The Dillards - An (Endless) Family Tradition

It’s been alternately figured that the Dillards, the Byrds or the Flying Burrito Brothers are the founding fathers of country rock. It’s a silly and useless debate to become engaged in. But whereas those two latter groups always functioned, to a certain extent, as rock groups, the Dillards began in Missouri as a straight bluegrass band replete with vocal harmonies and the like.

The band’s decision to head west and give the music thing a go in California, though, changed the trajectory of not just the Dillards’ career, but the folks that comprised the Byrds and the Burrito Brothers.

Leaving its home late in 1962 the Dillards hit the skids before making it to the coast. But due to the group’s musical acumen, though, it was able to pick up stray gigs to finance its cross country trek. Finally arriving in California, the band fell upon a hillbilly jam and worked out some numbers with a band from New York. As the performance ensued, a talent scout was apparently impressed enough with the Dillards to offer them a hand. The rest of the story can be figured through the group’s albums – for the most part.

Doug Dillard, arguably the leader of the ensemble, would depart eventually to have a go at a deeper combination of hillbilly music and rock stuffs. Prior to leaving, though, Doug and company recorded Back Porch Bluegrass.

The album is made of some down home stylings that owe more to the past than the future or trends that were concurrently cropping up in popular music. Efforts like “Banjo In The Hollow” and “Lonesome Indian” might come off as some revved up bluegrass, but in contrast to what would happen to the genre in just a few years, these are rather staid renditions. Even with that being said, the soloing not just on those two aforementioned songs, but over the entire album is peerless. Either way, what the Dillards were able to do over its first full length album, some groups would attempt to do for an entire career.

That said, Doug eventually left the group in order to record and tour with former Byrd Gene Clark. The two albums that the duo would release are now considered classics and indispensible in the dissemination of country rock, but really, neither holds up when contrasted to that first Dillards’ effort.

Regardless of Doug’s departure, the Dillards continued on. And in 1968 – the year that the Byrds released not just The Notorious Byrd Brothers, but also Sweetheart of the Rodeo which included Gram Parsons pre-Burritos – the group released Wheatstraw Suite. Today, the album doesn’t sound all that surprising, but its deft combination of country and subtle rock tropes made it an important disc at the time.

Some of the work is trite and just this side of unlistenable. But there are moments when the band’s brilliance shines through – “Hey Boys” being one of these spots. There’re other and better country-rock styled stuff out there, though, even as this disc deserves all the respect that it receives.