Though The Dillards were already an established bluegrass band, their biggest claim to fame is performing musically as members of the fictional Darling family on The Andy Griffith Show, introducing bluegrass to many Americans who had never heard it. This was a recurring role and the Dillards were led by veteran character actor Denver Pyle as their father and jug player, Briscoe Darling. Maggie Peterson played Charlene Darling, their sister and the focus for the attentions of character Ernest T. Bass, played by Howard Morris. The appearances of the Dillards as the Darlings ran between 1963 and 1966. In 1986, the Dillards reprised the role in the reunion show Return to Mayberry. As part of their current tour, Rodney Dillard answers questions about the TV series. He says the songs such as "Dooley" are about people the family knew.
On the October 1963 episode "Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee", the Dillards performed the first wide scale airing of the 1955 Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith composition Feudin' Banjos (Dueling Banjos).
According to Jim Clark of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club, three albums have been produced with songs performed on the show. Clark says Songs That Make Me Cry is the only one currently available with real performances and has the three songs which included Maggie Peterson, who played Charlene. Back Porch Bluegrass: Live Almost includes five songs that were sung on the show, and Rodney Dillard released another album with the real performances of other songs.
The Dillards are notable for being among the first bluegrass groups to have electrified their instruments in the mid-1960s. They are considered to be one of the pioneers of the burgeoning southern California folk rock, country rock and progressive bluegrass genres, and are known to have directly or indirectly influenced artists such as The Eagles, The Byrds, and Elton John. In 1972, The Dillards joined Elton John on his first American tour. John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin has also acknowledged their influence, particularly in his decision to play the mandolin.
Rodney Dillard is a founding member of The Dillards - the group he formed with his brother, Douglas Dillard in the late 1950s. Credited throughout the years as the driving force behind the group's musical direction, success, and phenomenal longevity as a working act. Today, Dillard's musical duties include lead and harmony vocals, guitar, and dobro.
Beverly Cotten-Dillard is a native of Morrisville, North Carolina who performed with Janette Carter, Ola Belle Reed, Tommy Jarrell, and Doc and Merle Watson. She has appeared on Hee Haw and the Disney Channel and at Carnegie Hall. Cotten-Dillard is recognized as an authority on the traditional "clawhammer" banjo technique and is a featured member of The Dillards live shows. Her 1981 album Clog-In 'is considered an American folk classic."
George Giddens is a classically trained musician who is an awarded fiddler and mandolin player for the band.
Gary J. Smith was added to the lineup, having recorded double bass in the 2015 studio sessions for the new Dillards album. Smith is well known in Nashville circles after stints with Tom T. Hall, The Brother Boys, Ed Snodderly, and his long-time collaborator, Jeff Gilkinson.
Former member, Dean Webb, died at the age of 81, on June 30, 2018.
Reuben's Train
The Dillards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He ran it to the Lord knows where
Oh me, oh my ran it to the Lord knows where
Should been in town when Reuben's train went down
You could hear that whistle blow 100 miles
Oh me, oh my you could hear the whistle blow 100 miles
Lord how it sleeted & it snowed
Oh me, oh my Lord how it sleeted & it snowed
I've been to the East, I've been to the West
I'm going where the chilly winds don't blow
Oh me, oh my I'm going where the chilly winds don't blow
Oh the train that I ride is 100 coaches long
You can hear the whistle blow 100 miles
Oh me, oh my you can hear the whistle blow 100 miles
I got myself a blade, laid Reuben in the shade,
I'm startin' me a graveyard of my own.
Oh, me, oh lordy my, startin' me a graveyard of my own.
Ol Reuben made a train & he put it on a track
He ran it to the Lord knows where
Oh me, oh my ran it to the Lord knows where
The Dillards's song Reuben's Train tells the story of Reuben, who built a train and ran it to an unknown destination. The first verse describes Reuben's creation, which he put on a track and ran for miles. The singer of the song laments not being in town when Reuben's train went down as it could be heard blowing its whistle 100 miles away. The second verse describes the singer's own troubles as they lay in jail with no money to pay their bail while being faced with sleet and snow.
The song then takes a turn as the singer declares that they have been to the East and the West but plan to go where chilly winds don't blow. They also claim to ride a train that is 100 coaches long, which can be heard blowing its whistle for 100 miles. The last verse is a bit darker as the singer claims to have laid Reuben in the shade with a blade and is starting a graveyard of their own.
Line by Line Meaning
Ol Reuben made a train & he put it on a track
Reuben built a train and set it on the tracks.
He ran it to the Lord knows where
He drove the train to an unknown destination.
Oh me, oh my ran it to the Lord knows where
The train's journey was unpredictable and unknown.
Should been in town when Reuben's train went down
If you were in town when the train had an accident,
You could hear that whistle blow 100 miles
You would hear the train whistle from a distance of 100 miles.
Oh me, oh my you could hear the whistle blow 100 miles
The sound of the train whistle was very loud and could be heard up to 100 miles away.
Last night I lay in jail had no money to go my bail
The singer was in jail without enough money to pay their bail.
Lord how it sleeted & it snowed
It was very cold and snowing outside.
Oh me, oh my Lord how it sleeted & it snowed
The artist is emphasizing how bad the weather was.
I've been to the East, I've been to the West
The artist has traveled to different parts of the country.
I'm going where the chilly winds don't blow
The singer is looking for a place where it's not cold and windy.
Oh me, oh my I'm going where the chilly winds don't blow
The artist is emphasizing how important it is for them to find warmth.
Oh the train that I ride is 100 coaches long
The singer is riding a train that is very long (100 coaches).
You can hear the whistle blow 100 miles
The train whistle can be heard from a distance of 100 miles.
Oh me, oh my you can hear the whistle blow 100 miles
The train is very loud and can be heard from a great distance.
I got myself a blade, laid Reuben in the shade,
The artist has a weapon and has hidden Reuben's body away from view.
I'm startin' me a graveyard of my own.
The artist is starting a cemetery where they will bury their own victims.
Oh, me, oh lordy my, startin' me a graveyard of my own.
The singer is emphasizing how unsettling their actions are.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: DOC WATSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
centerice
I once had a band that covered most of the Dillards' songs. We were all young and so smitten with the sound of this particular recording that we only wanted to try and "sound just like the record." We toiled for hours. The hours turned into days. Finally, mercifully, we thought we had achieved it. Then, I went back and listened to the record again. Didn't sound anything like it musically. There was something missing that I couldn't place. We just couldn't put our fingers on it. The Dillards' version just sounded different. Then, after putting the record on a stereo that I could turn down one speaker, I happened to listen to the mandolin only (which I would not have normally done, being a banjo player). And there it was, as plain as day...Dean Webb was chopping his mandolin NOT in the traditional method of between each downbeat, but in a totally peculiar group of three strums that matched the bass player. THAT WAS IT! The missing sound! It was that syncopated and unique rhythm created by his grouping of 3 strums instead of single chops! This video was not available in those days. We were stuck using our ears and moving the stylus back over the grooves over and over and over and perhaps even turning the 33 rpm speed down to 16 rpm to try and decipher what the musicians were doing. Had we had this video, we would have SEEN Dean's unusual "3 strum chop" groupings, very visible here, and avoided all the mystery and frustration. These musicians were ALL cutting edge guys, doing unprecedented things on their instruments, and there is Mandolin musical genius in Dean's contribution to this version of Reuben's Train.
William Anderson
The Dillards were some special kinda players, for sure!
John R.
It's pretty amazing that you figured that out through listening repetition and eventually, isolating Dean's mandolin. Great work! The Dillards are the cream of the crop as far as I'm concerned when it comes to bluegrass. Their speed and precision was incredible. There was a reason Mitch Jayne called Dean "fingers." As for your discovery, I had a similar breakthrough with a song once: I was in an acoustic duo with a girl back in the day, and we covered "Bleecker Street" by Simon & Garfunkel. The vocal harmonies we did were good, but something seemed off all the same. One day in my car I was listening to that song, and I hit the balance button instead of the volume. I discovered that Garfunkel's voice was in one channel and Simon's in the other, making it easy to discern who sings what. They both go over and under each other at various times, and once we figured that out, it sounded right!
The Dillards - Mayberry and Beyond
Wow thanks! That is an honor to hear. We certainly could play, we admit that ha ha. But that really does mean a lot to hear about our influence. ❤
Dougie H
Huge fan of the Dillards 🎵❤️🎶
Becky Barnes
I love the Dillard's. The best music 💜
Bobareenio Bobareenio
Greatest band. I wonder why they were not better known . . They also appeared on the ANdy Griffith Show .
The Dillards - Mayberry and Beyond
We kind of had a dual career and the music world wasn’t ready for that (bluegrass and country rock). But we inspired many of the bands that went on to worldwide acclaim and we are thankful.
Josie406
There's nobody like the Dillards.
Killer Queen/64
Wonderful slice of pure Americiana......thanks for the smile ;-)