The Dillards - Chronological Classics 1963-1964 (2012)

One of the leading lights of progressive bluegrass in the 1960s, the Dillards played a major part in modernizing and popularizing the sound of bluegrass, and were also an underappreciated influence on country-rock. While many fans first learned about the group from their regular appearances playing acoustically on The Andy Griffith Show, they were among the first traditional groups to electrify their sound and became an influence on artists like the Byrds, Eagles, and Elton John, with whom they later toured. Though widespread commercial success evaded them, their pioneering late-'60s albums for Elektra -- particularly Wheatstraw Suite -- received critical acclaim. The Dillards did place a single on the pop charts with 1971's "It's About Time," and various lineups of the group remained active throughout the remainder of the '70s. A Dillards revival began in the late '80s and yielded a pair of studio albums including 1992's Take Me Along for the Ride, though the members more or less carried on with their own projects up until the death of founding member Doug Dillard in 2012. In tribute to their combined legacy, his brother Rodney released another album, 2020's Old Road New Again, under the Dillards banner...