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)
Fishin' Blues
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby goin' fishing too
Bet your life, your sweet wife
Catch more fish than you
Many fish bites, if you got good bait
Here's a little tip that I would like to relate
Many fish bites, if you got good bait
And my Baby goin fishing, too
I went on down to my favorite fishing hole
Baby grabbed me a pole and line
Throwed my pole on in
Caught a 9 pound Catfish
Now you know I brought him home for supper time
Proving, any fish bites if you got good bait
Here's a little tip that I would like to relate
Many fish bites, if you got good bait
I'm a goin' fishing, yes I'm goin' fishing
And my Baby goin' fishing, too
Baby brother â??bout to run me outta my mind
Say, can I go fishing with you?
I took him on down to the fishing hole
Now what did you think that he did do?
Pulled a great big fish out the bottom of the pond
Now he laughed and jumped â??cause he was real gone
Many fish bites, if you got good bait
I'm a goin' fishing, yes I'm goin' fishing
And my Baby goin' fishing, too
Put him in the pot baby put him in the pan
honey cook â??em â??til their nice and brown.
Make a batch of butter milk hoe cakes mama
and you chew them things and you chomp â??em on down
Singing, any fish bites if you got good bait
Here's a little tip that I would like to relate
Many fish bites, if you got good bait
I'm a goin' fishing, yes I'm goin' fishing
And my Baby goin' fishing, too
Betcha' goin' fishing, all the time
Baby goin' fishing too
Bet your life, your sweet wife
Catch more fish than you
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's song, Fishin' Blues, is an upbeat and playful tune that captures the essence of fishing and the joys of being out on the water with loved ones. The opening lines suggest that the singer and their significant other are both avid fishermen, but the lyrics quickly reveal that the competition is quite intense. The singer bets that their wife can catch more fish than they can, adding a flirty and humorous dynamic to the song.
The chorus, "Many fish bites, if you got good bait, Here's a little tip that I would like to relate," serves as a reminder that fishing success starts with the bait. The chorus also reinforces the idea that anyone can catch a fish as long as they have the right tools and technique. This message is exemplified by the end of the song when the singer teaches their younger brother how to catch a fish successfully. The act of fishing is not only about catching fish but also about spending quality time outdoors and sharing that experience with loved ones.
In summary, Fishin' Blues is an entertaining and humorous song that celebrates the joys of fishing and spending time with loved ones. It emphasizes the importance of having the right tools and technique and shows how anyone can catch a fish if they use good bait and persevere.
Line by Line Meaning
Betcha' goin' fishing, all the time
I bet you go fishing all the time
Baby goin' fishing too
Your baby also goes fishing
Bet your life, your sweet wife
I bet that even your sweet wife catches more fish than you
Catch more fish than you
She catches more fish than you
Many fish bites, if you got good bait
If you have good bait, you'll get many fish bites
Here's a little tip that I would like to relate
Let me share a little tip with you
I'm a goin fishing, yes I'm goin fishing
I'm going fishing
And my Baby goin fishing, too
And my baby is going fishing too
I went on down to my favorite fishing hole
I went to my favorite fishing spot
Baby grabbed me a pole and line
My baby got me a fishing rod and line
Throwed my pole on in
I threw my fishing rod into the water
Caught a 9 pound Catfish
I caught a 9-pound catfish
Now you know I brought him home for supper time
Now you know I brought him home for dinner
Proving, any fish bites if you got good bait
This proves that you'll get fish bites if you have good bait
Baby brother â??bout to run me outta my mind
My baby brother is driving me crazy
Say, can I go fishing with you?
He asked me if he could go fishing with me
I took him on down to the fishing hole
I took him down to the fishing spot
Now what did you think that he did do?
Guess what he did?
Pulled a great big fish out the bottom of the pond
He pulled a big fish out of the bottom of the pond
Now he laughed and jumped â??cause he was real gone
He laughed and jumped because he was so happy
Put him in the pot baby put him in the pan
We put the fish in a pot and a pan
honey cook â??em â??til their nice and brown.
Cook them until they're nice and brown
Make a batch of butter milk hoe cakes mama
Make some butter milk hoe cakes, mama
and you chew them things and you chomp â??em on down
And then you eat them up
Singing, any fish bites if you got good bait
Singing, if you have good bait, you'll get many fish bites
Betcha' goin' fishing, all the time
I bet you go fishing all the time
Baby goin' fishing too
Your baby also goes fishing
Bet your life, your sweet wife
I bet that even your sweet wife catches more fish than you
Catch more fish than you
She catches more fish than you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: . TRADITIONAL, ARTIE TRAUM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind