The band releases More Great Dirt, the second authorized greatest hits LP. Will the Circle Be Unbroken Vol. II is hailed internationally for uniting old and new singers, such as Roy Acuff, Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Bruce Hornsby, John Hiatt, Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn, and others. Circle II goes gold in the US and Canada, and wins 3 Grammy’s and the CMA Album of the Year. A long-form video documentary The Making of Will the Circle be Unbroken II is released on Cabin Fever Entertainment. The band returns to the Soviet Union for 3 sold out performances, and national Soviet TV appearances. The Rest of the Dream is released in June 1990, produced by the band and Randy Scruggs, who produced Circle II. In late 1990, the band goes on a major tour including Canada, Europe, and Japan. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band commemorates their 25th anniversary by recording Live Two Five in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada produced by T-Bone Burnett. In 1992 the band collaborates with Irish folk legends The Cheiftans on their Grammy award winning project Another Country. The prestigious Aspen School of Music creates their first scholarship honoring a pop group in the band’s name. 20 Years of Dirt is certified gold at the end of 1993. In early 1994, the band returns to the studio and their origins, recording Acoustic, a self-penned, self-produced project that spotlights the “wooden” sound they have championed for years. In 1996, the band records a duet with Karla Bonoff, “You Believed in Me”, which appears on the MCA Olympic album One Voice. They also record, “Maybe Baby” for the Buddy Holly tribute album Not Fade Away on Decca Records, and in 1996 celebrate 30 years on the road. In 1997 they release The Christmas Album, followed by Bang! Bang! Bang! in 1999.

  • Jeff Hanna – guitars/vocals
  • Jimmie Fadden – drums/harmonica/vocals
  • Jimmy Ibbotson – guitars/mandolin/bass/vocals
  • Bob Carpenter – keyboards/accordion/vocals