The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band just may be the quintessential Americana band. They started out playing jug band music, moved into country and blues, added rock and roll with some jazz, and are at home playing bluegrass. Their concerts over the last sixty years have generally featured all those genres.
In January 2024 came the announcement the Dirt Band would be embarking on one last tour. The Farewell Tour: 60 Years Of Dirt started on March 21, 2024, in Bowling Green, KY. The band is currently on a break but the final leg of the tour begins on March 20, 2026. The last concert is set for June 18 at the Mission Ballroom in Denver, CO.
Their fans need not fret, however. The Dirt Band isn’t saying goodbye forever. They are merely saying goodbye to the 75 to 100 city tours and accompanying long bus rides the group has taken over the last six decades.
“Not that we hate it,” Jeff Hanna told me. “We love our tour buses and we love touring. But we’ve gotten to the point where we really need some time with our families. And we want to sort of enjoy some of what’s left ahead of us, you know.”
“Jimmie (Fadden) and I and Bob (Carpenter) are all in our… Well, I guess you could probably officially call it our late 70s now,” Jeff continued. “And it’s not about not loving what we do. Because we really are so grateful that we’ve gotten to do this for six decades.”
It’s not that they don’t appreciate their fans either. “The audiences have always been great for us,” Jeff said. “They’ve been particularly gracious on this Farewell Tour.”
Any plans for the future? Jeff allowed there are things that are in the talking stages but they are not in the planning stages yet.
“We’re gonna try to create opportunities that you’ll still be able to see the band,” he said. “Maybe doing a residency here or there, or the odd festival or one off this and that. But just not the full-time job part of what it has been.”
I couldn’t help but wonder whether the band had something up their collective sleeve to commemorate their 60 years of music. After all, for their 50th anniversary they celebrated with a sold out show at the Ryman Auditorium. That show was taped for a PBS special. A live CD and DVD, Circlin’ Back: Celebrating 50 Years, was released on September 30, 2016.
“Yeah, well, there’s a couple of shows where there will probably be some of our friends showing up,” Jeff said — “the one in Nashville on May 13 at the Grand Ole Opry House, and then the one in Denver at the Mission Ballroom, I believe.”
He added with a grin, “There’s a few tunes that we’re gonna dust off on this final run that we haven’t played in a few years. I won’t tell you what they are.”
The May 13 date is significant and was set by design. As Jeff explains, “Our first sort of professional gig where they actually paid us in dollars rather than pizza was the weekend of May 13, 1966.”
Nashville is also significant.
“I’ve lived in Nashville for over 40 years now,” Jeff said. “So it’s definitely home and I love it. I love the music community here. Some of my best friends in the world live here.”
The show in Colorado will also have some sentiment attached to it. As Jeff explained, “It’s a place that our band always considered really significant, not just for our career, but we as a band picked up and moved (there) from Los Angeles in March of ‘71.”
After playing so many concerts for sixty years, are there songs you get tired of playing? Or are there songs you really like playing that your fans might not be aware of?
“You know, one thing I think – and I think this goes for most of the musicians I know – is you always want to play your newest song,” Jeff told me. “(It was either) John Mellencamp or Tom Petty who said, ‘Well, here’s your opportunity to go get a beer.’ You know, we’re going to play a new one and everybody heads for the restroom.”
He chuckled a bit before continuing. “But I will say that when we do songs like ‘Fishing In The Dark’ or ‘Mr. Bojangles,’ the rush that we get, the part that really makes us grin from ear to ear, is the response from the audience. Do I need to play ‘Mr. Bojangles’ another thousand times? Not in my living room, I don’t. But on stage is great. It’s great having people sing along.”
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has had a changing lineup over its sixty years. The current lineup is Jeff Hanna (guitars/vocals), Jimmie Fadden (drums/harmonica/vocals), Bob Carpenter (keyboards/accordion/vocals), Jeff’s son Jaime Hanna (guitars/vocals), Ross Holmes (fiddle/mandolin/vocals) and Jim Photoglo (bass/vocals). Jeff and Jimmie are founding members of the band. Bob Carpenter has been with them since 1979 while Jaime, Ross and Jim have been members for less than ten years.
“We have such a great time playing together,” Jeff told me. “I love the band. I love this lineup. This is the most fun we’ve had playing in decades, so that’s sad (that the full-time touring is coming to an end). We love our fans too, you know.”
He mused, “Maybe when we all turn 90, we’ll try to come back.”
If they do, no doubt their fans will be waiting.
