''Will the Circle be Unbroken'' is the seventh studio album by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

group The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, with collaboration from many famous bluegrass and

country-western Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, old- ...

players, including Roy Acuff, "Mother"

Maybelle Carter "Mother" Maybelle Carter (born Maybelle Addington; May 10, 1909 – October 23, 1978) was an American country musician and "among the first" to use the Carter scratch, with which she "helped to turn the guitar into a lead instrument". It ...

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. W ...

, Earl Scruggs,

Randy Scruggs Randy Lynn Scruggs (August 3, 1953 – April 17, 2018) was an American music producer, songwriter and guitarist. He had his first recording at the age of 13. He won four Grammy Awards and was named Musician of the Year at the Country Music ...

, Merle Travis, Pete "Oswald" Kirby, Norman Blake, Jimmy Martin, and others. It also introduced fiddler

Vassar Clements Vassar Carlton Clements (April 25, 1928 – August 16, 2005) was an American jazz, swing, and bluegrass fiddler. Clements has been dubbed the Father of Hillbilly Jazz, an improvisational style that blends and borrows from swing, hot jazz, and ...

to a wider audience. The album was released in November 1972, through United Artists Records.

History

The album's title comes from a song by

Ada R. Habershon Ada Ruth Habershon (8 January 1861-1918) was an English Christian hymnist, best known for her 1907 gospel song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" for which the tune was composed by Charles H. Gabriel. Biography Ada R. Habershon was born in Maryle ...

(re-arranged by A. P. Carter) and reflects how the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was trying to tie together two generations of musicians. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was a young

country-rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal ...

band with a hippie look. Acuff described them as "a bunch of long-haired West Coast boys." The other players were much older and more famous from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, primarily as old-time country and bluegrass players. Many had become known to their generation through the Grand Ole Opry. However, with the rise of

rock-and-roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

, the emergence of the commercial country's slick ' Nashville Sound,' and changing tastes in music, their popularity had waned somewhat from their glory years. Acuff was initially contemptuous of the project, but later relented and participated. The album cover features an image of

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Admiral David Dixon Porter. Every track on the album was recorded on the first or second take straight to two-track masters, so the takes are raw and unprocessed. Additionally, another tape ran continuously throughout the entire week-long recording session and captured the dialog between the players. On the final album, many of the tracks—including the first track—begin with the musicians discussing how to perform the song or who should come in where in any given portion of a song. The record includes the first meeting of

and Merle Travis, after whom Watson's son, Merle, was named.

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

, sixty years old at the time, refused to participate in the recordings. Originally appearing in 1972 as a three LP album and three- cassette tape offering, ''Will the Circle Be Unbroken'' was remastered and re-released in 2002 as a two

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Oc ...

set. The original album was certified platinum by the RIAA on November 6, 1997, indicating shipments of 500,000 copies. It has sold 301,600 copies as of October 2019. Much later, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band recorded two subsequent albums, '' Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two'' and ''

Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III ''Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III'' is the 2002 album from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. This album reached 18 on the US Country chart. Earlier albums in the series include ''Will the Circle be Unbroken (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album), Will t ...

'', in an attempt to repeat the process with other historically significant musicians. ''Volume Two'' won the Country Music Association's 1989 Album of the Year as well as three Grammys. In 1990, the album was celebrated on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

music television program

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show to ...

, which featured a performance by the full ensemble of guests on the

Carter Family Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. ...

song, ''

Will The Circle Be Unbroken "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" is a popular Christian hymn written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon with music by Charles H. Gabriel. The song is often recorded unattributed and, because of its age, has lapsed into the public domain. Most of the ch ...

'', from the original 1972 album.Will The Circle Be Unbroken” with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Denver and Friends
Austin City Limits, 1990

Track listing

Disc one

#"Grand Ole Opry Song" ( Hylo Brown) – 2:59 #*'' Jimmy Martin-Lead vocal and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

John McEuen John McEuen, born December 19, 1945 in Oakland, California, is an American folk musician and a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Career Solo work John McEuen was born in Oakland, California. In 1964, at age 18, he became interested ...

