Few country music acts have had the longevity and the influence on modern country music that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has. Debuting in 1967 with their first album, the band has been a constant in country music for more than five decades. Although the band members have changed throughout the years, the music remains largely the same, and their fans love them for it. The group has had a strong influence on modern country music, and in 2015 they celebrated their 50th anniversary with a show at Ryman Auditorium featuring John Prine, Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Jerry Jeff Walker, Alison Krauss, Rodney Crowell and more. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band still has plenty of songs left in them, but here's a look back at 7 of their best tunes.
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7. "I've Been Lookin'"
In 1988, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band released the bouncy "I've Been Lookin'." In this song, the group's harmonious vocals are on full display as they joyfully sing about looking for love. Featuring a quick tempo and acoustic and piano instrumentation, the band sing about their desire to find true love. "I've been looking for a love / Someone to hold as I lay sleepin' / I'm not talking 'bout someone who's scared of promises or keepin' 'em / I'm just looking for a love to stand the test of time / I've been lookin' for someone to be all mine," they sing. This song became a No. 2 hit for the band.
6. "Dance Little Jean"
In "Dance Little Jean," another of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's most memorable songs, they sing about a joyful scene that occurred at a wedding. In the song, a man jaded from love and marriage performs at a wedding, and he is fully ready to decry marriage in its entirety. When a little girl starts dancing at the reception, however, his attitude changes. The song is about the joy the little girl brings to the event, and the band excitedly cheers her on, singing, "Dance little Jean." This 1983 song became a No. 9 hit for the group.
5. "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)"
In the 1984 song "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)," the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band details one man's rise from the cotton fields of his youth to the big city. The song is sung from the perspective of a man whose family grew up sharecropping - or harvesting land in exchange for a share of the crops. The first verse tells of the hard times the man encountered growing up in "plain dirt fashion" and working the fields every day. As a young boy, he dreamed of leaving and making a better life for himself, but when he did, he found himself thinking about the scenes of his youth. Written by Rodney Crowell, this song became the group's first-ever No. 1 hit.
4. "Modern Day Romance"
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band earned the second big hit of their career with 1985's "Modern Day Romance." In this song, the band tells the story of a whirlwind weekend romance that began when the song's male narrator helped a woman with a flat tire. The woman told the man to "climb in," and they took off to Reno, Nevada. While there, the weekend affair continued, and the couple "never saw the casino" and "barely took time to eat." Although both parties were aware that this weekend fling wasn't serious, the man started to develop feelings for the woman. After she left, the "Modern Day Romance" led him to "some old-fashioned pain." This Kix Brooks-penned tune became the band's second No. 1 hit.
3. "Mr. Bojangles"
One of the first songs to put Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on the map was "Mr. Bojangles," a cover of Jerry Jeff Walker's original. This song was inspired by a homeless man and street performer Walker once encountered in a New Orleans jail. According to the story, Walker was in jail for public intoxication and he entered into conversation with the man who called himself "Mr. Bojangles." When the jail conversation turned "too heavy," Mr. Bojangles reportedly performed a tap dance for his jail mates to lighten the mood. The nickname came from 1930s entertainer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band made the song a No. 9 hit in 1971.
2. "Will The Circle Be Unbroken"
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band revived the country music of old with their massive collaboration album, Will The Circle Be Unbroken, which included the classic title written by A.P. Carter. In this song, the band teams with country legends like Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and more, as they take turns singing lines from the classic hymn. This version brought the tune back into the public eye, and it now serves as more than a hymn, but rather a commentary on the connection of country music through the generations.
1. "Fishin' In The Dark"
Released in 1987, "Fishin' In The Dark" is one of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's top songs. In this tune, the band sings about a night fishing with a love interest, but there may be more than fishing going on. With its acoustic instrumentation and familiar melody, this song has been an instant sing-along at concerts and bars for generations. It was also famously covered by country superstar Garth Brooks in 2005, among other artists. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band original landed at the No. 1 spot on the charts back in the '80s, and it has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
