Filmed and Recorded live at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends - Circlin' Back: Celebrating 50 Years captures a group of longtime road warriors who've yet to lose their grit, joined onstage by John Prine, Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Jerry Jeff Walker, Alison Krauss, Rodney Crowell, Byron House, and Jerry Douglas. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (and early Dirt Band member) Jackson Browne joined in, along with longtime member Jimmy Ibbotson, while a sold-out crowd sings along in the background. From country classics to deep cuts, the tracklist finds bandmates Jeff Hanna (guitars/vocals), Jimmie Fadden (drums/harmonica/vocals), Bob Carpenter (keyboards/accordion/vocals) and John McEuen (banjo/fiddle/guitar/mandolin) swapping harmonies, trading solos, and shining new light on a catalog of vital, vibrant music.

Long before Americana music had a name, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band helped lead the charge, mixing elements of country, bluegrass, folk, mountain music, and rock & roll into a sound that celebrated the full range of American music. With multi-platinum and gold records, strings of top ten hits such as “Fishin’ In The Dark” and “Mr. Bojangles”, multiple GRAMMY, IBMA, ACM Awards and nominations, CMA Awards and nominations, the band’s accolades continue to accumulate. Their groundbreaking “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” album has been inducted into the U.S. Library of Congress as well as the Grammy Hall of Fame. NGDB’s recording of “Mr. Bojangles” was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2014 “Fishin’ In the Dark” was certified platinum for digital downloads by the RIAA.