Dalton Dillingham III

Dalton Dillingham III was born and raised in Petaluma CA. He studied cello at the Conservatory at the College of the Pacific, and joined the musicians union in 1946.

He played with the San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Marin, and Nashville Symphonies, the San Francisco Opera, and the MGM Orchestra. He toured Germany in the 1950s with the 82nd Army Band and 7th Army Symphony. He played regionally with countless jazz bands and his own group The Dillinghams.

Dalton has also composed and recorded numerous songs and jingles for the commercial music industry.

With a professional musical career spanning over half a century, Dalton played at one time or another with many of the jazz luminaries and pop icons of the 20th century including: -Bone Walker, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Lena Horne, Mose Allison, Mongo Santa Maria, Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner, Lester Flat, John Hartford, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Bill Monroe, The Liberace Orchestra, and the Sons of the Cajun Crawdaddy with Link Davis Jr.

Dalton has contributed to five Grammy award winning recordings, most recently with Tom Waits on his Mule Variations album.

Dalton Dillingham III passed away at the age of 82 at the Veterans Home of California in Yountville on Monday, November 24, 2014.