ABSTRACT
In the years I have been studying, researching, and writing about oldtime music, the name of John Dilleshaw has remained a tantalizing and elusive mystery. An inquiry about Dilleshaw-or Dilly and His Dill Pickles, as the record labels read-became a standard coda to any interview I did with any older southeastern musician, and the inquiry usually drew a blank. Who was this tall, laconic guitar player who propelled such excellent, driving string band music, and talked his way through a couple of solo performances besides?
