PALA – Pala Casino Spa Resort will present legendary American Country Rock band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Saturday, Oct. 15, performing live indoors at the Events Center.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band formed in 1966 as a Long Beach jug band. The band scored its first charting single in 1967, and embarked on a self-propelled ride through folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll, pop, bluegrass and the amalgam now known as “Americana.” The first major hit came in 1971 with the epic “Mr. Bojangles,” which, along with insistent support from banjo master Earl Scruggs, opened doors in Nashville. Their three-disc 1972 masterpiece: “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” went triple platinum, spawned two later volumes and wound up in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In the 1980s, the Dirt Band reeled off 15 straight Top 10 country hits, including chart-toppers “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream),” “Modern Day Romance” and “Fishin’ in the Dark.” 1989 brought a second Circle album, this one featuring singer-songwriter talents including John Prine, Rosanne Cash and John Hiatt and garnering two Grammy awards for the band. Circle II also won the Country Music Association’s Album of the Year prize. Circle III was released in 2003, featuring collaborations with Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal and more.
Throughout the group’s lifetime, personnel have changed, with each change resulting in positive steps forward, new ways of playing the old songs, and renewed enthusiasm for writing and recording fresh material. The latest Dirt Band lineup is expanded to six members for the first time since 1968. Today’s group consists of founding member Jeff Hanna, harp master Jimmie Fadden who joined in 1966 and soulful-voiced Bob Carpenter who has more than 40 years of service in the ensemble. Those veterans are now joined by singer-songwriter-bass man Jim Photoglo, fiddle and mandolin wizard Ross Holmes and Hanna’s son, the preternaturally talented singer and guitarist Jaime Hanna.
The show will start at 8 p.m. Reserved tickets are $45, and general admission tickets are $25. This show is just one of the impressive lineup of headliner and tribute concerts that will be held at the indoor Events Center, with tickets on sale now for all events.
Tickets are on sale now, with no service charge, at the Pala Box Office, http://www.palacasino.com and 877-725-2766. Tickets are also available at http://www.etix.com and 800-514-3849. Must be 21 or older to attend.
Submitted by Pala Casino Spa Resort.
