And So It Goes...

August 5, 2010 10:43 PM

Mitch Jayne was an author, musician and humorist. After a stint at the University of Missouri, he began teaching in one-room schools in Dent County. His radio show in Salem, MO garnered national attention for it's snake and tick market report, but then he joined the Dillards and brought Ozark bluegrass to Los Angeles. Two weeks in LA and the Dillards had a record deal and a stint on the Andy Griffith Show as "The Darlings." Mitch Jayne passed away Monday at the age of 80.

Two of the Dillard's most well known songs are "Dooley" and "There is a Time"

posted by schyler523 (6 comments total)

I learned about Mitch tonight at a local version of "The Moth," several people got up and told amazing stories about Mitch. I decided after researching him for a bit that he deserved a MeFi Obit.

Godspeed Mitch.

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posted by schyler523 at 10:47 PM on August 5, 2010

i LOVED the darlin' boys & was pleased to find out about 2 years ago that they were the television incarnation of a real-life band. to a hell of a fiddler:

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and then i read his wife's blurb about his passing, and this caught my eye:

Mitch did not suffer, never felt any pain, and was gracious and delightfully humorous during his stay in the hospital. ... Monday, August 2, around 12:30 p.m., I was touching his chest and quietly talking to him. Several minutes later, the nurse (who was in the room with us) said, “He passed away a couple of minutes ago.” ... Then she sat down in the wheelchair at the end of the bed, her face flushed, her eyes widened and she said, “But in my twenty-five years as a nurse, I have never seen anyone pass so gently.”

to a helluva man:

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posted by msconduct at 5:38 AM on August 6, 2010

Some of The Dillards is on the treacly side, but really they were damn good. Old Man at the Mill is awesome. Those little bits of Elisabethen English showing up in the backwoods are fascinating, and it seems you can hear them in Dillards lyrics. I was unaware of their backstory -- thanks for this, and godspeed Mr. Jayne.
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:35 AM on August 6, 2010

Hopefully not a derail, but that Andy Griffith clip reminded me that he also had Clarence and Roland White (Kentucky Colonels) on his show a couple of times (one here). The guitar that Andy plays is a Martin D-18 provided by the prop department in A Face In the Crowd. He liked the sound so much he kept it and had it refinished -- eventually Martin created a signature Andy Griffith D-18 based on the sound of that prop guitar.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:09 AM on August 6, 2010

I am as unlikely a Dillards fan as you will probably find, given that my main music love is American Free Jazz, Chicago style. But I have been a fan of the Dillards ever since I first saw them on Andy Griffith, as the Darlings (with the late great Denver Pyle faking on the jug). I must've been all of ten or so, but my brother is 6 years older & hipped me to the Dillards & his other favorite TV pickers & grinners, the brothers Smother, Tommy & Dick (whom mom always loved best.)

I have all of the Dillards in my collection & they bring me much joy.

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posted by beelzbubba at 8:40 AM on August 6, 2010

I remember looking forward to reading Mitch's stories in the monthly, free, Missouri Conservationist that arrived without fail to my grandparents' house. Here's to Mitch.

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posted by jferg at 4:10 PM on August 8, 2010