The Dilllards were possibly the most influential bluegrass band of the 1960s. Just two classic albums, Back Porch Bluegrass and Live - Almost!, provided a slew of new songs and arrangements that would influence a generation of musicians.
Old Home Place, a song about lost love and social change, has become a session standard. It originally appeared on the first Dillards LP, Back Porch Bluegrass, in 1963. The neat opening I III IV chord progression of the verse was unusual and was matched by the unexpected progression of the chorus (V I II V ...). If you're a new bluegrass musician and don't yet know the Old Home Place you'd better learn it! Luckily you can now get those original Dillards recordings on a single Elektra CD.
The tab below is a break for the verse of Old Home Place in the key of A, the key used by the Dillards. Another classic recording of the same song was made by J D Crowe and the New South in 1975, this time in B flat, presumably to suit the voice of their lead singer of the time, Tony Rice. The track features a swingy mandolin break by the young Ricky Skaggs. The album, simply entitled J D Crowe and the New South, is another "must have" recording, now available again on CD courtesy of Rounder Records.
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