It’s easy to argue that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band inspired the country rock and Americana roots music movement.
They will perform at Nov. 6 at the Edmonds Center for the Arts.
Like the Grateful Dead, these long-haired California rock-n-roll boys saw the value of classic country, old timey tunes, folk music and bluegrass.
First there was the Dirt Band’s 1972 album “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” The work featured traditional country musicians such as Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Vassar Clements, Merle Travis and Norman Blake.
“Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two” included Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, Levon Helm, John Denver, John Prine, John Hiatt, Bruce Hornsby, Bela Fleck, Chet Atkins, Jimmy Martin and Snohomish County’s own Mark O’Connor.
Volume Three featured a lot of the same people along with Taj Mahal, June Carter, Allison Krauss, Sam Bush, Dwight Yoakum, Vince Gill and Tony Rice.
Like many bands that had a start in the 1960s, the personnel of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band changed a few times over the years, even including Jackson Browne at one point.
The current band, Jeff Hanna, Jimmie Fadden, Bob Carpenter and John McEuen have been touring most this year.
The band has been playing from their 2009 album, “Speed of Life.” On it are tunes such as “Going Up The Country,” “Stuck in the Middle” and “It’s Good to Be Alive.”
If you’re lucky you might hear “Fishin’ In The Dark” and “Mr. Bojangles.”
If you go
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6, Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave. N. Tickets for youth and students are $15, others range from $39 to $49. To order tickets, call the box office at 425-275-9595.
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