The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was founded around 1966 in Long Beach, California, United States, by Jeff Hanna (guitar, mandolin, washboard, jug and vocals) and singer-songwriter Bruce Kunkel (guitar, kazoo), who had performed under the name the New Coast Two and later as the Illegitimate Jug Band.
Hanna and Kunkel later met guitarist, clarinetists and vocalist Ralph Barr; guitarist, mandolinist and vocalist Les Thompson; harmonica, washtub bassist, jug player and vocalist Jimmie Fadden; and multi-instrumentalist John McEuen (banjo, guitar, mandolin and washtub bass).
The band was named Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1966 and initially started as a jug band, although they later evolved into a folk-rock band rooted in American traditional music.
In 1971, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had a groundbreaking idea, to get together in Nashville, Tennessee, with the bluegrass musicians that had influenced them. Consequently, the California folk-rockers started a trailblazing collaboration.
In the summer of 1971, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band musicians sat in a circle recording country and bluegrass standards in East Nashville’s Woodland Studio with Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Jimmy Martin, Vassar Clements, Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Norman Blake, and many other stars. The result was an iconic album released in 1972 titled “Will The Circle Be Unbroken“.
The band has won three Grammys and also had several country music hits including “Voila (An American Dream),” “Modern Day Romance,” “Stand a Little Rain” and many more.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has experienced numerous lineup changes. The lineup in 2018 included Jeff Hanna on guitars and vocals; Jimmie Fadden on drums, harmonica and vocals; Bob Carpenter on keyboards, accordion and vocals; Jaime Hanna on guitars and vocals; Ross Holmes on fiddle, mandolin and vocals; and Jim Photoglo on bass and vocals.
In 2022, the International Bluegrass Music Association gave the IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Will The Circle Be Unbroken and its resounding effect on bluegrass music and those musicians that followed, and the 60 years of success of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
(headline image: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on couch – Photo by Glen Rose)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.