An unusual studio project,
the Folkswingers did an album on the World Pacific label in 1963,
12 String Guitar!, on which a pre-stardom
Glen Campbell's 12-string guitar playing was backed by three members of
the Dillards (
Rodney Dillard on guitar,
Doug Dillard on banjo, and
Dean Webb on bass). Though the song selection is a little obvious and commercial-minded -- including "If I Had a Hammer," "Walk Right In," "Midnight Special," "Cottonfields," "Wabash Cannonball," "Blowing in the Wind," and "This Train" -- the album swings along pleasantly, with more of a rhythm than many folk LPs of the period. The record also played an indirect unintentional role in the birth of folk-rock, as it was produced by
Jim Dickson, who went on to co-manage
the Byrds. In appreciation of his work on the album,
Dick Bock of World Pacific gave
Dickson free studio time, which
Dickson used to rehearse and record studio material by
the Byrds as they were learning to play electric folk-rock. That studio time was invaluable to making
the Byrds a tighter unit by the time they started making official recordings.
–
Richie Unterberger, Rovi