John Hartford & The Dillards -- "Orange Blossom Special"

[@brianjennings1624]

It ain’t the Dillards without Doug.

[@DanielSanchez-og4ox]

John Hartford was a force of nature.

[@gluce]

You got that right, Brother!

[@Stanleytone-04]

Indeed, we walk in the wind of his turbulence !!

[@pablohingley2679]

❤

[@PtolemyJones]

I measure versions of this song on how much it evokes the sensation of being on a train, and this is a definite A.

[@jefflanaghan6327]

Doesn't get any better.

[@elrobertoreal]

Phenomenal collaboration ... one of the most fantastic bands ever and the unforgotten John Hartford. Great forever.

[@guitarpicker6341]

John Hartford was a great and talented musician. It took him 15 minutes to write and compose one of his very popular song back in the 70s Gentle on my mind. A little Banjo Picker he called himself out of south east Missouri wrote this song as a Bluegrass piece but it became a popular pop song performed by Glen Campbell. John and Glen performed this song together many times but John never got the credit for it like he deserved. Glen had a show and used Gentle on my mind as the intro music. He also said, without John I would not be here today with this show.

[@centerice]

Every word...true. The lyrics of "Gentle on My Mind" stand in their own right without music, as a masterpiece of poetry.

[@sfbayareagirl]

Agree w most of what you said, but really, Glen Campbell always gave John Hartford credit for that song. They backed the Brinks truck up to his front door on that song.

[@raykelly1443]

Another great talent left us way too soon. He was a special person and is sorely missed today.

[@OldBanjer]

If there's a shrine to bluegrass in Missouri, the Dillards and John Hartford have to be on it. They make me proud of the Show-Me-State.

[@gafairbanks2434]

John was the most LOVING person and SUPER awesome, such a talented man. I truly miss him and his wife Marie, HAPPY HOLIDAYS MY ANGELS, YOUR NEVER FORGOTTEN. 🤗💗🌻

[@balladeer45]

Great performance, in spite of what the KZbin critics say. I first met John when he came to our little Pentecostal church one Sunday night in the mid 60s. He was a dj at the time in Clinton, Illinois at station WHOW. He sang "This Little Light Of Mine" and played the banjo.

[@karijaynetaylor]

Awesome WOW. LOVE IT . Take me back 2 yesterday John....R.I.P. John.....

[@Not_So_Weird_in_Austin]

I always admired John Hartford. It's interesting to compare performances of orange blossom special to others like Brian Berline to see how great musicians can all make the performance great. Ahhhhhh, picket it now....

[@sharon102645]

God! He was SO talented!

[@sharon102645]

I loved the way he tapped danced while performing..

[@sfbayareagirl]

Kittymom1026 John always had a piece of plywood with rugged w a mic so it’d pick up his clogging /tapping. Love watching this one. 1977, Gentle on My Mind. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5CbaKucqsZ7eqc

[@duanehall4311]

YEEEEEEEEEEE. HAWWWWWWWW. !!!!!!

[@Raughwe]

Billy Ray is a pioneer in his own right. Great tenor vocals and guitar, too.

[@d1rtyl1ttlep1g]

Thank you John, one a da best version si ever heard, n really great banjo too!!! Very Awesome!!

[@jwprewett]

Gotta love'em. Hartford and the Dillards ...with Maggie !

[@jasonhughes6401]

Miss John.

[@erikwern144]

I loved how John would play this song and go out into the audience- didn't matter the size of the venue- even Red Rocks amphitheater

[@grandma835]

This is how I will always remember Johnny boy - he was always my favorite at the Appalachian bluegrass festivals! I have some wonderful pictures of him taken at Ronceverte, WV

[@dalecauthen9086]

When I was in my late 20's and would stay home to watch Austin City Limits come on at 10 pm and see great music like this, before they became "liberal" or whatever and started playing weird noise instead. I would watch the entire show and then go down to the Double Door Lounge on Independence Blvd or Simon Sez on 7th street to party with the locals and get wasted until after closing time. Those were the days !

[@pattyfromtoledo]

amazing ~ I'm really happy to have found this on youtube!

[@MrMusicguyma]

Hartford and the Dillards were old pal from Missouri. Kooky banjo from daishiki-clad Billy Ray Latham, fun performance. ;)

[@mcfrdmn]

Excellent performance!

[@kendallmorse8198]

I love the Dillard's

[@aliwhitwell]

Innovative stuff from both John and Billy Ray.

