The Dillards: From Mayberry's Darlings to Progressive Bluegrass Pioneers (2024)

This post previously published on October 13, 2020. It was updated on August 5, 2022 as part of Wide Open Country's Bluegrass Month.

In 1963, rising bluegrass band The Dillards made their first appearance on the No. 5 television show in America, The Andy Griffith Show.It was the best exposure a band could ask for and the roles weren't exactly a stretch.Brothers Doug and Rodney Dillard played members of a family band performing hillbilly music. They were called The Darlings, but the pickin' and harmonies were all the Dillards. And America loved them.

The Darlings made just six appearances onThe Andy Griffith Showduring the program's eight-year run, but the family made a lasting impression on viewers. Along with Floyd the barber and lovable, rock-throwing backwoods scamp Ernest T. Bass, The Darlings were fan favorites. Joined by their jug-playing patriarch Briscoe Darling and angel-voiced sister, Charlene, the Darlin' boys brought mountain music into homes where it wouldn't otherwise be heard.

Bluegrassmusic was already making its mark on television viewers by way ofLester Flatt and Earl Scruggs' "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," which could be heard blasting from television sets across the country as the theme song toThe Beverly Hillbillies.But the Darlings were the only bluegrass band making regular appearances on screen in the early 1960s. The family was part of Mayberry's story, and they made mountain music part of the story too.

Table of Contents

Mayberry Music

Family jam sessions were a landmark ofThe Andy Griffith Show.Andy Griffith had already showed off his singing chops years earlier as Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes, a charismatic performer bent on political power in Elia Kazan'sA Face in the Crowd.Griffith continued to perform onscreen as Sheriff Andy Taylor, performing several traditional American folk songs and hymnalsduring the show's run.

The Darlings were the heart of the music of Mayberry. Hailing from the Appalachian Mountains, the fictional family band brought bluegrass to suburbia.A typical scene plays out in the clip below when Briscoe Darling asks "Ya bring your stringin' instrument, sheriff?" and Andy and the boys launch into the rowdy "Dooley." The song, about a moonshiner with a very devoted following, is said to be written about a man the Dillard brothers knew growing up in the Ozark Mountain region of Missouri.

The Darlings showed their softer side with the gorgeous "There Is A Time," letting Charlene take the reigns on vocals.

Over various appearances onThe Andy Griffith Show,the Dillards performed original songs such as "Ebo Walker" and traditional American folk songs such as "Boil Them Cabbage Down" and "Shady Grove," introducing the songs to a whole new audience. They are also famous for performing Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith's "Feudin' Banjos (Dueling Banjos)" on a 1963 episode of the show called "Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee."

Before They Were Darlings

Doug and Rodney Dillard were born in Salem, Missouri inthe Ozarks, a hotbed of bluegrass music and the setting for the 1950s country music variety showOzark Jubilee.The brothers grew up listening to fiddler, folk singer-songwriter and "newgrass" pioneer John Hartford, who played fiddle with their father.

Doug played the banjo, while Rodney played guitar. Joined by Dean Webb on mandolin andMitch Jayne on upright bass, The Dillards released a string of albums in the 1960s, includingBack Porch BluegrassandWheatstraw Suite (on Elektra records), which marked their move from traditional bluegrass to a more contemporary sound. The transition helped pave the way for younger musicians and their peers, who would soon experiment with blending country, rock and folk music to create a new sound and genre. The band has included many other members over the years, including Dewey Martin, John Humphreys, Herb Pedersen and Byron Berline.

Roots and Branches

The Dillards: From Mayberry's Darlings to Progressive Bluegrass Pioneers (1)

Photo by John Byrne Cooke Estate/Getty Images

The Dillards are recognized as one of the first bluegrass bands to electrify their instruments in the mid-1960s. They helpedgive birth to progressive bluegrass as well as the breezy California rock ofThe Eagles and the country rock of The Flying Burrito Brothers.

Chris Hillman ofThe Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers has been vocal about the profound impact The Dillards had on the anti-Nashville country-rock movement.

"When they hit town, they completely blew everybody away," Hillmantold the Los Angeles Timesin 2012.

The Dillards were also widely respected studio musicians. Doug Dillard played banjo on Glen Campbell's recording of his old friend John Hartford's "Gentle On My Mind," which earned four Grammy Awards in 1968.They even toured with Elton John in the mid-1970s in support of their Elektra album Copperfields. The group has also been inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Though Doug Dillard left the band in the early 1970s,the folk rock group continued to make strides with1972'sRoots and Branches.The album spawned the only Dillards' single to chart on theBillboardHot 100,"One A.M."

