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.

Equally appealing to fans of jazz, blues, folk, bluegrass, country and roots music, prodigal Dobra player Jerry Douglas first picked up the instrument at the tender age of eight. Influenced by the likes of Flatt & Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Boys, Douglas joined his father’s bluegrass band in his teens where he was subsequently spotted at a local festival by the Country Gentleman. The young musician spent the rest of the summer touring with the Country Gentlemen before being invited to the studio to make his recording debut. With a growing reputation as a pioneering Dobra and lap steel player, Douglas was courted by the likes of J.D. Crowe & the New South, David Grisman, Doyle Lawson, appearing on a host of albums during the mid to late ‘70s.

In 1979 the musician issued his debut solo album “Fluxology” on Rounder Records. The progressive bluegrass style of the album was subsequently replicated, albeit with varying influences, on 1982’s “Fluxedo” and 1986’s “Under the Wire”. Following the releases Douglas continued his extensive collaborations, working with Dan Fogelberg, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Barenberg and Mayer. Douglas issued a pair of albums in 1987, the full-length “Changing Channels” and the Rounder Records compilation “Everything Is Gonna Work Out Fine”.

Arguably the finest Dobro player in contemporary acoustic music, in 1989 Douglas released the full-length “Plant Early” on MCA Records. The studio album “Slide Rule” followed in 1992 featuring Alison Krauss, Sam Bush and Tim O’Brien, succeeded by “Restless on the Farm” in May 1998. Shortly after the release the musician would begin his fruitful musical collaborations with Alison Krauss and Union Station, appearing on seven of the group’s albums from 1999-2011. The lap steel and Dobro player would also regularly tour with Alison Krauss when not fulfilling his own touring duties.

In 2001 Douglas earned his fourth Grammy Award for Album of the Year for his contributions to the “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack. The same year he collected two more Grammys, this time alongside Alison Krauss, for Best Country Performance (“The Lucky One”) and Best Bluegrass Album (“New Favorite”).

Douglas’ subsequent solo release was the full-length “Lookout for Hope”, which became his first charting album, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard Bluegrass Album chart. Released on Koch Records, the musician’s ninth studio album “The Best Kept Secret” was issued in September 2005, and followed by the Sugar Hill label compilation “Best of the Sugar Hill Years” in 2007. The No. 69 charting country album “Glide” appeared in August 2008 featuring the likes of Earl Scruggs, Tony Rice and Rodney Crowell, followed by the Christmas album “Jerry Christmas” in 2009 and the full-length “Traveler” in 2012.