With the lineup complete the group decided to make their fortune in California (1962). The long trip was apparently arduous and slow. But when they got there they managed to sign with Electra (which started out as a 'folk' label before moving to 'folk rock'). They also became part of the Andy Griffith Show - playing the Darling family (dim country folk, who were virtuoso musicians - silent in speech but communicative in music). From 1963 to 1965 they combined their tv appearances with the making of three albums.

The Dillards were not a traditional folk orientated band. Rosenberg explains that they were pitched towards the urban folk music market. Jayne's liner notes to the first album describes bluegrass in romantic terms, describing it as representing the rural heritage of America. He "understood the complexities of the music business and carefully shaped the image of the Dillards as real country boys to appeal to the folk revival audiences", he used " playful and urbane manipulation of hillbilly stereotypes and rural images" (Rosenberg p193). Purists denigrated the band's somewhat irreverent attitude - derived from their days as the Darling Family and Mitch's comic monologues. John Stewart said Mitch had "to be the most quoted man in Salem". Through their enjoyment of the music and comic interplay with the audience they helped make the music alive.

The Dillards then were never a traditional bluegrass group. In 1964 they had electrified their instruments at a bluegrass festival and in 1965 they toured with drummer Duey Martin (before he joined Buffalo Springfield, on the recommendation of Rodney to Stephen Stills). They had covered the Dylan song "Walkin Down Down The Line" (the vocal harmonies foreshadowing the later work), and on the 63 album they introduced the fiddler Byron Berline. Mitch on the 'Live' sleevenotes said "If a band sticks to time honoured approaches, it is stereotyped; if it seeks new approaches it becomes fair game for the tongue-chucking of the traditionalists. The answer, we think, is to do what comes naturally."

The Live!!!!Almost!!! album exemplifies their approach. Side 2 only seems to contain 2 traditional style bluegrass nos (the first track and Rodney's Harmonia break). The rest is a variety of styles: the modern folk of Dylan, trad folk in Pretty Polly, an old mountain song (Buckin Mule) and something from an 'earlier era' - Jody's Tune. The group show their adaptabilty not just in taking bluegrass into newer music, but also in transforming older material. This eclecticism reflects their desire to communicate with a wide audience and their superior creative capacity. All great music is eclectic.

The Andy Griffith Show persona is maintained in that most of the band are described in ridiculous terms by Mitch. They have no voice only their instruments. Mitch however stands apart - he acts as the bridge between the audience and the band (he takes the 'Andy Griffith role'). By relating facts about hillbilly life to the songs, he links the music to a specific lifestyle. These facts are then made into funny anecdotes. The town square is used for local trading (fact), but it has men spitting tobacco on the ground to make old ladies slip over. The privy is 100 yards from the house (fact), but it's too far in winter and too near in summer. As John Stewart says in the liner notes bluegrass can be like a museum. The way of life it represented was no doubt disappearing. As Mitch talks of bluegrass bands in the squares, he adds they are now normally electrified. The sense of loss in bluegrass songs probably relates to this. 'Never See My Home Again' relates to the Dillards own journey from their homeland as well as others'. Bluegrass can be kept alive not just through eclecticism and real life story connections to songs, but through humour, the unpredictable (Mitch isn't sure what will happen in 'Buckin'). As Mitch says earlier "madness strikes every 60 seconds". By the end the humour has gone beyond the interval between the songs to the Buckin Mule song itself. The creative unpredictability of the live show imparts new life to the music. Laughter is a means to connect with the audience, to make the music 'real' to them. As with the Andy Griffith show it's also a way of accepting difference as a first step to getting the audience to accept the music. Yet Mitch also joins in the laughter from the audience. So it also acts as cohesive force at the concert. For the Dillards their past mountain life is being left behind for the LA scene. This journey is reflected in their musical development.

According to John Tobler sibling rivalry surfaced over the development of their music. Doug wanted to keep to a more traditional bluegrass style (while Rod was moving towards rock/pop), so he left the group (to join, amongst over things, Dillard and Clarke) and was replaced by Herb Pederson.

Herb was from Northern California (Berkely), he had just returned from Nashville having deputised in the Flat-Scruggins group. He was subsequently described by Mitch as "that shy giant of a musician". Herb was an excellent banjoist like Doug, but also had a knack for producing fascinating compositions and arrangements. His vocal stylings changed the Dillards sound. He had a clear high tenor and had a knack for harmony vocals. They were under the same management as the Byrds and cross influence (eg "The Nototious Byrd Brothers") is likely. Jim Dickson (who produced the first 3 albums) said they were a big influence on Crosby, Stills and Nash. He said "we were one of the first groups ever to double vocals.........which was different and gave a more celestial sound" (Rosenberg p193). Herb was responsible for getting a polished double voiced sound. Rosenberg said the smoother sound was created by duplicating vocals. In turn this enabled the other instruments to be played at a higher volume. They also used an electric pickup for their accoustic instruments and by Wheatstraw Suite had added a drummer (Jimmmy Gordon - later Derek and The Dominoes - and Michael York) to the band. Other additions: an electric bass and a pedal steel guitar (Buddy Emmons). They used high string guitars (popular in Nashville). These replaced the bottom 3 strings with 3 an octave higher. The fuller sound that resulted veered more towards the rock/pop sound of the time, than their bluegrass origins. The music of the 60s was a tremendous melting pot of styles and the Dillards became one of the first country rock groups.

Astonishingly both albums failed to have any great commercial success. This may have led Elekra to allow the band to sign with Anthem (a UA subsidiary). The following two albums - Roots and Branches and Tribute to The American Duck were attempts to move more into the mainstream. The first sold more but the second had better material. Mitch retreated from touring and eventually left the band to go return to radio work in the Ozarks. Herb had left to be replaced by Billy Ray Latham - some say more bluegrass orientated. The group continued but moved to more specialist labels, and their profile further declined. Later albums included "The Dillards v The Incredible LA Time Machine", a dig against the music industry which hadn't given them the rewards they deserved. Then there was "Decade Waltz" which saw Herb rejoining the lineup (and a good HP song called "Easy Ride"). Later albums include 'Take Me Along For The Ride'.