Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023 at 7 p.m. on KPBS 2 and 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, Dec. 31 at 6:30 p.m. on KPBS 2
For 50 years the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has stood at the forefront of American music, delivering top ten hits on both the pop and country charts, including their groundbreaking, Grammy® Hall of Fame triple album, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” (1972) — a true mark on the American musical landscape.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: 50 Years And Circlin' Back: Preview
Filmed in Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium, this concert celebrates the musical milestones of the band’s amazing career in a string of hits performed with guests Vince Gill, Jackson Browne, Allison Krauss, Rodney Crowell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Ibbotson, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Byron House.
Visit the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on Facebook.
1 of 9
Jeff Hanna, Bob Carpenter, Jimmie Fadden, John McEuen: the original core group of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band doing there thing as they have for an unprecedented 50 Years!
Courtesy of David McClister
2 of 9
Jeff Hanna, one of the founders of the 50 Year old Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, shows after 50 years he still has it!
Courtesy of David McClister
3 of 9
John McEuen, one of the founders of the 50-year-old Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, demonstrates his longtime and famous banjo pickin’.
Courtesy of David McClister
4 of 9
Jeff Hanna, Bob Carpenter, John Prine, John McEuen: Prine, longtime friend and collaborator on some of the Circle projects, joins the band for two songs.
Courtesy of David McClister
5 of 9
Rodney Crowell, who has written many hits for NGDB over the years, comes out to play two: “An American Dream” and “Long Hard Road” (“Sharecroppers Dream”).
Courtesy of David McClister
6 of 9
Sam Bush, known as the "newgrass founder," joins the band as he has so many times over the years to pick throughout the night and in an unforgettable performance of the Will the Circle Be Unbroken album song "Nine Pound Hammer."
Courtesy of David McClister
7 of 9
Jimmy Ibbotson, one of the founders of the 50-year-old Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, reunites with the group after an 11-year hiatus to sing many of the classic hits.
Courtesy of David McClister
8 of 9
Jerry Jeff Walker and Vince Gill Share a microphone on the encore of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”
Courtesy of David McClister
9 of 9
Jackson Browne, an original member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (a little-known fact to many), reunites for two songs: one an old jug band tune and the other “These Days,” a hit he wrote at the age of 16. He adds a verse to the song that he has not sung since the early years.
Courtesy of David McClister
This program is not available on demand.
Credit: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Inc.
