The band's best-known song was a 1970 cover of Jerry Jeff Walker's folk song "Mr. Bojangles". Their greatest critical acclaim has been for a 1972 album of country and folk standards, recorded in Nashville in collaboration with more traditional country artists, entitled "Will the Circle Be Unbroken".
"Will the Circle be Unbroken" was a collaboration album recorded in 1972 by the Dirt band with traditional artists such as Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Roy Acuff, Merle Watson, Jimmy Martin, Junior Huskey, Norman Blake, and Pete Oswald Kirby (known to Grand Ole Opry fans as Bashful Brother Oswald). Vassar Clements, not widely known then, was tapped for fiddle duties which led to greater notoriety and success for him.
"Will the Circle be Unbroken" featured classic bluegrass and folk standards written by A.P Carter, Doc Watson and others. The title comes from the song of the same name but indicates what the Dirt Band was trying to achieve. The long-haired boys from California were making an effort to reach out to the older veterans of American music and unite them in a divided America. Two other editions were released, one in the 1980s and another after September 11, 2001.
In July 1974 The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was one of the headline acts at The Ozark Music Festival, at the Missouri State Fairgrounds, in Sedalia, Missouri. Some estimates have put the crowd count at 350,000 people, which would make this one of the largest music events in history.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's peak in popularity – at least on the radio — came during the mid- to late-1980s, when they charted a string of successful songs. Among the lot were three No. 1 singles: "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)" (1984); "Modern Day Romance" (1985); and "Fishin' in the Dark" (1987). Other successful songs were "Dance Little Jean" (1983); "I Love Only You" (1984); "High Horse" (1985); "Home Again in My Heart," "Partners, Brothers and Friends" and "Stand a Little Rain" (1986); "Fire in the Sky," "Baby's Got a Hold on Me" and "Oh What a Love" (1987); "Working Man (Nowhere to Go)" and "I've Been Lookin'" (1988); and "Down That Road Tonight" and "When it's Gone" (1989).
The current members are:
* Bob Carpenter - keyboard, accordion, bass, and vocals (1977-present)
* Jimmie Fadden - drums, harmonica,guitar, washtub bass, jug and vocals (1966-present)
* Jeff Hanna - guitar, mandolin, drums, harmonica, bass, washboard, jug and vocals (1966-present)
* John McEuen - banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, accordion washtub bass and vocals (1966-1986 & 2001-present)
Former members:
* Ralph Barr - guitar, clarinet and vocals (1966-1968)
* Merel Bregante - drums and percussion (1977-1979)
* Jackson Browne - guitar and vocals (1966)
* John Cable - guitar, bass and vocals (1976-1977)
* Jackie Clark - guitar, bass and vocals (1976-1977)
* Chris Darrow - fiddle, guitar, mandolin and vocals (1967-1968)
* Michael Gardner - drums (1980-1981)
* Al Garth - saxophone, fiddle, keyboard, percussion and vocals (1977-1981)
* Richard Hathaway - bass and vocals (1977-1981)
* Jimmy Ibbotson - guitar, bass, mandolin, piano, accordion, drums, flute and vocals (1968-1975 & 1982-2004)
* Bruce Kunkel - guitar, kazoo, vocals (1966-1967)
* Bernie Leadon - guitar, banjo, mandolin and vocals (1987-1989)
* Vic Mastrianni - drums (1980-1981)
* Les Thompson - guitar, bass, mandolin and vocals (1966-1973)
Down The Road
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Four houses down from me
Was a family with an only child
And she was the only girl in this ol' world
That could make me smile
Down the road
I made up reasons to go down the road
There was something she took a liking to
And I asked her to marry me
And she said she really wanted to
Down the road
See what life's gonna hold, down the road
Her mama wants to know am I washed in the blood
Or just in the water
Her daddy wants to know if I make enough
To take his daughter
Down the road
Before he can let her go down the road
Now down the street from here
There's an engineer with an only son
And our baby girl says she believes
That he is the only one
Down the road
Her mama wants to know is he washed in the blood
Or just the water
And I want to know that he makes enough
To take my daughter
Down the road
When it comes time to go down the road
Down the road
You know I want to help her go down the road
Down the road
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's song "Down the Road" narrates a love story of two families that live down the street from each other. The singer, as a boy, had a crush on the only girl who lived four houses down from him. He would make excuses to go down the road, just to catch a glimpse of her. Many years later, as adults, he asks her to marry him and she says yes. However, her parents have reservations about him. Her mother wants to know if he is washed in the blood, which is a Christian term that refers to being forgiven by Christ's death, or if he is just in the water, meaning baptized but not actually saved. Her father wants to know if he can provide for his daughter before he can let her go down the road.
Later in the song, the singer and his wife have a daughter of their own, and the son of their neighbor, an engineer, catches her eye. Just like the singer, she too wants to go down the road with the man she loves. However, the singer is cautious and wants to make sure that the boy is also washed in the blood and can take care of his daughter before he can let her go down the road.
The lyrics of "Down the Road" depict an intergenerational love story and showcase the importance of familial values, religion, and financial stability. The singer highlights the struggles he goes through to gain the trust and approval of his in-laws. The song is an uplifting tune that expresses the romantic love the singer feels for his wife and daughter.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a boy
During my childhood days
Four houses down from me
At a distance of four houses from my place
Was a family with an only child
There was a family with only one child
And she was the only girl in this ol' world
She was the only girl in the entire world
That could make me smile
She had the ability to make me smile
Down the road
In the future
I made up reasons to go down the road
I devised reasons to go and see her in the future
Somewhere inside of me
Within me
There was something she took a liking to
She had developed an interest in something about me
And I asked her to marry me
I proposed for marriage to her
And she said she really wanted to
She accepted my proposal as she really wanted to marry me
Down the road
In the future
See what life's gonna hold, down the road
To see what future holds for us
Her mama wants to know am I washed in the blood
Her mother wants to know if I am a devout Christian
Or just in the water
Or just perform baptism
Her daddy wants to know if I make enough
Her father is concerned if I earn enough money
To take his daughter
To financially support his daughter
Down the road
In the future
Before he can let her go down the road
Before he approves of our marriage
Now down the street from here
Presently near our place
There's an engineer with an only son
There is an engineer with only one child, a son
And our baby girl says she believes
Our daughter has expressed that she believes
That he is the only one
That he is her soulmate
Down the road
In the future
Her mama wants to know is he washed in the blood
Her mother wants to know if he is a devout Christian
Or just the water
Or just perform baptism
And I want to know that he makes enough
I want to ensure that he earns enough money
To take my daughter
To financially support my daughter
Down the road
In the future
When it comes time to go down the road
When the time comes for her to marry him in future
Down the road
In the future
You know I want to help her go down the road
I want to support her to follow her heart and marry the person she loves in future
Contributed by John L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.