The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Marks 50th Anniversary with New PBS Appearances

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band made their first public appearance 50 years ago May 13, 1966 and now they're marking that milestone with more airings of their star-studded televised PBS Pledge Special. Click here to find dates and times for when the PBS Pledge Special airs in your market.

"We never could've imagined being able to do this, a job we all love so much, for 50 Years! Our biggest thanks goes out to our amazing fans!!" Nitty Gritty Dirt Band said.

The PBS Pledge Special, made possible with support from the Tennessee Department of Tourism, has reinvigorated the iconic group's legion of fans. The show features guest artists, including John Prine, Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Jerry Jeff Walker, Alison Krauss, Rodney Crowell, Byron House, and Jerry Douglas as well as former members, Jimmy Ibbotson (long-time member for decades) and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and early NGDB member Jackson Browne.

There will be an accompanying CD and DVD that include extra songs and performances as well as concert tickets and meet and greets in select markets available exclusively through PBS member stations.

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has a full slate of dates to celebrate their Golden 50th anniversary planned to run through the end of 2017, with many additional dates to be announced.

NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND ON TOUR:
May 13 - Stone Mountain Arts Center - Brownfield, Maine
May 14 - The Newton Theatre - Newton, N.J.
May 15 - Infinity Hall - Norfolk, Conn.
May 18 - State Theatre - State College, Penn.
May 19 - The Hamilton Live - Washington, D.C.
May 20 - Penn's Peak - Jim Thorpe, Penn.
May 21 - The Colonial Theatre - Phoenixville, Penn.
June 02 - Stiefel Theatre - Salina, Kan.
June 03 - Shawnee River Festival - Eldon, Mo.
June 04 - Ameristar Casino Kansas City - Kansas City, Mo.
June 10 - America's River Festival - Dubuque, Iowa
June 16 - Stafford Centre Performing Arts - Stafford, Texas
June 17 - Grand Casino Events Center - Shawnee, Okla.
June 18 - Southwind Casino - Braman, Okla.
June 22 - The Mountain Winery - Saratoga, Calif.
June 23 - Del Mar Fairgrounds - Paddock - Del Mar, Calif.
June 30 - Royal Gorge Bridge & Park - Canon City, Colo.
July 01 - Vilar Performing Arts Center - Beaver Creek, Colo.
July 02 - Fir Amphitheater - La Veta Pas - Alamosa, Colo.
July 03 - Fir Amphitheater - Alamosa, Colo.
July 07 - Country Concert at Hickory Hill - Fort Loramie, Ohio
July 08 - Hodag Festival - Rhinelander, Wis.
July 09 - Minnesota Zoo - Apple Valley, Minn.
July 16 - Bob Evans Farm Festival - Bidwell, Ohio
July 17 - Jamboree In The Hills - Morristown, Ohio
July 24 - Ravinia Festival - Highland Park, Ill.
July 28 - Door Community Auditorium - Fish Creek, Wisc.
July 30 - Wayne County Fair - Wayne, Neb.
Aug 05 - Manitoulin Country Fest - Little Current, Canada
Aug 06 - Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua - Bayfield, Wisc.
Aug 07 - Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua - Bayfield, Wisc.
Aug 12 - Festival at Sandpoint - Sandpoint, Idaho
Aug 13 - Crook County Fair - Prineville, Ore.
Sept 02 - Honeywell Center - Wabash, Ind.
Sept 15 - Britt Pavilion - Jacksonville, Ore.
Oct 04 - Schermerhorn Symphony Center - Nashville, Tenn.
Nov 13 - MotorCity Casino Hotel - Detroit, Mich.

For more information, visit nittygritty.com or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

The iconic and profoundly influential Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, often cited as a catalyst for an entire movement in country, rock and American roots music, marks its 50th birthday of nonstop touring and recording vital music. Formed in California in 1966, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band consists of founding members Jeff Hanna (guitars/vocals), Jimmie Fadden (drums/harmonica/vocals), John McEuen (banjo/fiddle/guitar/mandolin), and Bob Carpenter (keyboards/accordion/vocals). The group has lasted longer than virtually any other group of their era with multi-platinum and gold records, including legendary hits "Mr. Bojangles" and "Fishin' in the Dark" (certified platinum for digital downloads in 2014 and the longest recurrent country radio song of all time). Their groundbreaking 1972 Will The Circle Be Unbroken album, which assembled the living legends of country, bluegrass and mountain music to record what many critics have hailed as "an American treasure," has been inducted into the U.S. Library of Congress and the Grammy Hall of Fame. "Mr. Bojangles" was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2010. Most recently the Nitty Gritty Dirty Band was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, class of 2015. For more information, visit nittygritty.com.