Douglas Flint Dillard, 6 Mar. 1937-16 May 2012

Thanks to Roger Ryan, who forwards from Mike Scott in Tennessee the sad news, on the VVN/Music website, that Douglas Flint 'Doug' Dillard died last night at the age of 75. He was highly influential both as a banjo-player and as a member of the Dillards, a band perhaps better attuned than any other at the time to the new audience for bluegrass that came from the folk music 'revival'. Older BIB readers may recall a performance by the Dillards in Dublin thirty or more years ago.

The picture, which heads Doug's own website, shows him with his characteristic smile and his Gibson Granada. He recalled that the first time he heard Earl Scruggs was on the car radio while he was driving: the effect was such that he drove into a ditch and had to be towed out. 'Scruggs pegs' were later installed on his banjo by Earl himself. More details are on VVN/Music, on his own bio page, and on Bluegrass Today.