- Banjo,

- Fiddle, Les Thompson- Mandolin, Roy "Junior" Huskey- Bass; Jeff Hanna, Gary Scruggs, Jim Ibbotson, Thompson, Ray Martin-Background vocals'' #" Keep on the Sunny Side" ( A.P. Carter, Gary Garett) – 3:35 #*''Mother

-Lead vocal and guitar,

-Guitar, Pete "Oswald" Kirby- Dobro, Huskey-Bass, Earl Scruggs-Banjo,

- Autoharp, McEuen-Mandolin; Hanna, Thompson, Merle Travis, Ibbotson, Watson, Gary Scruggs-Background vocals.'' #"Nashville Blues" ( Earl Scruggs) – 3:10 #*''Earl Scruggs-Lead banjo, McEuen-Banjo, Hanna- Washboard, Jimmie Fadden- Harmonica, Clements-Fiddle, Randy Scruggs-Guitar, Norman Blake-Dobro, Huskey-Bass'' #"You Are My Flower" (A.P. Carter) – 3:35 #*''McEuen-Banjo, Earl Scruggs-Guitar, Blake-Dobro, Fadden-Autoharp, Ibbotson-

Snare SNARE proteins – " SNAP REceptor" – are a large protein family consisting of at least 24 members in yeasts, more than 60 members in mammalian cells, and some numbers in plants. The primary role of SNARE proteins is to mediate vesicle f ...

, Huskey-Bass, Randy Scruggs-Guitar; Hanna, Thompson, Randy Scruggs-Background vocals'' #"The Precious Jewel" ( Roy Acuff) – 3:30 #*'' Roy Acuff-Lead Vocal, McEuen-Banjo, Fadden-Harmonica, Thompson-Mandolin, Earl Scruggs-Guitar, Randy Scruggs-Autoharp, Clements-Fiddle, Huskey-Bass, Kirby-Dobro'' #" Dark as a Dungeon" ( Merle Travis) – 2:45 #*''Travis-Lead vocal and guitar, McEuen-Mandolin, Fadden-Harmonica, Huskey-Bass; Hanna, Thompson, Ibbotson-Background vocals'' #"

Tennessee Stud "Tennessee Stud" is a song written by Jimmy Driftwood, who originally recorded and released it in 1959. "Tennessee Stud" is considered to be Driftwood's most recorded song. Synopsis The song tells a story about the adventures of a man and his h ...

" (

Jimmie Driftwood James Corbitt Morris (June 20, 1907 – July 12, 1998), known professionally as Jimmy Driftwood or Jimmie Driftwood, was an American folk music songwriter and musician, most famous for his songs " The Battle of New Orleans" and "Tennessee Stud ...

) – 4:22 #*''Watson-Lead vocal and guitar, McEuen-Banjo, Fadden-Harmonica, Ibbotson-Guitar, Huskey-Bass, Clements-Fiddle, Hanna-Background vocal'' #"Black Mountain Rag" (traditional; credited to Thomas Magness on the album) – 2:10 #*''Watson-Lead guitar, McEuen-Banjo, Ibbotson-guitar, Thompson-Mandolin, Fadden-Harmonica Clements-Fiddle, Huskey-Bass'' #" Wreck on the Highway" (

Dorsey Dixon Dorsey Murdock Dixon (October 14, 1897, Darlington, South Carolina – April 18, 1968, Plant City, Florida) was an American old-time and country music songwriter and musician. He was also a millworker who spent much of his life working in texti ...

