Christmas and Country Favorites with Dottie Dillard and Anita Kerr

In the 1950s and 60s, Springfieldian Dottie Dillard, Anita Kerr, and the Anita Kerr Quartet sang backup on a quarter of all Nashville recordings during that period. In 2019, Kerr guessed the Quartet had sung on 200 songs a year since it was formed in 1956. They were instrumental in inventing the “Nashville Sound,” generally defined as a mix of country music flavored with pop rhythms, instrumentation, and themes. The group won a Grammy in 1965 for Best Performance by a Vocal Group, edging out the Beatles. They won another Grammy in 1966 and several other awards during the next decade. However, Anita and Dottie are rarely mentioned in histories of popular music. This program will introduce you to Anita Kerr and Springfieldian Dottie Dillard, who was Anita’s talented alto singer. It will also be a listening experience, as we focus on the Quartet’s contribution to classic recordings of your favorite Christmas songs and Nashville hit records.