Dirt Nitty Gritty Band: Celebrating 40 Years of Music

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band got their start in 1966 hanging out at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Long Beach, CA trying to figure out how they were going to make a living and not have to work.

Between 1966 and 1977 the band recorded their Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Ricochet LP’s. The band appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and appeared with Jack Benny and The Doors in the same week. The band spent 4 months in Wallowa Whitman National Forest, Oregon between 1967 and 1968 filming Paint Your Wagon with Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin. They also played Carnegie Hall as the opening act for Bill Cosby.

In 1971 the band made their way to Nashville where they recorded the platinum, 3 record set Will The Circle Be Unbroken with such artists as Roy Acuff, Maybelle Carter, Junior Huskey and Doc Watson to name a few. The album received two Grammy nominations and the band also toured Japan that same year. The Dirt Band was the first American group selected by the Soviet government to tour the USSR where they spent a month touring and playing to live TV audiences of 145,000,000. Between 1982 and 1986 “Dance Little Jean” goes to top ten

country, the band receives nominations for both ACM’s and CMA’s and performed at the 1984 Olympics in LA and at the first Farm Aid concert. May 13, 1986 the band celebrates the anniversary of their first performance with a concert with artists such as Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris, Doc Watson and John Prine to name a few. Early 1987 the band released Hold On their 19th LP with the number one single “Fishin In The Dark” and “Baby’s Got A Hold On Me.”

In 1989 the band releases Will The Circle Be Unbroken Vol. II, which is hailed internationally for uniting old and new singers such as Roy Acuff, Johnny Cash, Earl Scuggs, Bruce Hornsby, John Hiatt, Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn and others. The album went gold in both US and Canada and won 3 Grammy’s and CMA Album of the Year.

The band commemorated their 25th anniversary in 1990 and, in 1996, celebrated their 30 years of being on the road. The band also recorded Will The Circle Be Unbroken III, which was hailed by Congress as being the most important record of all time.

In October of 2006, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was honored by IEBA for their 40 years of music. Rodney Crowell introduced the band and even joined in on a song with them. Members of the band have come and gone as the years have passed and yet the band is going stronger than ever. Looking forward to many years to come from them!!

Article Written & Submitted by Nora Mayor