banjo: strong rolls, clear melody, and a lot of drive. He used Scruggs tuners from his teens, which let him detune strings mid-tune the way Scruggs did on Earl’s Breakdown. His sound is bright and crisp, with the melody always on top. On the Andy Griffith tunes and on Doug’s Tune, you can hear how he kept the Scruggs feel at fast tempos while staying clean enough for television audiences.
Influences and legacy
Dillard learned from Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, and Don Reno records, and from Scruggs in person. He played beside his brother Rodney, Dean Webb, Mitch Jayne, John Hartford, Gene Clark, Byron Berline, and David Grier. The Dillards renamed Arthur Smith and Don Reno’s Feudin’ Banjos as Duelin’ Banjos. The Dillards are credited with bringing bluegrass to a wider audience through their TV work.
Signature tunes and songs
Doug’s Tune Hickory Holler Buckin’ Mule Banjo in the Hollow Gentle on My Mind, with Glen Campbell.
Essential recordings
Banjo in the Hollow, Doug and Rodney Dillard, single (K-Ark) The Banjo Album (Together, 1971) Duelin’ Banjo (20th Century, 1973) Jackrabbit (Flying Fish, 1980) Heartbreak Hotel (Flying Fish, 1989)
Awards and honors
SPBGMA Preservation Hall of Greats (1992) Grammy nomination, Best Bluegrass Recording, Heartbreak Hotel (1989) International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, the Dillards (2009)
Watch and listen
Here is Dillard as Jebbin Darling on The Andy Griffith Show, playing Doug’s Tune.
The Dillards play Buckin’ Mule on The Judy Garland Show.
What to learn from Dillard
Learn the banjo part to Gentle on My Mind. It shows how a bluegrass banjo can sit inside a pop song without taking it over. The technique to steal is clarity at speed. Dillard kept every note clean on TV, where a sloppy roll had nowhere to hide. Record yourself at a fast tempo and slow down until each note sounds.
Sources
Doug Dillard, Wikipedia Dillard, Doug (Doug Dillard Band), BluegrassBios.com
Related players
See the banjo players hub and the bluegrass banjo guide for more pickers. Dillard learned from Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, and Don Reno, and led bands with Byron Berline and David Grier.