Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 2024. From left to right: Jimmie Fadden, Jaime Hanna, Jeff Hanna, Jim Photoglo, Ross Holmes, and Bob Carpenter.
Background information
Also known as	Illegitimate Jug Band The Toot Uncommons The Dirt Band
Origin	Long Beach, California, United States
Genres	Country folk folk rock country rock progressive country[1] bluegrass
Discography	Nitty Gritty Dirt Band discography
Years active	1966–present
Labels	Liberty United Artists Warner Universal MCA Rising Tide DreamWorks Dualtone Sugar Hill NGDB
Members	Jeff Hanna Jimmie Fadden Bob Carpenter Jaime Hanna Ross Holmes Jim Photoglo
Past members	Ralph Barr Jackson Browne Bruce Kunkel Les Thompson John McEuen Chris Darrow Jimmy Ibbotson John Cable Jackie Clark Merel Bergante Richard Hathaway Al Garth Michael Buono Vic Mastrionni Bernie Leadon
Website	www.nittygritty.com

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (sometimes abbreviated NGDB), known as the Dirt Band from 1978 to 1983, is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Since 2018, the band has consisted of Jeff Hanna and his son Jaime Hanna, both guitarists and vocalists, along with Jimmie Fadden (drums, harmonica, vocals), Bob Carpenter (keyboards, accordion, vocals), Ross Holmes (fiddle, mandolin), and Jim Photoglo (bass guitar, vocals).

Jeff Hanna and Fadden founded the band in 1966 with a lineup initially consisting of Bruce Kunkel, Ralph Barr, Les Thompson, and Jackson Browne, who quit early on and was replaced by longtime member John McEuen (vocals, guitar, banjo). The band had its first hit single in 1967 with "Buy for Me the Rain", followed by their biggest pop single, a cover of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles" in 1970. They also had pop hits with "An American Dream" and "Make a Little Magic", both from 1980. Their earliest work featured jug band and traditional folk elements, while by the end of the 1970s they began recording soft rock. In 1976, they became the first American act to tour the Soviet Union.

Starting in 1983, the band began a shift toward country music, led off by the singles "Shot Full of Love" and "Dance Little Jean". By this point, the band consisted of Jeff Hanna, McEuen, Fadden, Carpenter, and Jimmy Ibbotson (bass guitar, vocals). This lineup recorded several country albums for Warner Records throughout the 1980s and charted multiple singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Of these, "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)", "Modern Day Romance", and "Fishin' in the Dark" all went to number one. After leaving Warner, the band recorded for a number of other labels afterward. The band has collaborated with a number of artists, including Doc Watson, Linda Ronstadt, John Denver, and Steve Martin. In addition, Hanna co-wrote Rascal Flatts's 2005 single "Bless the Broken Road", which was originally recorded by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has released three collaborative albums: Will the Circle Be Unbroken (1972), Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two in 1989, and Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III in 2002. They have also won three Grammy Awards. The band's sound draws influence from country, pop, rock, bluegrass, and folk music, and has seen overall generally positive critical reception.