[@jeffandersen7397]

i was in a band with Billy Ray's Nephew, Got to jam w/the man a few times. He was an awesome dude.

[@kaitekki]

Tuesday night jams at the Sundance Saloon in Calabassas, Ca...1974? Frickin awesome

[@fossworking]

In my book, this merits the play it fast in a vacuum award.

[@patgrubb1691]

Great music

[@songsabai3794]

wah-wah banjo!!!!!

[@lesg24]

He had that magic touch.

[@sharon102645]

Oh, and I had such a crush on him...

[@PtolemyJones]

Wow.

[@aliwhitwell]

Fantastic. Think Billy Ray was the first guy to play a banjo through a fuzz pedal! Listen to Redbone Hound by the Dillards.

[@aliwhitwell]

Billy Ray Lathum on banjo. :-)

[@nathanbingham470]

Do you have any more of this concert? I remember watching it live when I was a kid and I've been looking for the John Hartford set ever since.

[@VictorianRose7]

No, sorry.

[@RichardsMovies]

The man is the Miles Davis of banjo playing.

[@centerice]

Who says banjos only sound good when played wearing cowboy boots? Apparently, they sound pretty good with disco platform shoes as well.

[@theWellSeasonedWoman]

YEEEEEEE HAW!

[@namcat53]

Cleaned up releases of ACL early shows would be very welcome.

[@dukepeterson]

who is the banjo player?

[@aliwhitwell]

Billy Ray Lathum on banjo.

[@terryschnell1226]

good song is like it from Terry schnell

[@martinluthierking]

sick hair on dem dudes

[@bruceriley4063]

I like the Dillards better when they looked menacing on the Andy Griffith show.

[@johns.8082]

Apparently that was their true temperament, they only feigned a more jovial demeanor when performing publicly. Also, they deliberately played this song uptempo just to rile viewers on KZbin. They were not only irascible, they were very prescient.

[@VictorianRose7]

@firecat6232 I know, they are totally awesome!!

[@barttuthill4043]

I forgot what bell bottoms looked like

[@TheGhost5600]

Is that Doug Dillard on banjo?

[@robertjohnson5795]

Nope. Billy Ray Latham. I would rather have seen Doug there.

[@mattthecat03]

not sure if i like a wah wah on a banjo....

[@crazycat1345]

I am going outside to smoke a joint now.

[@deanpitman3325]

Who's the banjo player here? That ain't Douglas.

[@VictorianRose7]

Dean Pitman according to the comments, Billy Ray Latham

[@deanpitman3325]

@@VictorianRose7 Thanks. I didn't recognize him.

[@lynnturman8157]

Amazing he's so facile. Cause economy of motion isn't very good.

[@carnut476]

Why do you Yanks Hate Him the way you do ?

[@buzzwinklemoose9853]

'Scuse me. I'm a Yankee from South Jersey, a lifelong musician and I know how to play every instrument in this video (Except the damn fiddle. Never got but squeaks and farts out of it). I don't hate ANY of this or the folks who made it. I been swipin' stuff from the Dillards and Hartford since eternity.

[@nicoswarley]

E C# B G#

[@slackjawedyokel1]

looks like the dude from dumb and dumber

[@US15522]

They start out way too fast. The music is supposed to recreate the sounds of a steam engine starting from a dead stop as it pulls out of the station pulling the passenger coaches. The wheels are supposed to slide, the steam is supposed to blow, and the bell is supposed to ring. Eventually the Orange Blossom Special is highballin and the pace is fast. None of it sounds right. I heard the explanation from the composer (Leon 'Pappy' Selph) who explained it as he played it with his Blue Ridge Playboys. The Dillards and John Hartford are/were great but not on this weak performance.

[@VictorianRose7]

Sounds awesome to me and all the other people who liked this video, wouldn't change a thing.

[@US15522]

VictorianRose7 Whatever floats your boat. I was just pointing out that the composer's story in the music is lost when it is played as seen and heard in the video. I'm a fan of both the Dillards and John Hartford but I think they missed it on this performance as do many others on theirs.

[@nsdtr01]

music is not written in cement

[@US15522]

True, but when the song is about a train and is written to imitate the sound of the locomotive the cadence matters.

[@fentonjames]

US15522 you do realize that they go into this out of another song, right?

[@sufenta67]

Didn't care for the banjo break.