SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — Shippensburg University will mark the re-opening of the Luhrs Performing Arts Center for public concerts on Saturday, Oct. 9 with a performance by the legendary, Grammy award-winning Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Center announced this week.
The show, which is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., will be the first at the university's state-of-the-art venue since February 2020.
Reserved ticket prices are as follows: $55, $45, $35 & $25. Tickets can be purchased online at www.luhrscenter.com or by calling the Luhrs Center box office at 717-477-SHOW (7469).
All concert attendees must wear masks.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is one of the most accomplished bands in American roots music. Following an extended 50th anniversary tour, the ensemble grew to a six-piece in 2018 for the first time since their early jug band days.
The group now includes Jeff Hanna (acoustic guitar, electric guitar), Jimmie Fadden (drums, harmonica), Bob Carpenter (keyboards), Jim Photoglo (bass, acoustic guitar), Ross Holmes (fiddle, mandolin), and Jaime Hanna (electric and acoustic guitar).
All six members also sing, and when their voices merge, the harmonies add a powerful new component for the legendary band.
And with the father-son pairing of Jeff and Jaime Hanna, the band carries on a country music tradition of blood harmony.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band played their first gig in 1966 in Southern California as a jug band, and by 1969 had become a cornerstone of the burgeoning country-rock community.
Their career breakthrough came in 1970 with the release of the record Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy and the single “Mr. Bojangles,” a folksy Top 10 pop hit that remains a staple of their live show.
During a tour stop in Nashville around that time, Earl Scruggs and his family came backstage to say hello. That introduction led to a friendship and some of the connections the band needed to record "Will the Circle Be Unbroken", a three-disc album that brought Nitty Gritty Dirt Band together with a number of country, folk, and bluegrass legends like Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Martin, Merle Travis, and Doc Watson to sign country standards like "I Saw the Light," "Keep on the Sunnyside," and the titular "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."
The acclaimed project is considered a landmark recording in American music.
The Luhr Center's Spring 2022 season lineup will be announced soon, the venue said. Stay up to date on the show announcements and special offers throughout the season by signing up for the Center’s email newsletter at www.luhrscenter.com.
For additional information about the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band visit www.luhrscenter.com or call 717-477-SHOW (7469).
