Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Currently Touring:

Celebrating their Golden (50th) Anniversary together, the iconic and profoundly influential Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, often cited as a catalyst for an entire movement in Country Rock and American Roots Music, continues to add to their legendary status.

With multi-platinum and gold records, strings of top ten hits such as "Fishin' In The Dark" and "Mr. Bojangles", multiple Grammy, IBMA, CMA Awards and nominations, the band's accolades continue to accumulate.

Their groundbreaking "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" album has been inducted into the U.S. Library of Congress as well as the Grammy Hall of Fame. NGDB’s recording of "Mr. Bojangles" was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2010.In 2014 "Fishin' In the Dark" was certified platinum for digital downloads by the RIAA.

Today, NGDB (Jeff Hanna, Jimmie Fadden, Bob Carpenter, John McEuen) continue their non-stop touring in their 50th year together. Recent tour stops included Stagecoach, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and many more. The plans for their 50th Anniversary will be extensive! On September 14th, 2015 they played to a Sold out Crowd at The Historic Ryman Auditorium with some close friends to film a 50th Anniversary Special to air on PBS starting March of 2016.

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Biography:

Formed in 1965 in California, US by two college students, Jeff Hanna (guitars, vocals) and Bruce Kenkel (guitar, washtub bass), the folk duo soon expanded their act into a six-piece, joined by Ralph Barr (guitar, washtub bass), Les Thompson (vocals, mandolin, bass, guitar, banjo, percussion), Jimmie Fadden (harmonica, vocals, drums, percussion) and John McEuen (banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, vocals). With the rising folk-rock scene of Southern California, US, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fit well within the scene, finding a record contract with Liberty Records in 1967, then releasing their self-titled debut album in April of that year.

Just seven months later, their second full-length, "Ricochet," arrived, finding widespread critical acclaim yet it failed to prove a commercial success. In an attempt to change their sound, the band moved to electronic instruments, with Kunkel leaving over a dispute abut the band's direction, being replaced by Chris Darrow (guitar, fiddle). Two unsuccessful album attempts followed yet, after a lineup change, the band was to find huge success in 1970 with the single, "Mr Bojangles," a cover of Jerry Jeff Walker's song. The band found a huge following, whilst pushing their music to more country-oriented sounds, with the album "All the Good Times" in 1972.

Recorded in Nashville, their next album was to be a collection of traditional country tracks, recorded alongside country legends, Roy Acuff, Earl Scruggs, Mother Maybelle Carter amongst others. 1973's "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" became a huge success, selling in the millions after appealing to country, bluegrass and rock fans alike. The band continued to find success throughout the 70s, although they moved to a more mainstream sound, despite going through several lineup changes. In 1984, they even made headlines for being the first American rock band to tour the Soviet Union.

The band returned to its country roots in the 90s, moving to MCA/Universal Records for the release of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken Vol. 2," which featured artists including Johnny Cash, Chris Hillman and Ricky Skaggs. The album was a return to form, earning the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band a Grammy Award for 'Best Country Vocal Performance,' as well as the Country Music Association's 'Album of the Year Award.' The band continued to move further towards country and bluegrass influences throughout the following decade, recording several albums and touring regularly. In 2009, they offered fans a new album of recorded music, "Speed For Life," which captured the band's spontaneous, spirited sound which had made them such a success.