Over the course of The Andy Griffith Show's 249 episodes, the charming Appalachian musical family The Darlings (pronounced The Darlins) only appeared in six episodes. But they, along with the rascally Ernest T. Bass, remain one of the series' most beloved recurring characters. That's due in part to the family's musical proclivities.
An appearance by The Darlings, made up of patriarch and family spokesman Briscoe Darling (Denver Pyle), the flirtatious Charlene (Maggie Peterson) and The Darling boys, portrayed by real life bluegrass group The Dillards, always led to an impromptu bluegrass jam session. As Briscoe Darling says, "You got time to breathe, you got time for music"
Read More: The Dillards: From Mayberry's Darlings to Progressive Bluegrass Pioneers
'Dooley'
One of the show's most memorable musical performances is that of "Dooley," written by Rodney Dillard and Mitch Jayne. The upbeat bluegrass song centers on a moonshiner and his family. The tune is said to be written about a man the Dillard brothers knew growing up in the Ozark Mountain region of Missouri.
The Dillards & The Darlings
Born in born in Salem, Missouri in the Ozarks, brothers Doug and Rodney Dillard grew up learning bluegrass from their fiddle playing father. Joined by Dean Webb Mitch Jayne, the Dillards would release a string of influential progressive bluegrass albums, such as Back Porch Bluegrass and Wheatstraw Suite.
On The Andy Griffith Show, the band performed original songs such as "Ebo Walker" and traditional American folk songs such as "Boil Them Cabbage Down" and "Shady Grove," introducing the songs to a whole new audience.
Chris Hillman of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers has been vocal about the impact The Dillards had on the country-rock movement.
"When they hit town, they completely blew everybody away," Hillman told the Los Angeles Times in 2012.
The Best Performances from 'The Andy Griffith Show'
28th April 1961: L-R: American actors James Best and Andy Griffith play a guitar duet while sitting in a living room in a publicity still from the television series, 'The Andy Griffith Show'. Best plays an electric guitar, as Griffith accompanies him on the acoustic guitar. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
"There is a Time"
"Down in the Valley"
"The Lonesome Road"
"Doug's Tune"
"Boil Them Cabbage Down"
"Ebo Walker"
"Whoa Mule"
"The Midnight Special"
"Church in the Wildwood"
'Dooley' Lyrics:
He lived below the mill
Dooley had two daughters
And a forty-gallon still
The other watched the spout
And mama corked the bottles
And ole Dooley fetched 'em out.
Dooley try to make a dollar
Dooley give me a swaller
And I'll pay you back someday.
A-slippin' though the woods
Dooley kept behind them all
And never lost his goods
When into town he'd come
Sugar by the bushel
And molasses by the ton.
Dooley try to make a dollar
Dooley gimme a swaller
And I'l pay you back someday.
The day ole Dooley died
The women folk looked sorry
And the men stood round and cried
He lies there all alone
They put a jug beside him
And a barrel for his stone.
Dooley try to make a dollar
Dooley gimme a swaller
And I'll pay you back someday
