The Dillards left Salem, Missouri for Los Angeles in 1962 and within weeks were signed to Elektra Records and the William Morris Agency. Brothers Rodney and Doug Dillard, Mitch Jayne, and Dean Webb became the deadpan Darling family on The Andy Griffith Show from 1963 to 1966, introducing millions of viewers to bluegrass and giving "Feudin' Banjos" (better known today as "Dueling Banjos") its first wide broadcast in October 1963.

When Doug left in 1967 after scoring Bonnie and Clyde and touring with the Byrds, Herb Pedersen joined and the band recorded Wheatstraw Suite in 1968, adding electric instruments, a drum kit, orchestral strings, and layered harmonies. Purists called it a betrayal; John Paul Jones, Elton John, Don Henley, and Steve Martin called it inspiration. This episode follows the band through Copperfields, the 1973 Elton John a ...