The original Dillard brothers touredtogether again in later years until Doug Dillard passed away in 2012.Rodney Dillardcontinued to perform as part of The Dillards, sometimes with Maggie Peterson (Charlene Darling herself). Sadly, Peterson passed away earlier this year. Even though thebeloved sheriff and deputy have retired and the town barber has closed his doors for good, the music of Mayberry will live on forever.

READ MORE:The State of 21st Century Bluegrass in 10 Songs

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FAQs

Are any of The Dillards still alive? ›

On May 19, Rodney Dillard, the lone surviving original member of The Dillards, who introduced bluegrass music, Ozark style, to America on television in the 1960s as the Darling family on The Andy Griffith Show, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Public Affairs from Missouri State University.

What happened to The Dillards? ›

The band would experience personnel changes in 1967 but has reunited periodically in concert and television appearances, and members continue to pursue a broad array of music related opportunities.

What songs did The Dillards play on The Andy Griffith Show? ›

The Andy Griffith Show
  • The Darlings Are Coming.
  • Mountain Wedding.
  • Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee.
  • Divorce, Mountain Style.
  • The Darling Baby.
  • The Darling Fortune.

Did The Darlings really play instruments? ›

Doug Dillard played banjo, and his sibling Rodney Dillard was on guitar. Dean Webb was on mandolin, and Mitch Jayne played bass. On the television series Andy and Briscoe Darling usually just referred to them collectively as "the boys". Their silence was golden and made their facial exressions all the more interesting.

Who were The Darlings in real-life? ›

The four Darling brothers were actually the real-life bluegrass band, The Dillards, led by real-life brothers, Rodney Dillard and Doug Dillard. All four members of the band kept their actual first names as characters on the show (along the fictional last name of Darling).

What happened to the Dillard brothers? ›

In 1968, Doug Dillard left to form Dillard and Clark. He continued to play occasionally with his brother until a few years before his death, in 2012. The 2015 lineup included: Rodney Dillard and his wife Beverly Cotten-Dillard – clawhammer banjo, vocals.

Did Andy really play the guitar on Andy Griffith show? ›

That Martin D-18 guitar was Andy's go-to guitar from that point on. He played it during live concerts and on recorded albums. He strummed it at home and plucked it on the set of “The Andy Griffith Show,” both on-air during episodes and off-air to kill time.

Did you ever see Juanita on The Andy Griffith Show? ›

This episode marks the first mention of waitress Juanita Beasley, who is never seen during the series but frequently referenced. In this episode, she worked at the Junction Café. The telephone number there is 142-R.

Was any of The Andy Griffith Show filmed in Mayberry? ›

However, despite its on-screen portrayal as a small town in North Carolina, the show was not shot on location in Mayberry. Instead, the production cleverly recreated the familiar settings of Mayberry, including the courthouse, barbershop, and Andy Taylor's home, using various studio lots and sets.

Does Charlene really sing on Andy Griffith? ›

According to Jim Clark of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club, the three songs on which Charlene performed on the show can be found on the album Songs That Make Me Cry.

Who sang for The Darlings on Andy Griffith? ›

Kinda hated to go that far." Their appearance on the show was always supplemented by a song (provided by bluegrass band The Dillards, who played the Darling boys), usually with Andy accompanying them on guitar.

Did The Darlings really play on The Andy Griffith Show? ›

The Darlings on “The Andy Griffith Show” were really The Dillards, an already established bluegrass group from Missouri, plus actors Denver Pyle (Briscoe) and Maggie Peterson (Charlene), seated next to Andy Griffith (Andy Taylor). To paraphrase Charlene Darling, this'n makes us cry.

Are any of The Darlings still alive? ›

The Darlings

Denver Pyle (Briscoe) and Doug Dillard (Doug) have passed away. Not so for Maggie Peterson (Charlene), Rodney Dillard (Rodney), Mitch Jayne (Mitch) and Dean Webb (Dean). Doug, Rodney, Mitch and Dean formed The Dillards, a real-life bluegrass band.

Who was the band that played on Andy Griffith? ›

Courtesy/Rodney Dillard: The Dillards appeared on several episodes of the Andy Griffith Show as the bluegrass band known as “The Darlings.” For generations of viewers who tuned in to the Andy Griffith Show, the fictional band known as "The Darlings" provided several moments of bluegrass entertainment.

How many times were The Darlings on Andy Griffith? ›

Charlene Darling and her Darling family appeared in six episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show,” from 1963 to 1966.

How many Dillard's stores are there in the US? ›

Today, Dillard's, Inc. ranks among the nation's largest fashion retailers – operating 274 Dillard's stores including 28 clearance centers spanning 30 states and an Internet store at www.dillards.com.

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