Wikipedia

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band discography

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (NGDB) is an American country rock band. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California, in 1966.[1] The band's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period when the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. The band is often cited as instrumental to the progression of contemporary country and roots music.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band discography
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 2024.
Studio albums25
Live albums1
Compilation albums4
Singles41
Music videos22
No. 1 singles4

The band's successes include a cover version of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles". Albums include 1972's Will the Circle Be Unbroken, featuring such traditional country artists as Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, and Jimmy Martin. A follow-up album based on the same concept, Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two was released in 1989, was certified gold, won two Grammys, and was named Album of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards.

Studio albums

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1960s

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Title Details Peak positions
US
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 151
Ricochet
  • Release date: September 1967
  • Label: Liberty Records
 —
Rare Junk
  • Release date: February 1968
  • Label: Liberty Records
 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

1970s

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Title Details Peak chart positions
US Country US AUS[2] CAN
Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy
  • Release date: September 1970
  • Label: Liberty Records
 — 66 31 56
All the Good Times — 162 47 —
Stars & Stripes Forever
  • Release date: June 1974
  • Label: United Artists Records
 32 28 93 25
Symphonion Dream
  • Release date: August 1975
  • Label: United Artists Records
 — 66 — —
The Dirt Band
  • Release date: June 1978
  • Label: United Artists Records
 — 163 — —
An American Dream
  • Release date: July 1979
  • Label: United Artists Records
 — 76 82 63
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

1980s

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Title Details Peak chart positions
US Country US CAN Country CAN
Make a Little Magic
  • Release date: June 1980
  • Label: United Artists Records
 — 62 12 64
Jealousy
  • Release date: July 1981
  • Label: Liberty Records
 — 102 — —
Let's Go
  • Release date: June 1983
  • Label: Liberty Records
 26 — — —
Plain Dirt Fashion 8 — 5 —
Partners, Brothers and Friends
  • Release date: July 1985
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
 9 — — —
Hold On
  • Release date: July 1987
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
 14 — — —
Workin' Band
  • Release date: August 1988
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
 33 — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

1990s and 2000s

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Title Details Peak positions
US Country
The Rest of the Dream 53
Not Fade Away
  • Release date: 1992
  • Label: Liberty Records
 —
Acoustic
  • Release date: May 31, 1994
  • Label: Liberty Records
 —
The Christmas Album —
Bang, Bang, Bang —
Welcome to Woody Creek —
Speed of Life
  • Release date: September 22, 2009
  • Label: NGDB Records
 59
Dirt Does Dylan
  • Release date: March 8, 2022
  • Label: NGDB Records
 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Collaborations

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Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
US Country US CAN Country CAN
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
  • Release date: October 1972
  • Label: United Artists Records
 4 68 — 21
Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two 5 95 3 57
Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III 18 134 — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Live albums

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Title Details Peak positions
US
Country 		US
Folk 		US
Bluegrass
Alive
  • Release date: March 1969
  • Label: Liberty Records
 — — —
Live Two Five
  • Release date: July 16, 1991
  • Label: Capitol Nashville
 50 — —
Circlin’ Back: Celebrating 50 Years (CD/DVD)[4]
  • Release date: September 30, 2016
  • Label: Warner Nashville
 11 11 1
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Compilation albums

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Title Details Peak chart
positions 		Certifications
(sales thresholds)
US Country US
Dirt, Silver and Gold
  • Release date: October 1976
  • Label: United Artists Records
 28 77
Twenty Years of Dirt
  • Release date: May 1986
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
 10 —
  • US: Platinum[5]
The Best Of — —
More Great Dirt
  • Release date: January 10, 1989
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
 38 —
Greatest Hits — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

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1960s and 1970s

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Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US Country
[7] 		US
[8] 		AUS
[2] 		CAN
1967 "Buy for Me the Rain" — 45 — 37 The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
"Truly Right" — — — — Ricochet
1968 "Collegiana" — — — — Rare Junk
1969 "Some of Shelly's Blues" — — — — Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy
1970 "Mr. Bojangles" — 9 15 2
"Rave On" — — — —
1971 "House at Pooh Corner" — 53 — 30
"Some of Shelly's Blues" [A] — 64 — 56
"I Saw the Light" (with Roy Acuff) 56 — — — Will the Circle Be Unbroken
1972 "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" — 84 — — All the Good Times
"Baltimore" — — — —
"Jamaica (Say You Will)" — — — —
"Honky Tonkin'" — — — — Will the Circle Be Unbroken
1973 "Cosmic Cowboy – Part 1" — 123 — — Stars & Stripes Forever
"Grand Ole Opry Song" (with Jimmy Martin) 97 — — — Will the Circle Be Unbroken
"Tennessee Stud" (with Doc Watson) — — — —
1974 "The Battle of New Orleans" — 72 — — Stars & Stripes Forever
1975 "(All I Have to Do Is) Dream" — 66 — — Symphonium Dream
"Mother of Love" — — — —
1976 "Cosmic Cowboy" (re-recording) (as The Dirt Band) — — — — Dirt, Silver and Gold
"Jamaica Lady" (as The Dirt Band) — — — —
"Mother Earth (Provides For Me)" (as The Dirt Band) — — — —
1978 "In for the Night" (as The Dirt Band) — 86 — — The Dirt Band
"For A Little While" (as The Dirt Band) — — — —
1979 "In Her Eyes" (as The Dirt Band) — — — — An American Dream
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