) – 3:24 #*''Acuff-Lead Vocal, Fadden-Harmonica, Thompson-Mandolin, Kirby-Dobro, Earl Scruggs-Guitar, Clements-Fiddle, Huskey-Bass'' #"The End of the World" ( Fred Rose) – 3:53 #*''Oswald-Dobro, Watson-Guitar, Earl Scruggs-Guitar, Huskey-Bass'' #" I Saw the Light" ( Hank Williams) – 3:45 #*''Acuff-Lead Vocal, Earl Scruggs-Banjo, Fadden-Harmonica, McEuen-Mandolin, Watson-Guitar, Kirby-Dobro, Clements-Fiddle, Randy Scruggs-Autoharp, Huskey-Bass; Hanna, Thompson, Ibbotson, Martin-Background Vocals'' #"Sunny Side of the Mountain" (Byron Gregory, Harry McAuliffe) – 2:14 #*''Martin-Lead Vocal and Guitar, McEuen-Banjo, Thompson-Mandolin, Fadden-Harmonica, Ibottson-Snare, Clements-Fiddle, Huskey-Bass; Hanna, Thompson, Gary Scruggs, Ray Martin-Background Vocals'' #" Nine-Pound Hammer" (Merle Travis) – 2:14 #*''Travis-Lead Vocal and Guitar, McEuen-Banjo, Fadden-Harmonica, Ibbotson-Snare, Huskey-Bass; Hanna, Ibbotson, Thompson-Background Vocals'' #"Losin' You (Might Be the Best Thing Yet)" (Edria A. Humphrey, Jimmy Martin) – 2:44 #*''Martin-Lead Vocal and Guitar, McEuen-Banjo, Fadden-Harmonica, Thompson-Mandolin, Ibbotson-Snare, Clements-Fiddle, Huskey-Bass'' #" Honky Tonkin'" (Hank Williams) – 2:19 #*''Fadden-Lead Vocal, Hanna-Guitar, Blake-Dobro, Clements-Lead Guitar and Fiddle, Thompson-Mandolin, Huskey-Bass, Ibbotson- Drums'' #"You Don't Know My Mind" (Jimmie Skinner) – 2:45 #*''Martin-Lead Vocal and Guitar, McEuen-Banjo, Thompson-Mandolin, Fadden-Harmonica, Ibbotson-Drums, Huskey-Bass, Clements-Fiddle; Hanna, Thompson, Gary Scruggs, Ray Martin-Background Vocals'' #"My Walkin' Shoes" (Jimmy Martin, Paul Williams) – 2:02 #*''Martin-Lead Vocal and Guitar, McEuen-Banjo, Thompson-Mandolin, Fadden-Harmonica, Ibottson-Snare, Clements-Fiddle, Huskey-Bass; Hanna, Thompson, Gary Scruggs, Ray Martin-Background Vocals''

Disc two

#"Lonesome Fiddle Blues" (Vassar Clements) – 2:41 #*''Clements-Fiddle, McEuen-Banjo, Ibbotson-Guitar, Fadden-Harmonica, Hanna-Washboard, Thompson-Mandolin, Randy Scruggs-Guitar, Ellis Padget-Bass'' #" Cannonball Rag" (Merle Travis) – 1:15 #*''Travis-Guitar, Huskey-Bass'' #"Avalanche" (Millie Clements) – 2:50 #*''Clements-Fiddle, McEuen-Banjo, Ibbotson-Guitar, Hanna-Washboard, Thompson-Mandolin, Fadden-Harmonica, Huskey-Bass'' #"Flint Hill Special" (Earl Scruggs) – 2:12 #*''Earl Scruggs-Banjo, Fadden-Harmonica, Thompson-Mandolin, Gary Scruggs-Guitar, Blake-Dobro, Clements-Fiddle, Ibbotson-Snare, Huskey-Bass'' #"Togary Mountain" (Walter McEuen) – 2:25 #*''McEuen-Banjo, Ibbotson-Guitar, Thompson-Mandolin, Blake-Dobro, Clements-Fiddle, Huskey-Bass'' #"Earl's Breakdown" (Earl Scruggs) – 2:34 #*''Earl Scruggs-Banjo, Randy Scruggs-Guitar, Clements-Fiddle, Thompson-Mandolin, Ibbotson-Snare, Huskey-Bass'' #" Orange Blossom Special" (Ervin T. Rouse) – 2:14 #*''Clements-Fiddle, McEuen-Banjo, Thompson-Mandolin, Martin-Guitar, Ibbotson-Snare, Randy Scruggs-Guitar, Padgett-Bass'' #" Wabash Cannonball" (A.P. Carter) – 2:00 #*''Kirby-Dobro, Fadden-Harmonica, Watson-Guitar, Huskey-Bass, Earl Scruggs-Guitar'' #" Lost Highway" (

Leon Payne Leon Roger Payne (June 15, 1917 – September 11, 1969), "the Blind Balladeer", was an American country music singer and songwriter. Life He was born in Alba, Texas, United States. He was blind in one eye at birth, and lost the sight in the other ...

