Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Return To The Ryman Auditorium For AmericanaFest Show

On Saturday, September 17th, Grammy Award-winners and Americana mainstays Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will make their grand return to Nashville's beloved Ryman Auditorium for a special, one-night-only performance.

Set to be taped for a future PBS broadcast, the Dirt Band's show lands on Saturday night of Nashville's annual AmericanaFest, a lineup slot saved for the great trailblazers and torchbearers of Americana Music previously filled by the likes of Levon Helm's Ramble at the Ryman and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 50th Anniversary celebration.

Fans can expect a career retrospective of tunes from the Dirt Band as well as songs from their recently-released album Dirt Does Dylan, and if past shows set a precedent, a special guest (or two, or more) could certainly make an appearance. Tickets for the 8 pm show on September 17th are on sale now and can be purchased at this link.

The Dirt Band have been on tour in support of their latest release, Dirt Does Dylan, a guest-laden take on Bob Dylan's deep catalog of songs. The album garnered praise from the likes of Billboard, The Bluegrass Situation, and No Depression, who wrote, "So don't think twice about adding this album to your record collection. It can nestle next to the Dirt Band classic Will the Circle Be Unbroken."

Recently, American Songwriter premiered the group's music video for "Girl from the North Country," Dirt Does Dylan's second track. Fans can watch the video now at this link and purchase or stream Dirt Does Dylan right here.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Tour Dates

Aug. 25 + 26 - Alto, NM - Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts

Aug. 27 - Gilbert, AZ - Higley Center For The Performing Arts

Aug. 28 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre

Sept. 1 - Atlanta, GA - City Winery

Sept. 2 - Orange Park, FL - Thrasher-Horne Center

Sept. 3 - Mill Spring, NC - The Earl Scruggs Music Festival

Sept. 17 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium

Oct. 6 - Stockton, CA - Bob Hope Theatre

Oct. 7 - Redding, CA - Win-River Resort & Casino

Oct. 8 - Carmel By the Sea, CA - Sunset Center

Oct. 9 - Visalia, CA - Visalia Fox Theatre

Oct. 11 - Bakersfield, CA - Buck Owens' Crystal Palace

Oct. 13 - Berkeley, CA - Freight & Salvage

Oct. 14 - Santa Clarita, CA - The Canyon

Oct. 15 - Pala, CA - Pala Casino Spa & Resort

Oct. 16 - Agoura Hills, CA - The Canyon

Oct. 28 - Eureka Springs, AR - Eureka Springs' Auditorium

Nov. 4 - Clearwater, FL - Bilheimer Capitol Theatre

Nov. 5 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall

Nov. 6 - Durham, NC - The Carolina Theatre of Durham, Fletcher Hall

Nov. 11 - Washington, D.C. - City Winery

Nov. 12 - Boston, MA - City Winery

Nov. 13 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head on Stage

Nov. 16 - Shipshewana, IN - Blue Gate Performing Arts Center

Nov. 17 - Marietta, OH - Peoples Bank Theatre

Nov. 18 - Lexington, KY - Lexington Opera House

Nov. 19 - Owensboro, KY - Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum

Feb. 10, 2023 - Miami, FL - Cayamo Cruise 2023

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.

Was this a cutting-edge combo or a group of revivalists? Was the goal rebellion or musical piety? Yes, to all these things. In the 1980s, the Dirt Band reeled off 15 straight Top 10 country hits, including chart-toppers "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)," "Modern Day Romance," and "Fishin' in the Dark (co-written by Jim Photoglo,who would join the band in the second decade of the new century).

1989 brought a second Circle album, this one featuring singer-songwriter talents including John Prine, Rosanne Cash, and John Hiatt and garnering two Grammy awards for the band (it later won another, for a collaboration with Earl Scruggs and other fine folks). Circle II also won the Country Music Association's Album of the Year prize. Circle III was released in 2003, featuring collaborations with Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, and more.