1980s

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Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds) 		Album
US Country
[7] 		US
[8] 		AUS[2] CAN Country CAN
1980 "An American Dream" (as The Dirt Band) 58 13 45 — 3 An American Dream
"Make a Little Magic" (as The Dirt Band)[B] 77 25 — — 52 Make a Little Magic
"Badlands" (as The Dirt Band) — 107 — — —
"High School Yearbook" (as The Dirt Band) — — — — —
1981 "Fire in the Sky" (as The Dirt Band) — 76 — — — Jealousy
"Jealousy" (as The Dirt Band) — — — — —
"Too Close For Comfort" (as The Dirt Band) — — — — —
1983 "Shot Full of Love" 19 — — — — Let's Go
"Dance Little Jean" 9 — — 39 —
1984 "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)" 1 — — 2 — Plain Dirt Fashion
"I Love Only You" 3 — — 3 —
1985 "High Horse" 2 — — 2 —
"Modern Day Romance" 1 — — 2 — Partners, Brothers and Friends
"Home Again in My Heart" 3 — — 1 —
1986 "Partners, Brothers and Friends" 6 — — 3 —
"Stand a Little Rain" 5 — — 3 — Twenty Years of Dirt
"Fire in the Sky" (re-release)[C] 7 — — 5 —
1987 "Baby's Got a Hold on Me" 2 — — 2 — Hold On
"Fishin' in the Dark" 1 — — 1 —
  • US: Platinum[9]
"Oh What a Love" 5 — — — —
1988 "Workin' Man (Nowhere to Go)" 4 — — 6 — Workin' Band
"I've Been Lookin'" 2 — — 1 —
"Down That Road Tonight" 6 — — — —
1989 "Turn of the Century" 27 — — 24 — Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two
"And So It Goes" (with John Denver) 14 — — 29 —
"When It's Gone" 10 — — 11 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

1990s onward

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Year Single Peak chart
positions 		Album
US Country
[7] 		CAN Country
1990 "One Step Over the Line"
(with Rosanne Cash and John Hiatt) 		63 47 Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two
"From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)" 65 66 The Rest of the Dream
"You Made Life Good Again" 60 33
"The Rest of the Dream" — —
1991 "Cadillac Ranch" — — Live Two Five
"Mr. Bojangles" (re-recording) — 68
1992 "I Fought the Law" 66 — Not Fade Away
"One Good Love" 74 85
1993 "Little Angel"[10] — —
1994 "Cupid's Got a Gun"[11] — — Acoustic
1996 "Maybe Baby"[12] — — Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly)
1998 "Bang, Bang, Bang"[D] 52 44 Bang, Bang, Bang
1999 "Bang, Bang, Bang" (re-release) 63 67
2021 "The Times They Are a-Changin'"
(with Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle,
Jason Isbell, and The War and Treaty[13] 		— — Dirt Does Dylan
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Other singles

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Christmas singles

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Year Single Peak positions Album
US Country
[7]
1983 "Colorado Christmas" 93 A Christmas Tradition
1988 "Colorado Christmas" (re-release) — Sessions Presents: Christmas Wishes

Notes

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  • A^ "Some of Shelly's Blues" did not chart when first issued on Liberty. United Artists reissued the title in 1971, at which time it charted.
  • B^ "Make a Little Magic" also peaked at number 26 on the Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.[14]
  • C^ The recording of "Fire In The Sky" that charted in 1986 and appeared on the Twenty Years of Dirt album is the same recording that had previously been issued on the Liberty label in 1981. Both the reissued single and aforementioned album ascribe phonographic copyright to Liberty Records.
  • D^ "Bang, Bang, Bang" was originally released by Rising Tide Records before that label closed; the re-release of the song in 1999 was under DreamWorks Records.

