DILLON HODGES -
2007 FLAT PICKING GUITAR NATIONAL CHAMPION
Since the time that
Dillon Hodges first played a guitar at age 11, his musical
journey has been on a fast track.
Less than two years
after he first picked up a guitar, Dillon won a national
championship as the best flat picking guitar player in the
country for ages 12-and-under. In September of 2007, just one
month past his 16th birthday, Hodges won the Flat Picking
National Championship at the 36th Walnut Valley Festival in
Winfield, Kansas, besting a field of 40 of the nation's top
pickers.
With the win Hodges
became the first guitar player ever to win the title of National
Champion Country Music Beginner in Flat Top Guitar and the Flat
Picking National Championship.
In winning the
Walnut Valley Festival, Hodges became the first left-handed
player in the 36 years of the event to win. He is also the first
winner from the state of Alabama and is believed to be the
second youngest winner ever - second only to Mark O'Connor.
The summer and fall
of 2007 has been a memorable time for Dillon. He released his
debut CD, "Stormy Weather," in July of 2007. He is a featured
artist in the September/October issue of Flat Picking Guitar
Magazine. He won first place in the Indiana State Championships
in Guitar and teamed with friends Solly Burton and Olivia Smiley
in the band Ol Dill to win both the Kentucky State and Indiana
State Bluegrass Band championships.
At the age of 12,
having played guitar for just over a year, he won the title of
National Champion Country Music Beginner in Flat Top Guitar at
the 2003 Fiddlers Jamboree in Smithville, Tenn. In 2004 he won
the "Future Hall of Famers" competition held by the
International Bluegrass Music Museum, as well as seven adult
flat-picking competitions. In just four years of competing,
Hodges has won 14 guitar championships and has competed in
events in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia,
Indiana and Kansas.
He is now singing
and writing songs as well and performs regularly as a solo
artist and with his various bands
- Ag’inst the
Grain, the Smokin Strings Quartet and Ol Dill.
Hodges asked for a
guitar for his 11th birthday and, not knowing if he would really
stick with learning to play, his parents talked to an uncle who
gave Dillon a hand-me-down Regal.
Mark Campbell, a
family friend who plays several instruments but had never taught
lessons, offered to teach Dillon as part of his birthday
present. Mark taught Dillon for a few weeks and it wasn't going
very well - but he was teaching him right-handed. When he
switched Dillon to playing left handed everything just clicked.
After playing for
only a couple of months, Mark began carrying Dillon to J.
Fiddler's Restaurant to pick in the back room with the house
band, then he began playing on stage. In August 2002 Dillon
entered his first guitar competition in Moulton, Ala., and fell
in love with competing. He then won his first competition - in
the Adult Division - at a festival in Columbia, Tenn., in
October of 2002 Dillon continued competing in festivals and
began placing in the Adult division in bigger festivals and in
July (2003) he went to the 32nd Annual Jamboree in Smithville,
Tenn., which is the junior national championships for guitar.
When he got there, he asked if he could enter in both the Adult
Division - which was the first day - and the 12-and-under
division, which was the second day. He was told that he could.
He played the first day and was picked as one of three finalists
in the Adult Division. But before he competed in the finals -
they realized he was just 12 and told him he couldn't compete in
the finals. After that he competed in the 12-and-under division
and won the competition - National Champion Country Music
Beginner in Flat Top Guitar.
At the age of 13 he
was given an artist endorsement by Gibson guitar, making him the
youngest acoustic guitar player ever endorsed by Gibson.
Since then he has
won numerous adult competitions and placed in dozens of others -
including winning seven in 2004. He has performed on several
television shows across North Alabama, has been featured in
numerous news articles and has played at events across the
Southeast – including providing the pre- race entertainment at
Aaron’s 499 at the Talladega SuperSpeedway on May 1, 2005. He
plays weekly with the church band at Highland Baptist Church in
Florence and performs at festivals across the Southeast
AG’INST THE GRAIN
* A bluegrass and
jazz trio, Hodges performs with brother and sister - Brad and
Amy Leiter of Summertown, Tenn., as Ag’inst the Grain. The band
includes Amy on vocals and fiddle, Brad on bass and Dillon on
guitar, mandolin and vocals.
SMOKIN STRINGS
QUARTET
* The Smokin
Strings Quartet was formed in the Summer of 2006 and includes,
Dillon on guitar and vocals, Tim May of Nashville, Tenn., on
guitar and mandolin, Mark Evitts of Independence, Ky., on fiddle
and Brad Leiter on bass. Rachel Pochup of Florence also provides
vocals. The members of the Smokin Strings also played on
Dillon's initial CD - "Stormy Weather" - coming out this
summer. The Smokin Strings perform jazz and swing tunes in
their own unique style.
