the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

…his membership in the fledgling Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and to late-1960s stints in New York City as a backing musician for Nico of the Velvet Underground and for Tim Buckley. He was first noticed as a songwriter, and his compositions were recorded by performers such as Tom Rush, the…

…country musicians who performed with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on the breakthrough crossover album Will the Circle Be Unbroken (1973), the title of which comes from the Carter Family’s 1935 hit “Can the Circle Be Unbroken.” In March 1974, after the Grand Ole Opry’s last broadcast at the storied…

…country musicians—was renewed again when the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, a country-rock group, collaborated with him and others on the groundbreaking crossover album Will the Circle Be Unbroken (1972). In performance Watson was often accompanied by his father-in-law, and he performed for many years with his son, Merle, on rhythm…