Music videos

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Year Title Director
1981 "Fire in the Sky"
1985 "Modern Day Romance" Gary Amelon
1986 "Partners, Brothers and Friends"[15] Gary Gutierrez
1988 "I've Been Lookin'"
1989 "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" Bill Pope
"When It's Gone" Joanne Gardner
1990 "You Made Life Good Again"
"The Rest of the Dream"
1991 "Mr. Bojangles" (live) Gerry Wenner
"Cadillac Ranch" (live)
1992 "One Good Love"
1993 "Little Angel"
1994 "Cupid's Got a Gun" Roger Pistole
1996 "You Believed in Me"
(with Karla Bonoff)
"Maybe Baby"
1997 "Silent Night"
1998 "Bang, Bang, Bang" Michael McNamara
2002 "The Lowlands" Wes Edwards
2022 "I Shall Be Released"[16]
(featuring Larkin Poe)
"Forever Young"
"Country Pie"

DVD & VHS

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Year Title
1982 "The Dirt Band Tonight"[17]
1991 "Twenty Years of Dirt"[18]
1993 "Northern Circle The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Plays Alaska"[19]
2003 Will The Circle Be Unbroken: Farther Along[20]
2007 "Country Legends Live Mini Concert"[21]
2016 "Circlin’ Back: Celebrating 50 Years" (CD/DVD)[4]

NGDB as contributing artists

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[22]

Year Album Title by Artist Contribution
1969 Paint Your Wagon soundtrack, by various artists "Hand Me Down That Can O' Beans"
1975 Banjoman soundtrack, by various artists Live version of "Battle Of New Orleans" and "Diggy Liggy Lo"
1978 Wild And Crazy Guy, by Steve Martin "King Tut", as the Toot Uncommons
1986 Tribute to Steve Goodman, by various artists "Face On The Cutting Room Floor", live
2003 Tennessee Stud, by Doc Watson "Tennessee Stud"
2004 This Is Americana, by various artists "Gold Watch & Chain", with Kris Kristofferson [23]
2004 The Unbroken Circle - The Musical Heritage Of The Carter Family, by various artists "Gold Watch & Chain", with Kris Kristofferson [24]
2004 Merlefest Live! The Best of 2003, by various artists "American Dream"[25]
2005 Telluride Bluegrass Festival: 30 Years, by various artists "Fishin' In The Dark", live[26]

References

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  1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 905/6. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  2. ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. pp. 91 & 219. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  3. ^ "American album certifications – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Will the Circle be Unbroken". Recording Industry Association of America.
  4. ^ a b Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band > Circlin' Back: Celebrating 50 Years". AllMusic.
  5. ^ "American album certifications – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Twenty Years of Dirt". Recording Industry Association of America.
  6. ^ "American album certifications – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – More Great Dirt". Recording Industry Association of America.
  7. ^ a b c d Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 300–301. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  8. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. p. 653. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
  9. ^ "American single certifications – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Fishin%27 in the Dark". Recording Industry Association of America.
  10. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. April 10, 1993.
  11. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. July 30, 1994.
  12. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. June 29, 1996.
  13. ^ "Nitty Gritty Dirt Band covers Bob Dylan with Jason Isbell, Rosanne Cash and more". The Tennessean. February 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  14. ^ "RPM Top 50 AC Singles - August 30, 1980" (PDF).
  15. ^ Billboard - May 31, 1986 - Google Books Result. 31 May 1986. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  16. ^ Ehrenclou, Martine (April 7, 2022). "Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Announces New Album 'Dirt Does Dylan' & Shares New Single Feat. Larkin Poe". Rock and Blues Muse. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  17. ^ "The DIrt Band Tonight", The Dirt Band, Thorn EMI VideoTVD 1812 (1982) VHS
  18. ^ "Twenty Years of Dirt", The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Warner Reprise Video 38264-3 (1991) VHS
  19. ^ "Northern Circle The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Plays Alaska", The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Teton Productions (1993) DVD
  20. ^ Will The Circle Be Unbroken: Farther Along, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Special Guest, Capital 7243-4-90416-9-1 (2003) DVD
  21. ^ "Country Legends Live Mini Concert", Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Timeless Media Group TMG 63494 (2007) DVD
  22. ^ NGDB as contributing artists information from album liner notes
  23. ^ "This Is Americana: Various Artists: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  24. ^ "The Unbroken Circle - The Musical Heritage Of The Carter Family: VARIOUS ARTISTS, Carter Family: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  25. ^ "Merlefest Live Best of 2003: Various Artists: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  26. ^ "Telluride Bluegrass Festival: Thirty Years: Various Artists: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
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