How the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Became String-Music Statesmen

When the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band ambled onto the stage of Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium last September, it was a full circle moment for the group of pickers who helped revitalize string music with 1972’s seminal Will the Circle Be Unbroken. Taped for the PBS special Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: 50…