Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Plays On

In 1966, guitarist Jeff Hanna and his friends were hanging out at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Long Beach, CA, trying to figure out how not to have to work for a living. Their informal jam sessions led to the formation of a scruffy jug band they dubbed the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Forty-five years later, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, best known for their hit cover of Mr. Bojangles, is celebrating a wonderfully varied and hugely successful career. The group plays the Kent Stage tonight at 8 p.m.

Future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jackson Browne was one of the original members, but soon left to pursue a solo career. He was replaced by John McEuen on banjo, mandolin, fiddle and guitar. Harmonica and jug player Jimmie Fadden was also part of the initial line-up. There have been numerous personnel changes over the years, but Hanna, McEuen and Fadden are still carrying the Dirt Band torch, joined by keyboardist Bob Carpenter.

Their history includes multi-platinum records, huge tours, multiple Grammy nominations and awards and accolades of all kinds. “I don’t know that we thought about any of that when we started,” Fadden said. “That is the reason we still may be doing this — because we didn’t have a plan.”

McEuen’s older brother William, the group’s manager, helped the band secure a deal with Liberty Records, and they released their self-titled debut in 1967. The band’s first single, Buy for Me the Rain hit the Top 40, and led to an appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. In the span of one week, the band played gigs with artists as diverse as Jack Benny and the Doors.

But it was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s fifth record, 1970's Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy, was their breakthrough, yielding three pop hits, including their version of Jerry Jeff Walker's Mr. Bojangles.

That commercial success gave the band some artistic freedom, which led to their landmark 1972 release, Will The Circle Be Unbroken. Recorded live in Nashville over a six-day period, the three-record set featured the Dirt Band’s country music heroes, including Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Roy Acuff and Mother Maybelle Carter.

Today the project, a very bold move at the time, is considered groundbreaking and hugely influential.

“I think that quality left a mark on the listener,” Fadden said. “It’s not meddled with, not overdubbed or touched up. People love that record because it’s real. It’s not contrived. It’s just people playing music the way they play it and enjoying it.”

Thirty years after its release, Will the Circle Be Unbroken remains such a significant accomplishment that it was honored and preserved by the Library of Congress.

“It’s a testament to country music life, really,” Fadden said. “It’s about values that are American. It’s a very big picture when you look at it. Being in the band that got to do that was really a privilege, that’s all I can say.”

The band revisited the concept in 1989 with Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two which was certified gold, won two Grammy Awards and was named Album of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards. A second follow-up in 2002 garnered similar attention and acclaim.

The Dirt Band plays abut 50 gigs a year to audiences that range from young kids to seniors. “It’s a wide demographic,” Fadden said proudly. “That’s my definition of success right now.”

Fadden now handles drum duties as well as harmonica and vocals. The group’s most recent recoding is 2009’s Speed of Life, but Fadden hopes they will return to the studio soon.

“It’s a bit of a juggling act,” Fadden said, referring to putting together a set list from such a long career. “We try and include a little bit from most of the periods in our recording history. There are obvious choices that got more radio exposure on radio and so forth, so we do those. We also include some bluegrass, cover the bases of our musical interests and play some songs from our most recent recording Speed of Life.”

As for the future, Fadden looks forward to more good live shows and takes a “one-day-at-a-time” approach.  “I’m just grateful,” Fadden said chuckling. “I get up every day and realize that I’m a lucky guy. I get to go play music and meet people.”

The Saturday show is part of a big weekend of music at the Kent Stage. Mandolin master Sam Bush performed on Friday, and the Legendary Drifters take the stage Sunday at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door, and are available online and the door. Doors open at 7 p.m.