Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream now with KPBS Passport! + Encore Sunday, June 30 at 6:30 p.m. on KPBS 2
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band trades on a mix of reimagined classics and compelling newer works. The group formed in 1966 as a Long Beach, California jug band, scored its first charting single in 1967, and embarked on a self-propelled ride through folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll, pop, bluegrass, and the amalgam now known as “Americana.”
The first major hit came in 1971 with the epic “Mr. Bojangles,” which, along with insistent support from banjo master Earl Scruggs, opened doors in Nashville. Behind those doors were Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Martin, and others who would collaborate on a multi-artist, multi-generational, three-disc 1972 masterpiece: “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”
“Circle” went triple Platinum, spawned two later volumes, and wound up in the Grammy Hall of Fame. For a masterclass primer relatable to both fans new to the band and those who have been following them for decades, PBS presents “Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - The Hits, The History & Dirt Does Dylan.”
Filmed in September 2022 and aptly named, “The Hits, The History & Dirt Does Dylan” is a modern retrospective for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, a band that continues to be reverent and relevant, pushing boundaries and paying homage in equal parts has been their calling card for 50 years and counting.
Join the Dirt Band at the famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville for a night of Dirt hits and Dylan hits (from their most recent album, “Dirt Does Dylan”), and sing along as the band takes audiences through a collection of songs that feel like the Modern American Songbook.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is on Facebook / Instagram / YouTube
Watch On Your Schedule: This concert is available to stream with KPBS Passport! Contribute a tax-deductible* gift of $5 per month or an annual gift of $60 or more.
