NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country music star Alan Jackson has included one of the signature songs from “The Andy Griffith Show” on his new CD, “The Bluegrass Album.”
“There Is A Time” was written by Rodney Dillard and Mitch Jayne, of The Dillards, who performed on the hit TV show as members of the hillbilly family, The Darlings.
The song was sung by Maggie Peterson, who played the role of their sister, Charlene.
“That song was written 50 years ago,” said co-writer Dillard. “We wrote the song for the love of it, never expecting to see it become a major hit.”
Dillard isn’t sure why Jackson re-recorded the song, but that doesn’t matter.
“I was thrilled when my publisher told me Alan was going to use the song. I love his music and his writing. I’m a huge fan. His picking it up gave me the assurance that it was a very high quality piece of music,” Dillard said.
“I remember singing that song very well,” Peterson said.
“We were in Andy’s living room in Mayberry. I was trying to betroth Andy to my doll, my ‘daughter,’ Andelina,” she said.
On the television show, Charlene was always trying to nab the town’s high sheriff Andy Taylor to be her husband. But none of her ploys ever worked, even when her brothers and father got involved.
“When I finished singing the song, Andy stopped playing and said, ‘That’s the prettiest song I ever heard.’ And that was the same episode where Barney got a little funny after getting into some mulberry squeezin’s in the living room,” Peterson added.
She said she was thrilled when Dillard called her with the news about Jackson’s new CD.
“I can’t wait to hear the song. I’ve never heard anyone else but us do it,” she laughed.
Jackson’s CD will be released Sept. 24.
Originals that Jackson penned for the album include such titles as “Blacktop,” “Blue Ridge Mountain Song” and “Mary.” Covers on The Bluegrass Album include The Dillards’ “There Is A Time,” John Anderson’s “Wild and Blue” and a ¾-time version of Bill Monroe’s seminal “Blue Moon of Kentucky.”
Jackson enlisted Scott Coney (acoustic guitar), Sammy Shelor (banjo), Adam Steffey (mandolin), Tim Crouch (fiddle), Tim Dishman (bass), Rob Ickes (dobro) and Ronnie Bowman and Don Rigsby (vocals) to produce the acoustic album.