Moses Dillard was born in Greenville September 30, 1946. His first foray into music was as a trombonist at The United House of Prayer For All People in Greenville’s West End. He exhibited a precocious talent in the church and soon fell under the tutelage of Bill Dover, the music instructor at Sterling High School, Greenville’s segregated school for African Americans. Dover taught Moses Dillard guitar and he displayed innate ability on that instrument from the start, as well.
Drummer Leo Adams brought Dillard into the band of Greenville soul singer Cornell Blakely while he and Dillard were still teenagers. Dillard, Adams, and keyboardist Jesse Boyce left Blakely to form their own group, which eventually recorded at Mark V Studios as Moses Dillard and The Dynamic Showmen. This band found its way to Pensacola, Florida to become the studio musicians at Amy/Mala/Bell records. Here they backed up many of the soul and rhythm and blues icons of the late 1960’s and early 70’s; Sam and Dave, James and Bobby Purify, Curtis Mayfield. The band’s membership changed again, and they returned to Greenville to reform as Tex-Town Display in 1970. The Now! album was released that year and included the hit single I’ve Gotta Find A Way To Hide My Hurt. The group disbanded in 1973 after touring the globe with Miss Black America, Gloria O. Smith, on a USO Tour.
Dillard then moved to Nashville where he embarked on a thriving career in production, songwriting, and session work. He became a minister, as well, and performed on a Grammy-winning gospel record with the Reverend Al Green. Moses Dillard died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1991.