The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Half a century of eclectic music
By Willie Moseley
The legendary Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has now been purveying its unique style of music for over half a century, and the group’s founding guitarist, Jeff Hanna, recently went on the record with River Region BOOM! regarding the band’s long history.
“Those were written by songwriters we really admired,” Hanna said of the hits. “’Bojangles’ was written by Jerry Jeff Walker, ‘Some of Shelley’s Blues” was a Michael Nesmith tune, and “House at Pooh Corners” was written by Kenny Loggins, back when he was starting out.” Band members were still known to play jug band instruments on selected concert songs, as exemplified at a concert at Troy State University, where they opened the show with a rousing version of “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.”
The NGDB was originally known as Will the Circle be Unbroken, a triple-LP a “jug band,” and collaboration between the Nitty Gritty Dirt was founded “… Band and legendary country and bluegrass in 1966, in Long musicians, was recorded in Nashville in Beach, California,” August of 1971 and released the following The “classic ‘70s” lineup of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Left to right, John according to Hanna. year. Participants included Mother McEuen, Jeff Hanna, Les Thompson, Jimmy Ibbotson, Jimmy Fadden “We were six guys Maybelle Carter, Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, songs on it, and we changed directions.” who all played guitar, but we went with and Earl Scruggs, among others. other instruments. A jug band uses a jug, of The band briefly broke up, and Hanna and course, as well as acoustic instruments and The monumental recording sessions also erstwhile NGDB bandmate Christopher unusual or homemade instruments. I also included acclaimed performances by Darrow played in ended up playing a washboard, which was talented but somewhata band called the a lot of fun.” obscure fiddler Vassar Corvettes. They Clements. On one song, recorded two singles Jackson Browne was also a founding Clements unexpectedly produced by Michael member of the NGDB. He departed after a threw in the signature Nesmith of the few months, but the singer/songwriter kept passage from the musical Monkees, and also in touch with his former bandmates over theme of television’s backed up Linda the decade. Dragnet police drama. Ronstadt. As the band’s acclaim increased, they “Wasn’t that great?” When the NItty Gritty appeared in movies in the late Sixties, Hanna said of the Dragnet Dirt Band regrouped, including Paint Your Wagon. ad lib. “It doesn’t get any the membership better than that!” The band’s “breakthrough” album was consisted of what “Paint Your Wagon was a musical Western,” 1970’s Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy. has become known Hanna recounted, “and had Clint Eastwood The album was considered as the “classic Seventies” lineup of Jimmy and Lee Marvin. We enjoyed playing ‘Hand to be a milestone in American music Fadden (drums and harmonica), Jimmy Me Down That Can o’ Beans’.” history, and in 2005, Will the Circle be Ibbotson (guitar), Les Thompson (bass), Unbroken was added to the National multi-instrumentalist John McEuen (fiddle, Hanna also recounted the transition of the Registry of the Library of Congress. banjo, mandolin, guitar, keyboards) and band to a “country rock” outfit that played Hanna (guitar). electric instruments. Hanna was also appreciative of how the Early 1970 saw the release of what would chronicle of the album was detailed on the be their breakout album, Uncle Charlie “We’d been together for a couple of years,” recent “Country Music” PBS documentary & His Dog Teddy, produced by McEuen’s he said, “and had been doing concerts with by Ken Burns. One of the more memorable brother William. The album pulled its songs bands like the Jefferson Airplane. Then images from the presentation was an from numerous genres of American music, the Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo was in-the-studio photograph in which Hanna and begat three hits, including the band’s released in 1968. It had some tremendous was seated opposite and slightly below signature song, “Mr. Bojangles”.
38 BOOM!
March 2020
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