I got a request for "Modern Day Romance," a No. 1 song from 1985, for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They released their first record, which was self-titled, back in 1967. Their first top 10 hit was a remake of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles," which was released in 1970.

Throughout the years, some of the names and faces of the band changed. In the late '70s, the band was known simply as "The Dirt Band." In the '80s they added the "Nitty Gritty" back in and got their first No. 1 country hit with "Long Hard Road." Their only other No. 1 hits were the aforementioned "Modern Day Romance" and "Fishin' in the Dark" in 1987. They had numerous other top 10 songs but have not charted anything now in a long time.

The group currently consists of:

  • Jeff Hanna – guitars, vocals
  • Jimmie Fadden – drums, harmonica and vocals
  • Bob Carpenter – keyboards, accordions, bass and vocals
  • John McEuen – banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin

If you are a fan, you can check out their website at nittygritty.com.

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