Episode 19-41: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

About This Episode

With a refreshed lineup and newfound energy, The Nitty Gritty
Dirt Band remains one of the most accomplished bands in American
roots music.


Following an extended 50th anniversary tour, the ensemble grew to
a six-piece in 2018 for the first time since their early jug band
days. The group now includes Jeff Hanna (acoustic guitar,
electric guitar), Jimmie Fadden (drums, harmonica), Bob Carpenter
(keyboards), Jim Photoglo (bass, acoustic guitar), Ross Holmes
(fiddle, mandolin), and Jaime Hanna (electric and acoustic
guitar). All six members also sing, and when their voices merge,
the harmonies add a powerful new component for the legendary
band. And with the father-son pairing of Jeff and Jaime Hanna,
the band carries on a country music tradition of blood harmony.
Jeff Hanna says, "It's like when you throw a couple of puppies
into a pen with a bunch of old dogs. All of a sudden, the old
dogs start playing, you know? That's kind of what's happened with
us. The basic vibe is so up and positive, and the music– we're
hearing surprises from Jaime and Ross all night. And they're
encouraging us in the same way to take more chances. It's opened
a lot of doors for us, musically, and the morale is really great.
That's important for a band that's been out there for over 53
years."


The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band played their first gig in 1966 in
Southern California as a jug band and by 1969 had become a
cornerstone of the burgeoning country-rock community. Their
career breakthrough came in 1970 with the release of the record
Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy and the single "Mr. Bojangles,"
a folksy Top 10 pop hit that remains a staple of their live show.
During a tour stop in Nashville around that time, Earl Scruggs
and his family came backstage to say hello. That introduction led
to a friendship and some of the connections the band needed to
record Will the Circle Be Unbroken. That three-disc album brought
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band together with a number of country, folk,
and bluegrass legends. Heroes like Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle
Carter, Jimmy Martin, Merle Travis, and Doc Watson joined the
scruffy, young band to record country music standards such as "I
Saw the Light" and "Keep on the Sunnyside." The acclaimed project
is considered a landmark recording in American music.


Nitty Gritty Dirt Band earned a pop resurgence in 1980 with "An
American Dream" and "Make a Little Magic." Those singles also
found traction on the country chart, setting the stage for a
major run at country radio. The band secured 16 Top 10 country
hits between 1983 and 1990, including three No. 1 singles: "Long
Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)," "Modern Day Romance," and
"Fishin' in the Dark." Bernie Leadon, a founding member of The
Eagles, played in the band from 1986 to 1988 filling a vacancy by
longtime member John McEuen.


With so much material to work with, the band is making it a point
to shuffle the set lists more often, meaning that this isn't the
same Dirt Band show from years past. "We're fortunate that we've
got a deep songbook. That's been on our list, to resurrect some
of the tunes we haven't done in a while, in addition to some new
stuff," Hanna says.


At the peak of their country career, the band toured Europe with
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, who hinted that they'd love to
appear on a sequel to Will the Circle Be Unbroken, if the band
ever decided to make one. That gesture convinced the band to get
back in the studio to record another all-star album. Circle
Volume II featured Johnny and June, as well as Rosanne Cash,
Emmylou Harris, Levon Helm, John Hiatt, Bruce Hornsby, John
Denver, Ricky Skaggs, New Grass Revival, and many other marquee
names – not to mention encore performances by Roy Acuff, Jimmy
Martin, and Earl Scruggs. Released in 1989, the album won three
Grammys and a CMA Award for Album of the Year.


As the country music landscape shifted toward a youth market, the
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band kept on touring and recording. They played
on two projects by The Chieftains, cut a song with Karla Bonoff
for an album dedicated to the 1996 Olympics, and contributed
"Maybe Baby" to a Buddy Holly tribute, Not Fade Away. Another
collaborative album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III,
arrived in 2003. Soon after, the band earned an additional Grammy
for "Earl's Breakdown," which they recorded with Earl Scruggs,
Randy Scruggs, Vassar Clements and Jerry Douglas. Meanwhile, both
"Mr. Bojangles" and Will the Circle Be Unbroken were inducted
into the Grammy Hall of Fame.


The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band took a moment to acknowledge their
incredible history by filming a 50th anniversary concert event at
the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Guests for that Circlin' Back
special included early Dirt Band member Jackson Browne, Sam Bush,
Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, John Prine, Jerry
Douglas, Byron House, Jerry Jeff Walker, and longtime Dirt Band
member Jimmy Ibbotson. The concert aired as a nation-wide PBS
Pledge special in 2016 and won a regional Emmy for Special Event
Coverage.


Today, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band consists of Jeff Hanna, Jimmie
Fadden, Bob Carpenter, for years known as "the new guy," and Jim
Photoglo, a friend of the band whose credits include cowriting
"Fishin' in the Dark", as well as touring and recording with
Carole King, Dan Fogelberg, and Vince Gill. Newest members Jaime
Hanna and Ross Holmes also bring years of experience to the band.
Hanna toured and recorded with The Mavericks and Gary Allan,
while Holmes toured and recorded with Mumford & Sons and
Bruce Hornsby.


"The energy these days is so up -- and our fans have responded in
a really great way," Hanna says. "As a fan of other bands, I know
how complicated it can be when members come and go. You can
either embrace that or you don't. Our fans are really gracious
and I appreciate that. It's been a really good run and there's a
lot of daylight ahead of us."
About Michael Perry

Michael Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist
and radio show host from New Auburn, Wisconsin.


Perry's bestselling memoirs include Population 485, Truck: A Love
Story, Coop, and Visiting Tom, and his latest, Montaigne in Barn
Boots: An Amateur Ambles Through Philosophy. His first book for
young readers, The Scavengers, was published in 2014 and first
novel for adult readers, The Jesus Cow, was published in May of
2015.


Raised on a small Midwestern dairy farm, Perry put himself
through nursing school while working on a ranch in Wyoming, then
wandered into writing. He lives with his wife and two daughters
in rural Wisconsin, where he serves on the local volunteer fire
and rescue service and is an intermittent pig farmer. He hosts
the nationally-syndicated "Tent Show Radio," performs widely as a
humorist, and tours with his band the Long Beds (currently
recording their third album for Amble Down Records). He has
recorded three live humor albums including Never Stand Behind A
Sneezing Cow and The Clodhopper Monologues.


Learn more about Michael and where to get his publications at
www.sneezingcow.com.


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