Being from North Carolina, I've always felt a kinship with Andy.  And he loved music, and frequently had some great bluegrass on the Andy Griffith show.  Here's an example; the guitar player on this tune is Clarence White, who later on became the guitar player for The Byrds.  The Dillards were as well.  And in case you've never heard it, .
 
Thanks for everything Andy; I surely do appreciate it.

We shall grieve and we shall miss him,  
There will be a vacant chair,  
We shall linger to caress him,  
as we breathe our evening prayer
 
VMG

Know what would be a good idea?  What say we all go downtown and git us a bottle 'uh pop?
 
Then, we can reminisce 'bout Andy.
 
RIP, Sheriff.  Say Hey! to Barney, Aunt Bee, Goober, Floyd, Briscoe Darling, and the others.  And tell Ernest T. to quit throwin' them rocks!

Know what would be a good idea?  What say we all go downtown and git us a bottle 'uh pop?
 
Then, we can reminisce 'bout Andy.
 
RIP, Sheriff.  Say Hey! to Barney, Aunt Bee, Goober, Floyd, and the others.  And tell Ernest T. to quit throwin' them rocks!

The first place I ever heard music like that was on the AGS.  Only much later did I realize the 'Darlings' were the Dillards.  Andy always played a Martin on the show.  And the music served the shows, it just didn't seem corny, no small feat.  As many times as I've seen these re-runs over the years, going back to Mayberry in black and white never gets old.
 
On the other hand, if you've never seen it, see a different Andy Griffith in Elia Kazan's towering 'A Face in the Crowd', a not-to-be missed story of arrogance.  In this media-driven age, it's even more timely.  Can NOT watch it without thinking of all the talk-radio blowhards its plot so richly paints.  I'm guessing in light of Mr. Griffith's passing, it should get into TCM's rotation pretty quick, or if you find it on PPV, don't miss it.
 
OK, I'll admit it . . . . I ALWAYS wanted to be Ernest T. Bass when I grew up !
 
J o e y

A sad day and a big loss