Doug Dillard

Musician. Born Douglas Flint Dillard, he was a distinctive banjo player best known as a member of the folk-bluegrass musical group, The Dillards. He received his first banjo as a teenager and soon began performing with various bands, on radio and TV. In 1958, after performing with Joel Noel and The Dixie Ramblers on a few recordings, he paired up with his brother Rodney and formed the group, The Dillards. Recording for Mario Records, they released the hit single "Banjo in the Hollow", followed by "Doug's Breakdown". Their folk-bluegrass blend became popular on college campuses which led to their move to California and their debut album for Elektra, "Back Porch Bluegrass" (1963). In 1964, the band signed a contract with CBS as semi regular cast members for the "The Andy Griffith Show" and performed their own material on many episodes known as The Darlin Boys". After parting ways with the Dillards, Doug joined the folk-rock group the Byrds on their first European tour and later he teamed up with Byrds member Gene Clark, forming the influential Dillard & Clark, one of the first acts to popularize the country-rock sound. In 1974, he released the solo album "Duelin Banjo" and was nominated for and instrumentalist Grammy. Through the 1970s into the 1980s, he was performing in and scored for TV commercials to include 7-Up, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Chevrolet and Visa. He also recorded with artist Hoyt Axton, Johnny Cash, Arlo Guthrie, Linda Ronstadt, Glen Campbell, the Monkees and the Beach Boys. The Dillards reformed in 1988, to play the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival, they also toured England and performed on a TV concert special for the BBC Network. In 2009, the Dillards were inducted into the IBMA's Bluegrass Hall of Fame.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: May 4 2022, 5:59:48 UTC