For five decades, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has remained one of the most iconic names in American roots music. With one foot planted in the traditions of country-folk and the other pointing toward something new and unexpected, the group continues to tour and release music, influencing multiple generations of audiences and artists along the way. Nearly a dozen of those artists join the group on this year’s Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends – Circlin’ Back: Celebrating 50 Years concert album, available as a CD or as a CD/DVD combo, due out September 30th on the band’s own NGDB Records, LLC, distributed by Warner Music Nashville.

Recorded live at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends captures a group of longtime road warriors who’ve yet to lose their grit, joined onstage by John Prine, Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Jerry Jeff Walker, Alison Krauss, Rodney Crowell, Byron House, and Jerry Douglas. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (and early Dirt Band member) Jackson Browne joined in, along with longtime member Jimmy Ibbotson, while a sold-out crowd sings along in the background. From country classics to deep cuts, the tracklist finds bandmates Jeff Hanna (guitars/vocals), Jimmie Fadden (drums/harmonica/vocals), Bob Carpenter (keyboards/accordion/vocals) and John McEuen (banjo/fiddle/guitar/mandolin) swapping harmonies, trading solos, and shining new light on a catalog of vital, vibrant music.

Long before Americana music had a name, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band helped lead the charge, mixing elements of country, bluegrass, folk, mountain music, and rock & roll into a sound that celebrated the full range of American music. The guys were traditionalists and trendsetters, performing songs that nodded to the past while still pushing toward the future. Released in 1972 – just six years after the group formed in Southern California – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken still stands as one of the most beloved albums in the country catalog, pairing the young band with legends like Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, and Mother Maybelle Carter.

Many decades have passed since that milestone album’s release, with the members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band now enjoying their own legendary status. They continue to blur lines between genres, however, and the upcoming Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends accomplishes something very similar to the classic Will the Circle Be Unbroken, pairing the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with the hit-makers, rule-breakers, and iconic figures of today’s roots music community. This time, Hanna, Fadden, Carpenter, and McEuen are the elder statesmen, passing down their influence and inspiration to a younger class without giving up the torch just yet. There’s more music to be made, after all. More shows to play. Another half-century to chase down. The circle rolls on.

CD | CD/DVD

1. You Ain’t Going Nowhere
2. Grandpa Was A Carpenter featuring John Prine
3. Praise featuring John Prine
4. My Walkin’ Shoes
5. Tennessee Stud featuring Vince Gill
6. Nine Pound Hammer featuring Sam Bush & Vince Gill
7. Buy For Me The Rain
8. These Days featuring Jackson Browne
9. Truthful Parson Brown featuring Jackson Browne with Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush & Byron House
10. Keep On The Sunny Side featuring Alison Krauss
11. Catfish John featuring Alison Krauss
12. An American Dream featuring Rodney Crowell & Alison Kruass
13. Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream) featuring Rodney Crowell
14. Mr. Bojangles featuring Jerry Jeff Walker
15. Fishin’ In The Dark featuring Jimmy Ibbotson
16. Bayou Jubilee/Sally Was A Goodun
17. Jambalaya
18. Will The Circle Be Unbroken

DVD track listing varies.