For five decades, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has remained one of the most iconic names in American roots music. With one foot planted in the traditions of country-folk and the other pointing toward something new and unexpected, the group continues to tour and release music, influencing multiple generations of audiences and artists along the way. Nearly a dozen of those artists join the group on this year's Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends - Circlin’ Back: Celebrating 50 Years concert album, available as a CD or as a CD/DVD combo, due out September 30th on the band's own NGDB Records, LLC, distributed by Warner Music Nashville.
Recorded live at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends captures a group of longtime road warriors who've yet to lose their grit, joined onstage by John Prine, Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Jerry Jeff Walker, Alison Krauss, Rodney Crowell, Byron House, and Jerry Douglas. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (and early Dirt Band member) Jackson Browne joined in, along with longtime member Jimmy Ibbotson, while a sold-out crowd sings along in the background. From country classics to deep cuts, the tracklist finds bandmates Jeff Hanna (guitars/vocals), Jimmie Fadden (drums/harmonica/vocals), Bob Carpenter (keyboards/accordion/vocals) and John McEuen (banjo/fiddle/guitar/mandolin) swapping harmonies, trading solos, and shining new light on a catalog of vital, vibrant music.
Long before Americana music had a name, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band helped lead the charge, mixing elements of country, bluegrass, folk, mountain music, and rock & roll into a sound that celebrated the full range of American music. The guys were traditionalists and trendsetters, performing songs that nodded to the past while still pushing toward the future. Released in 1972 — just six years after the group formed in Southern California — Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will the Circle Be Unbroken still stands as one of the most beloved albums in the country catalog, pairing the young band with legends like Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, and Mother Maybelle Carter.
Many decades have passed since that milestone album's release, with the members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band now enjoying their own legendary status. They continue to blur lines between genres, however, and the upcoming Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends accomplishes something very similar to the classic Will the Circle Be Unbroken, pairing the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with the hit-makers, rule-breakers, and iconic figures of today's roots music community. This time, Hanna, Fadden, Carpenter, and McEuen are the elder statesmen, passing down their influence and inspiration to a younger class without giving up the torch just yet. There's more music to be made, after all. More shows to play. Another half-century to chase down. The circle rolls on.
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Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends - Circlin’ Back: Celebrating 50 Years CD track listing:
1. “YOU AIN’T GOING NOWHERE”
2. “GRANDPA WAS A CARPENTER” feat. JOHN PRINE
3. “PARADISE” feat. JOHN PRINE
4. “MY WALKIN’ SHOES”
5. “TENNESSEE STUD” fest. VINCE GILL
6. “NINE POUND HAMMER” feat. SAM BUSH with VINCE GILL
7. “BUY FOR ME THE RAIN”
8. “THESE DAYS” feat. JACKSON BROWNE
9. “TRUTHFUL PARSON BROWN” feat. JACKSON BROWNE with JERRY DOUGLAS, SAM BUSH and BYRON HOUSE
10. “KEEP ON THE SUNNY SIDE” feat. ALISON KRAUSS
11. “CATFISH JOHN” feat. ALISON KRAUSS
12. “AN AMERICAN DREAM” feat. RODNEY CROWELL with ALISON KRAUSS
13. “LONG HARD ROAD (THE SHARECROPPER’S DREAM)” feat. RODNEY CROWELL
14. “MR. BOJANGLES” feat. JERRY JEFF WALKER
15. “FISHIN’ IN THE DARK” feat. JIMMY IBBOTSON
16. “BAYOU JUBILEE/SALLY WAS A GOODUN”
17. “JAMBALAYA”
18. “WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN”
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends - Circlin’ Back: Celebrating 50 Years DVD track listing:
1. “YOU AIN’T GOING NOWHERE”
2. “GRANDPA WAS A CARPENTER” feat. JOHN PRINE
3. “PARADISE” feat. JOHN PRINE
4. “MY WALKIN’ SHOES”
5. “TENNESSEE STUD” fest. VINCE GILL
6. “NINE POUND HAMMER” feat. SAM BUSH with VINCE GILL
7. “BUY FOR ME THE RAIN”
8. “THESE DAYS” feat. JACKSON BROWNE
9. “TRUTHFUL PARSON BROWN” feat. JACKSON BROWNE with JERRY DOUGLAS, SAM BUSH and BYRON HOUSE
10. “KEEP ON THE SUNNY SIDE” feat. ALISON KRAUSS
11. “CATFISH JOHN” feat. ALISON KRAUSS
12. “AN AMERICAN DREAM” feat. RODNEY CROWELL with ALISON KRAUSS
13. “LONG HARD ROAD (THE SHARECROPPER’S DREAM) feat. RODNEY CROWELL
14. “MR. BOJANGLES” feat. JERRY JEFF WALKER
15. “RIPPLIN’ WATERS” feat. JIMMY IBBOTSON
16. “FISHIN’ IN THE DARK” feat. JIMMY IBBOTSON
17. “BAYOU JUBILEE/SALLY WAS A GOODUN”
18. “JAMBALAYA”
19. “WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN”
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band On Tour:
Sept. 01 Hollywood Casino Toledo - Toledo, Ohio
Sept. 02 Honeywell Center - Wabash, Ind.
Sept. 04 Central Wisconsin State Fair - Marshfield, Wisc.
Sept. 09 The Strand Theatre - Shreveport, La.
Sept. 10 Muscadine Jubilee - Pelahatchie, Mo.
Sept. 11 Silver Dollar City - Branson, Mo.
Sept. 15 Britt Pavilion - Jacksonville, Ore.
Sept. 16 Sonoma State University - The Green Music Center - Rohnert Park, Ca.
Sept. 17 Folk Revival Festival - Long Beach, Calif.
Sept. 22 Reynolds Performance Hall - Conway, Ark.
Sept. 23 Halloran Centre for Performing Arts - Memphis, Tenn.
Sept. 24 Belterra Resort & Casino - Florence, Ind.
Sept. 30 Red Hat Amphitheater - Raleigh, N.C.
Oct. 01 Anderson Music Hall - Hiawassee, Ga.
Oct. 04 Schermerhorn Symphony Center - Nashville, Tenn.
Oct. 06 Oxford Performing Arts Center - Oxford, Ala.
Oct. 07 Clayton Center for the Arts - Maryville, Tenn.
Oct. 08 The Roanoke Rapids Theater - Roanoke Rapids, N.C.
Oct. 10 Georgia National Fair - Perry, Ga.
Oct. 21 Dosey Doo - The Woodlands, Texas
Oct. 22 The Majestic Theatre - Dallas, Tex.
Nov. 10 Grand Theatre - Frankfort, Ky.
Nov. 11 Midland Theatre - Newark, Ohio
Nov. 12 Temple Theatre - Saginaw, Mich.
Nov. 13 MotorCity Casino Hotel - Detroit, Mich.
