Search - Dillards :: Early Recordings 1959 (Rstr)

The pre-Dillards Dillard brothers!

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 05/19/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Several years before they became a leading light of progressive bluegrass, the Dillard brothers, Rodney and Doug, were honing their chops on radio and in live performance around their native Ozarks. They recorded a few singles for the K-Ark label in 1958, but didn't form their namesake group until 1960. In between the brothers laid down these ten sides in a St. Louis home studio in 1959. With no record deal to push the music into release the tape was misplaced for decades, only to be rediscovered recently. Dillard mandolinist Dean Webb added his strings and voice in the remastering, but if someone didn't tell you, you'd swear he'd been in the studio in '59.



The duo's playing (Doug Dillard's banjo playing, in particular) and singing, and the recording's quality are all of very high caliber. This never sounds like a demo. The material relies mostly on traditional material, but the brothers - all of 16 and 21 at the time - contribute a trio of fine originals. One might not predict the groundbreaking material they'd create in the '60s, but the talent was clearly evident early on. This is a nice complement to Varese's 1962 live concert CD, "The First Time Live," sharing a similar Ozark bluegrass energy, and a great find for Dillards fans. The only disappointment is the 21 minute playing time - but that's either all they recorded, or all Doug Dillard found in his archive. [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]"

What You Need To Know

Cary E. Mansfield | Studio City, CA USA | 04/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The ten tracks featured in this special release are very rare unreleased studio recordings of the original Dillard brothers, with Douglas on banjo and vocals and Rodney on guitar and vocals. This was the first time the Dillard brothers seriously endeavored to record something of real meaning."