) – 3:37 #*''Ibbotson-Lead Vocal and Guitar, Thompson-Mandolin, Hanna-Drums, Clements-Fiddle, Blake-Dobro, Huskey-Bass, McEuen-Banjo'' #Doc Watson & Merle Travis First Meeting (Dialogue) – 1:52 #"Way Downtown" (traditional, Doc Watson) – 3:30 #*''Watson-Lead Vocal and Guitar, McEuen-Banjo, Thompson-Mandolin, Ibbotson-Guitar, Fadden-Harmonica, Clements-Fiddle, Huskey-Bass, Hanna-Background Vocal'' #"Down Yonder" (arr. Doc Watson) – 1:48 #*''Watson-Guitar, McEuen-Banjo, Ibbotson-Guitar, Fadden-Harmonica, Thompson-Mandolin, Hanna-Washboard, Clements-Fiddle, Huskey-Bass'' #"Pins and Needles (In My Heart)" (Floyd Jenkins) – 2:53 #*''Acuff-Lead Vocal, Kirby-Dobro, Fadden-Harmonica, Thompson-Mandolin, McEuen-Banjo, Earl Scruggs-Guitar, Clements-FIddle, Ibbotson-Snare, Huskey-Bass'' #" Honky Tonk Blues" (Hank Williams) – 2:22 #*''Hanna-Lead Vocal, Bill McEuen-Guitar, Ibbotson-Drums, Blake-Dobro, Clements-Fiddle, Huskey-Bass'' #"Sailin' on to Hawaii" (Beecher Kirby) – 2:00 #*''Kirby-Dobro, Watson-Guitar, Scruggs-Guitar, Huskey-Bass'' #" I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" (A.P. Carter) – 4:25 #*''Carter-Lead Vocal and Guitar, Earl Scruggs-Banjo, McEuen-Mandolin, Travis, Guitar, Kirby-Dobro, Clements-Fiddle, Huskey-Bass; Hanna, Thompson, Ibbotson, Randy Scruggs-Background Vocals'' #"I am a Pilgrim" (traditional) – 2:55 #*''Travis-Lead Vocal and Guitar, Fadden-Harmonica, Ibbotson-Snare, Huskey-Bass'' #" Wildwood Flower" (A.P. Carter) – 3:34 #*''Carter-Lead Vocal and Autoharp, Earl Scruggs-Guitar, Ibbotson-Guitar, Thompson-Mandolin, Huskey-Bass'' #" Soldier's Joy" (John McEuen, Earl Scruggs) – 2:05 #*''Earl Scruggs-Banjo, McEuen-

Uncle Dave Macon David Harrison Macon (October 7, 1870 – March 22, 1952), known professionally as Uncle Dave Macon, was an American old-time banjo player, singer, songwriter, and comedian. Known as "The Dixie Dewdrop", Macon was known for his chin whiskers, ...

's Banjo'' #"

Will the Circle Be Unbroken "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" is a popular Christian hymn written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon with music by Charles H. Gabriel. The song is often recorded unattributed and, because of its age, has lapsed into the public domain. Most of the ch ...

" (A.P. Carter) – 4:50 #*''Carter-Lead Vocal (first and fourth verses) and Autoharp, Earl Scruggs-Banjo, Watson-Guitar, Fadden-Harmonica, Travis-Guitar, McEuen-Mandolin, Martin-Lead Vocal (second verse) Guitar, Kirby-Dobro, Clements-Fiddle, Huskey-Bass, Acuff-Lead Vocal (third verse); Watson, Hanna, Ibbotson, Thompson, Gary Scruggs, Ray Martin, Timmy Martin, Randy Scruggs, Betty Travis, Fred Cross, Gloria Belle, Louise Scruggs, Steve Scruggs, Chet Flippo, Martha Flippo, Larry Murray, Mike Carr, Alice McEuen-Background Vocals'' #" Both Sides Now" ( Joni Mitchell) – 2:19 #*''Randy Scruggs-Guitar'' #*2002 Reissue bonus tracks #" Foggy Mountain Breakdown" (Earl Scruggs) – 2:39 #Warming Up for "The Opry" – 2:43 #Sunny Side – 4:06 #"Remember Me" (Scotty Wiseman) – 1:32

References

{{Authority control 1972 albums Nitty Gritty Dirt Band albums United States National Recording Registry recordings United Artists Records albums Collaborative albums Country folk albums United States National Recording Registry albums