PERFORMANCES:
Dillon has
performed more than 100 times annually since 2003 at a wide
variety of events, including:
Aaron’s 499 at
Talladega SuperSpeedway
Alabama Arts
Council State Awards Showcase
W.C. Handy Music
Festival
George Lindsey Film
Festival
Helen Keller
Festival
Songwriter's
Showcase - Von Braun Center
Sheffield Sings
Burritt Museum
The University of
North Alabama
Jacksonville State
University
Muscle Shoals
Community Celebration
Lawrenceburg
(Tenn.) Arts Festival
Huntsville Museum
of Art
Tennessee Valley
Arts Center
North Alabama
Junior Miss Pageant
Times Daily's
Women's Expo
Harlon Hill Trophy
and Division II Football Hall of Fame Banquet
W.C. Handy Festival
Kidz Jamm
Florence Teacher's
Institute
Holiday
inn-Sheffield Songwriter's Showcase
Times Daily and
Keller Hospital's Kids Expo
Coldwater Bookstore
Awards
2007
Clarksville,
Tennessee
Tennessee State
Championships
2nd Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Falls of Rough,
Kentucky
Kentucky State
Championships
3rd Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Falls of Rough,
Kentucky
Kentucky State
Championships
1st Place -
Bluegrass Band
Princeton, Indiana
Indiana State
Championships
1st Place -
Bluegrass Band
Princeton, Indiana
Indiana State
Championships
1st Place - Flat
Picking Guitar
Princeton, Indiana
Indiana State
Championships
Best Rhythym Player
Princeton, Indiana
Indiana State
Championships
3rd Place - Thumb
Picking Guitar
Princeton, Indiana
Indiana State
Championships
3rd Place -
Mandolin
Princeton, Indiana
Indiana State
Championships
3rd Place - Old
Time Singing
2006
Clarksville,
Alabama
Tennessee State
Championships
2nd Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Holladay, Tennessee
50th Annual Old
Time Fiddlers and Blue Grass Jamboree 3rd Place - Guitar (Adult
Category)
Lester, Alabama
3rd Annual Sam
McCracken Days
1st Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Dickson, Tennessee
Arthur Smith and
Robert Spicer Memorial Fiddler's Contest 2nd Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
2005
Lester, Alabama
2nd Annual Sam
McCracken Days
2nd Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Mouth of Wilson,
Virginia
11th Annual Wayne
Henderson Guitar Competition 5th Place - Guitar (Adult Category)
Smithville,
Tennessee
34th Annual
Fiddler’s Jamboree
1st Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Murfreesboro,
Tennessee
Uncle Dave Macon
Days
3rd Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Rough River,
Kentucky
Kentucky State
Championships
3rd Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Rough River,
Kentucky
Back-up Musician of
the Year
Athens, Alabama
19th Annual Fiddlin’
and Bluegrass Contest 1st Place - Guitar (Adult Category)
2004
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
19th Annual Fiddlin’
and Bluegrass Contest 1st Place - Guitar (Adult Category)
Fort Payne, Alabama
Dekalb County
Fiddler’s Convention
1st Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Holladay, Tennessee
48th Annual Old
Time Fiddlers and Blue Grass Jamboree 2nd Place - Guitar (Adult
Category)
Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski Pig Squeal
1st Place - (tied)
- Guitar (Adult Category)
Dayton, Tennessee
Tennessee
Strawberry Festival Bluegrass Showdown 1st Place - Guitar (Adult
Category)
Mt. Juliet,
Tennessee
Mt. Juliet
Bluegrass Festival
1st Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Dickson, Tennessee
Arthur Smith and
Robert Spicer Memorial Fiddler’s Contest 2nd Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Lafayette,
Tennessee
Hillbilly Day
2nd Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Owensboro, Kentucky
International
Bluegrass Music Museum - Future Hall of Famers Competition River
of Music Festival 1st Place
- Guitar (Teen
13-19 Category)
Smithville,
Tennessee
33rd Annual
Fiddler’s Jamboree
1st Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Bowling Green,
Kentucky
Salvation Army
Festival
2nd Place – (15 and
under – open instrument)
Fayetteville,
Tennessee
Lincoln County
Bluegrass Festival
1st Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Athens, Alabama
Tennessee Valley
Old Time Fiddler’s Convention
5th Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
2003
Tuscumbia, Alabama
Helen Keller
Festival
3rd Place - Band
(Adult Category)
Smithville,
Tennessee
32nd Annual
Fiddler’s Jamboree
1st Place - Guitar
(12-and-under)
National Champion
Country Music Beginner Top Three* - Guitar (Adult)
*Also qualified for
adult finals before being disqualified for his age
Lebanon, Tennessee
9th Annual Cedar
Fest
3rd Place - Guitar
(Adult Category)
Athens, Alabama
Tennessee Valley
Old Time Fiddler’s Convention 4th Place - Guitar (Adult
Category)
2002
Columbia, Tennessee
Old Time Fiddlin’
Convention |
