Nitty Gritty Dirt Band releases greatest hits album

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to release Fishin’ in the Dark on Feb. 24, a greatest hits album featuring five decades of American music.

For five decades, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has remained one of the most iconic names in American 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. Tomorrow, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will release a 21-track greatest hits album titled Fishin’ in the Dark (Rhino Records). The collection includes the band’s biggest hits on both country and pop radio (“Mr. Bojangles,” “Dance Little Jean,” “Fishin’ in the Dark,” and more), along with many fan-favorites (“Cadillac Ranch” and “Ripplin’ Waters”).

In September 2015, the band celebrated 50 years of music with a sold-out show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. NGDB was joined onstage by John Prine, Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Jerry Jeff Walker, Alison Krauss, Rodney Crowell, Byron House, Jerry Douglas, Jackson Browne, and longtime Dirt Band member Jimmy Ibbotson. In 2016, the band released a live recording (cd/dvd combo) of this night titled Circlin’ Back: Celebrating 50 Years. The Ryman show, which was also recorded for PBS won a Midsouth Regional EMMY® for Special Event Coverage at the 31st annual award ceremony in Nashville in January 2017.

Fishin’ in the Dark is available at http://www.nittygritty.com/ and Amazon. A note from the band on the back cover of the CD reads, “This collection represents some of our proudest musical moments over the past 5 decades… Hope you’ve enjoyed the ride nearly as much as we have… And to our fans… You “Dirt Heads” out there… Thanks for making it all possible!!”

About Nitty Gritty Dirt Band:

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 Circlin’ Back 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.

For more information on the band, please visit http://www.nittygritty.com/.

Track listing:

1. Mr. Bojangles
2. Ripplin’ Waters
3. An American Dream
4. Make A Little Magic
5. Fire In The Sky
6. Dance Little Jean
7. Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream)
8. High Horse
9. Modern Day Romance
10. Partners, Brothers And Friends
11. Stand A Little Rain
12. Cadillac Ranch
13. I’ve Been Lookin’
14. Oh What A Love
15. Workin’ Man (Nowhere To Go)
16. I Love Only You
17. Fishin’ In The Dark
18. Baby’s Got A Hold On Me
19. Face On The Cutting Room Floor
20. Down That Road Tonight
21. Home Again In My Heart

On tour: