On Saturday night, August 13, The Villages Amphitheater welcomes veteran country folk-rock group, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, to the Fayetteville stage. Local artist, Corbette Jackson, opens the show.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has had chart success on the Top 40 as well as the country charts over the decades. Their version of the song, “Mr. Bojangles” in 1970 reached the Top 10, then later in the 70’s had more success in the Top 20 with “American Dream” and “Make a Little Magic”. In the 80’s, chart success came on the country chart with three #1 hits, “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream),” “Modern Day Romance,” and “Fishin’ In the Dark.”
Beyond the hits, one of their greatest triumphs is the three-volume series, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” that pairs the band with many of Nashville’s veteran hierarchy including Roy Acuff, Johnny Cash and Earl Scruggs to name a few. The different sessions produced award-winning renditions of classic country and southern gospel standards. Attendees to the Saturday night concert will be treated to a sampling of these great classic songs within their 90-minute set. With a career that spans five decades, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has gone from a hippie jug?band to pioneers of country rock, and their influence is still being felt today.
Amphitheater Director, Brian Wismer, commented on the upcoming show. “This will be a wonderful closer to the 2011 season. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has a wide musical range in their catalog that will please musicians and music lovers of many ages and styles.”
Some tickets still remain and are available at the Train Depot and also via the website, www.VillagesAmphitheater.com, which offers specific seat selection. Individual tickets are $20 for general admission on the lawn, and $30 for reserved seats.
The 2011 concert series is presented by Mercedes-Benz of South Atlanta. Later this week on the Villages website will be the year-end customer survey where people can provide feedback and help to select the roster for 2012.
