Nitty Gritty Dirt Band To Play 50th Anniversary Show At The Ryman Auditorium Nashville
Joining The Band Will Be Alumni Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Byron House
Other Special Guests Include Vince Gill, John Prine, Rodney Crowell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jackson Browne and Jimmy Ibbotson
September 14 2015
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: Jeff Hanna, Jimmie Fadden, Bob Carpenter, and John McEuen will celebrate 50 years at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the Mother Church of Country Music, on September 14 2015. The band will be augmented by first-rate instrumentalists Sam Bush on mandolin, Jerry Douglas on resonator guitar and Byron House on bass. As well, there will be on stage contributions from Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famers John Prine and Rodney Crowell, legendary gypsy troubadour Jerry Jeff Walker, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (and original Dirt Band member) Jackson Browne, and former NGDB band member Jimmy Ibbotson.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band began in 1966 as a rough-hewn jug band, playing in Southern California folk clubs. Browne exited after a few months, string player John McEuen joined the group and the band’s style evolved into a pioneering country-rock act.
The band went to Nashville in 1972 and took the bold step of honoring traditional country and roots music. Somehow the most revered names in country and roots music agreed to be involved and contributed mightily to 1972’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken album, a project which found them recording classic country songs with legendary elders including Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson and Jimmy Martin. Since then there have been two additional Circle Volumes.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band concert will effectively kick off the Americana Music Festival which goes from 15 to 20 September 2015. Tickets for the night are $45 and $55, available beginning July 31.
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