The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band took the stage at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival for a special performance of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” with many big name special guests.
It’s in the Grammy Hall of Fame. It’s in The Library of Congress. It sold Gold. It sold Platinum. Chet Flippo once said it was one of the most important albums that ever came out of Nashville. “Will The Circle Be Unbroken…”
From folk rock at their inception, to bluegrass revivalists in the ’70s, to country radio hitmakers in the ’80s, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have just about done it all, and in a way that has been revered and wildly influential throughout music.
Many stars turned out to tribute Hank, including Lyle Lovett, Rodney Crowell, Suzy Boggus, and Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie McCoy. A healthy dose of independent and up-and-coming stars also appeared.
Kennedy and producer Davis Naish brought in a sparse selection of instruments and a beautiful tribute ode to a corner of the world that the singer-songwriter has fallen in love with over the years. They spent a week in a small adobe house in the tiny Far West Texas town after which the album is named.
Chris Darrow, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter, country rock pioneer and member of multiple influential bands including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and The Corvettes who backed up Linda Ronstadt, has passed away according to his representatives. He was 75-years-old. He was a centerpiece of country rock.