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)
Honky Tonkin'
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Call me up, sweet baby, and bring along some dough
And we'll go honky tonkin', honky tonkin'
Honky tonkin', Honey Baby
We'll go honky tonkin' 'round this town.
When you and your baby have a fallin' out
Just call me up sweet mama and we'll go steppin' out
Honky tonkin', Honey Baby
We'll go honky tonkin' 'round this town.
We're goin' to the city to the city fair
If you go to the city then you will find me there
And we'll go honky tonkin', honky tonkin'
Honky tonkin', Honey Baby
We'll go honky tonkin' 'round this town.
When you are sad and lonely and have no place to go
Call me up, sweet baby, and bring along some dough
And we'll go honky tonkin', honky tonkin'
Honky tonkin', Honey Baby
We'll go honky tonkin' 'round this town.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's song Honky Tonkin' is a classic honky-tonk tune about finding solace and entertainment through going out and having a good time. The song begins with an invitation from the singer to a sad and lonely person to come along and join him for some honky tonkin', offering to provide the fun in exchange for some cash. The act of honky tonkin' is a slang term for going out and partying, particularly through visiting a honky-tonk bar or playing loud music and dancing.
The second verse expresses a willingness to act as a wingman for someone who has recently had a falling out with their significant other. This verse implies that if one person is available, he or she can always count on a friend to go out and have a good time with. The third verse portrays the excitement and anticipation of heading to the city and all of its opportunities for fun and excitement.
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of people who are down on their luck or feeling lonely, who find comfort and companionship in honky tonking with friends. The song showcases the idea that going out and dancing the night away with good company can brighten any day.
Line by Line Meaning
When you are sad and lonely and have no place to go
If you are feeling down and alone with nowhere to turn, I will be here for you.
Call me up, sweet baby, and bring along some dough
Just give me a call and bring some money with you, and we can go out and have a good time.
And we'll go honky tonkin', honky tonkin'
We will hit up all the honky tonks and bars in town and have a great time partying.
Honky tonkin', Honey Baby
Honky tonkin' is our thing, Honey Baby.
We'll go honky tonkin' 'round this town.
We will explore all the honky tonks and bars this town has to offer and enjoy each other's company.
When you and your baby have a fallin' out
If you and your significant other are having problems, I am here to support you.
Just call me up sweet mama and we'll go steppin' out
Give me a call, and we'll go out for a night on the town.
We're goin' to the city to the city fair
We are headed to the city to attend the fair that is happening there.
If you go to the city then you will find me there
If you happen to be in the city, you can come find me at the fair.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hank Williams Sr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind