- Will The Circle Be Unbroken (Volume Two)
- 1989 - Universal UVLD-12500 CD (USA)
- Tracklist
- Life's Railway To Heaven (Trad. Arr. & Words: John R. Cash)
- Grandpa Was A Carpenter (John Prine)
- When I Get My Rewards (Paul Kennerley)
- Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan (Trad. Arr. J. Hanna, J. Ibbotson, J. Fadden, B. Carpenter, R. Scruggs)
- Little Mountain Church House (Jim Rushing & Carl Jackson)
- And So It Goes (Paul Overstreet & Don Schlitz)
- When It's Gone (Jimmie Fadden & Don Schlitz)
- Mary Danced With Soldiers (Paul Kennerley)
- Riding Alone (Bob Carpenter, Jeff Hanna, & Richard Hathaway)
- I'm Sittin' On Top Of The World (Trad. Arr. J. Hanna, J. Ibbotson, J. Fadden, B. Carpenter, R. Scruggs)
- Lovin' On The Side (Jimmy Ibbotson, Sandy Waltner, & Paulette Carlson)
- Lost River (Michael Martin Murphey)
- Bayou Jubilee (Jeff Hanna)
- Blues Berry Hill (J. Hanna, J. Ibbotson, J. Fadden, B. Carpenter, R. Scruggs)
- Turn Of The Century (J. Fred Knobloch & Dan Tyler)
- One Step Over The Line (John Hiatt)
- You Ain't Going Nowhere (Bob Dylan)
- The Valley Road (B.R. Hornsby & John Hornsby)
- Will The Circle Be Unbroken (A.P. Carter, Additional Lyrics Last Verse: Jimmy Ibbotson)
- Amazing Grace (Trad. Arr. J. Hanna, J. Ibbotson, J. Fadden. B. Carpenter. R. Scruggs)
- The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- Bob Carpenter: Lead Vocals, Piano, Accordion & Harmony Vocals
- Jeff Hanna: Lead Vocals, Guitar, Washboard & Harmony Vocals
- Jimmie Fadden: Drums, Harmonica & Background Vocals
- Jimmy Ibbotson: Lead Vocals, Mandolin, Accordion, Guitar & Harmony Vocals
- Musicians
-
Béla Fleck: Banjo & Backing Vocals
- Bernie Leadon: Banjo
- Bruce Hornsby: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals & Piano
- Buck White: Piano
- Chris Hillman: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals & Guitar
- Earl Scruggs: Banjo & Backing Vocals
- Emmylou Harris: Lead Vocals & Guitar
- Jerry Douglas: Resonator Guitar
- Jimmy Martin: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals & Guitar
- John Cowan: Vocals & Backing Vocals
- John Denver: Lead Vocals & Backing Vocals
- John Hiatt: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals & Guitar
- John McEuen: Banjo
- John Prine: Lead Vocals & Guitar
- Johnny Cash: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals & Guitar
- June Carter Cash, Anita Carter and Helen Carter (as the Carter Family): Vocals
- Levon Helm: Lead Vocals
- Mark O'Connor: Fiddle &, Mandolin
- Michael Martin Murphey: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals & Guitar
- Pat Flynn: Vocals & Backing Vocals
- Paulette Carlson: Lead Vocals & Backing Vocals
- Randy Scruggs: Guitar amp; Backing Vocals
- Ricky Skaggs: Lead Vocals & Guitar
- Roger McGuinn: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals & Twelve-String Guitar
- Rosanne Cash: Vocals & Backing Vocals
- Roy Acuff: Lead Vocals & Backing Vocals
- Roy Huskey, Jr.: Upright Bass
- Sam Bush: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals & Mandolin
- Vassar Clements: Fiddle
- Backing Vocals: Bashful Brother Oswald, Bill Lloyd, Bobbie White, Brad Parker, Cheryl White, Cindy Cash, Cynthia Biederman, David Jones, Don Schlitz, Gary Scruggs, Gretchen Carpenter, Lynn Shults, Marty Stuart, Melody Hanna, Radney Foster, Robert Oermann, Sharon White, Steve Dahl, Steve Scruggs, Steve Wariner, Tracy Nelson, Vince Gill & Wendy Waldman
- Credits
- Produced by Randy Scruggs & The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- Executive Producer: Chuck Morris
- Engineered & Mixed By: Ron "Snake" Reynolds
- 1st Backup Engineer: Mark J. Coddlngton
- 2nd Backup Engineer: Andy Seagle
- Recorded at Scruggs Sound Studio Nashville, Tennessee
- Mastered at Masterfonics Mastering Engineer: Glenn Meadows
- Editing Engineer: Milan Bogdan
- This is a digital recording.
- This project would not have been possible without the vision of Bill Mceuen & Earl Scruggs In 1971.
- The Dirt Band Crew:
- Lenny Martinez (Concert Sound & Tour Management)
- Stan Martinez & Bill Hoyt (Stage Management & Production)
- Management:
- Chuck Morris Entertainment Denver, Colorado
- Assistant: Jan Martin
- Assistant to Randy Scruggs: Sloan Edwards
- Special Thanks to: Chuck Morris, Randy Scruggs, & Ken Levitan
- Art Direction: Simon Levy/Virginia Team
- Design: Jerry Joyner
- Photography: Beth Gwinn
- Additional Photos: Jeff Hanna, Randy Scruggs, & Rick Malkin
Sleeve Notes
This time they drew the circle bigger. Big enough to include not only some of country music's living legends, but also many of the wandering gypsy troubadours whose paths have taken them in and out of folk, pop and the many hyphenated hybrid styles writers have used to describe all sorts of American music that comes from the heart.
Big enough to embrace gospel, blues, honky-tonk, Cajun and traditional folksong.
Big enough to make this incarnation of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" as much a phenomenon as its famous predecessor.
As December 1988 became January 1989 the weather was balmy in Nashville. Warm winter rains fell from time to time. Old-timers said it was the mildest winter they could recall. Behind the doors of Randy Scruggs' studio there was warm melody and musical camaraderie to match the elements outside.
On the afternoon of December 8 Johnny Cash and The Carter Sisters arrived to sing. Earl Scruggs, the banjo guru who was so crucial to the success of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's first "Circle" sessions, was there to ensure the "unbroken" link. That night, more than 40 celebrity friends gathered around patriarch Roy Acuff to join the man in black in celestial chorus harmony.
During the next eight days a cornucopia of music poured out of the studio speakers — a wistful lilt from john Denver, some joyous interplay between The Dirt Band and New Grass Revival, the comfy-shoe voice of John Prine. Levon Helm was mournful, haunting and ineffably southern, Highway 101's Paulette Carlson tossed in a bracing, wailing country two-step. Emmylou Harris delivered a chilling saga of wartime retribution, then accompanied Nashville titan Chet Atkins and tender-voiced Bob Carpenter on a ride through cowboy romance.
Bluegrass stalwart Jimmy Martin, who nearly stole the show on the first "circle" sessions, was again as frisky as the coon dogs he raises east of Music City. Vassar Clements' slippery, silvery fiddle notes slithered in to tickle the ears. Ricky Skaggs capped the first round of recording with his rafter-reaching tenor.
When recording resumed January 16 everyone was still sporting a rosy post-holiday glow. Glows turned to grins when Bruce Hornsby romped through a sprightly blue-grass rearrangement of "the Valley Road," keeping pace with the lightning banjo licks of Bernie Leadon. then he provided rollicking piano accompaniment as Jeff Hanna led the band through some Louisiana merriment. Bluesy John Hiatt and liquid-voiced Rosanne Cash, feathery tenor Michael Martin Murphey and former Dirt Band member John McEuen, and the reunited Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn were among the collaborations that took place over the next few days. Jimmy Ibbotson's heart-inthroat tenor and Jimmie Fadden's supple harmonica and percussion work led the Dirt Band through some finale numbers. then, quietly, Randy Scruggs sat alone with his guitar to offer a stately, solemn "Amazing Grace" to the project.
Like nearly everything else on these remarkable sessions, those last tunes rippled with the gorgeous textures provided by Roy Huskey Jr., Jerry Douglas and Mark O'Connor. ask any acoustic music fan: They'll tell you that people like these three young studio miracle workers are the real reason why the circle of American music is, indeed, unbroken. There were a lot of wonderful visitors to that little studio during those winter weeks. now you can visit, too.
Love and music,
Robert K. Oermann
Nashville, Tennessee
A lot of people say you can never go back, and it's true. There's something ephemeral about magic that makes it impossible to recreate.
When the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band came to Nashville in 1971 to record "Will The Circle be Unbroken," They were a ragged bunch of young pop musicians with a penchant for real Appalachian music. That they'd reach out to — and be accepted by — Nashville's ultra-conservative Country Music community was a revolution in itself. And it proved that a love and respect for good music played well could bridge even the most monumental cultural and generational gaps.
This time, the revolution is over. The Nitty Gritty dirt Band is now an American institution, having been together 22 years and weathering every shift in musical taste imaginable. They survived where most have failed because they remained true to who they were and continued making honest, roots-oriented music, whether that meant "Top 40 success with "make A Little Magic" and "American Dream" or topping the Country charts with "Long Hard road."
It's that same sense of self-knowledge that makes "will The Circle Be Unbroken, Volume II", For these sessions weren't about pondering Country, Rock, Pop or any other radio format. No, this was music made for the sake of the song and the sheer joy of playing.
And that's also what holds the circle together, that's the common denominator between the two projects. "Circle II," like its predecessor, is about shucking labels and making great music. It's Bruce Hornsby Playing Frenzied bluegrass, Levon Helm singing a transcendent hymn and John Hiatt walking the line between Country and Pop with Rosanne Cash at his side.
But, mostly, this collection is about the new generation and the fact that now we finally know that the circle can remain unbroken. You've got Johnny and Rosanne Cash, a father and a daughter who represent two distinct forces in modern Country music. You've got Roy Huskey, Jr., whose father played upright bass on the first album. And there's Randy Scruggs, who played guitar as a teenager with his father Earl on the first "circle" and who grew up to both play on and produce this record.
Aside from the obvious genetic links, this marks the maturation of a Country movement that began rumbling in Southern California two decades ago. Emmylou Harris, the godmother of today's Neo-Traditionalists, raised her voice in song, illuminating the state of pure heartfelt music; while on one January afternoon, Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman got together to reprise a song they'd recorded as The Byrds — and they did so with a group that had been among their peers at The Ash Grove, The Troubadour and The Whiskey a Go-Go.
This time, "Circle" isn't about bringing two divergent camps together, it's about celebrating the music these artists have been making over the last two decades. Perhaps they didn't change the face of country music this time around; but, they broke down barriers — and sometimes, that's more than enough.
Holly Gleason
Nashville, Tennessee
26 January 1989
This Album is Lovingly Dedicated to the memory and musical legacy of Mother Maybelle Carter
Song Notes
- Life's Railway To Heaven
- Lead Vocal & Guitar: Johnny Cash
- Harmony Vocals: The Carter Family (Featuring: June, Helen, & Anita)
- Guitar & Harmony Vocal: Jeff Hanna
- Mandolin & Harmony Vocal: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Accordian & Harmony Vocal: Bob Carpenter
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Banjo: Earl Scruggs Mother
- Maybelle's L-5 Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- Grandpa Was A Carpenter
- Lead Vocal & Guitar: John Prine
- Lead Guitar & Harmony Vocal: Jeff Hanna
- Mandolin & Harmony Vocal: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Piano & Harmony Vocal: Bob Carpenter
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Mark O'Connor Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- When I Get My Rewards
- Lead Vocal: Levon Helm
- Guitar & Harmony Vocal: Jeff Hanna
- Mandolin & Harmony Vocal: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Accordian & Harmony Vocal: Bob Carpenter
- Drums & Harmonica: Jimmie Fadden
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Mark O'Connor
- National Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan
- Mandolin & Vocals (1st Verse): Sam Bush
- Vocals (2nd Verse): John Cowan
- Accordian & Vocals (2nd Verse): Bob Carpenter
- Vocals (3rd Verse): Jimmy Ibbotson
- Guitar & Vocals (3rd Verse): Pat Flynn
- Guitar & Vocals: Jeff Hanna
- Banjo: Bela Fleck
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- Little Mountain Church House
- Lead Vocal & Guitar: Ricky Skaggs
- Harmony Vocal: Jeff Hanna
- Harmony Vocal: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Accordian & Harmony Vocal: Bob Carpenter
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Piano: Buck White
- Banjo: Bela Fleck
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Mandolin: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- And So It Goes
- Lead Vocal: John Denver
- Guitar & Harmony Vocal: Jeff Hanna
- Mandolin & Harmony Vocal: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Accordian & Harmony Vocal: Bob Carpenter
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Mark O'connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- When It's Gone
- Lead Vocal & Mandolin: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Guitar & Harmony Vocal: Jeff Hanna
- Piano & Harmony Vocal: Bob Carpenter
- Drums & Harmonica: Jimmie Fadden
- Lead Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- Mary Danced With Soldiers
- Lead Vocal & Guitar: Emmylou Harris
- Guitar & Harmony Vocal: Jeff Hanna
- Harmony Vocal: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Accordian & Harmony Vocal: Bob Carpenter
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Mandola: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- Riding Alone
- Lead Vocal & Piano: Bob Carpenter
- Lead Vocal: Emmylou Harris
- Guitar: Chet Atkins
- Accordian: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Harmonica: Jimmie Fadden
- Mandolin: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- I'm Sittin' On Top Of The World
- Lead Vocal & Guitar: Jimmy Martin
- Guitar & Harmony Vocal: Jeff Hanna
- Guitar & Harmony Vocal: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Accordian & Harmony Vocal: Bob Carpenter
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Fiddle: Vassar Clements
- Banjo: Bela Fleck
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Mandolin: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- Lovin' On The Side
- Lead Vocal: Paulette Carlson
- Mandolin & Harmony Vocal: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Guitar & Harmony Vocal: Jeff Hanna
- Piano: Bob Carpenter
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Mandolin: Levon Helm
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- Lost River
- Lead Vocal & Guitar: Michael Martin Murphey
- Guitar & Vocals: Jeff Hanna
- Mandolin & Vocals: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Accordian & Vocals: Bob Carpenter
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Banjo: John Mceuen
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- Bayou Jubilee
- Lead Vocal & Guitar: Jeff Hanna
- Mandolin & Harmony Vocal: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Accordian & Harmony Vocal: Bob Carpenter
- Piano & Harmony Vocal: Bruce Hornsby
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Fiddle: Sam Bush
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- Blues Berry Hill
- Washboard: Jeff Hanna
- Guitar: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Piano: Bob Carpenter
- Drums & Harmonica: Jimmie Fadden
- Lead Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Vassar Clements
- Banjo: Bernie Leadon
- Mandolin: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- Turn Of The Century
- Mandolin & Vocals (1st Verse): Jimmy Ibbotson
- Guitar & Vocals (2nd Verse): Jeff Hanna
- Piano & Vocals (3rd Verse): Bob Carpenter
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- One Step Over The Line
- Lead Vocal & Guitar: John Hiatt
- Lead Vocal: Rosanne Cash
- Guitar & Harmony Vocal: Jeff Hanna
- Mandolin & Harmony Vocal: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Piano & Harmony Vocal: Bob Carpenter
- Drums & Harmonica: Jimmie Fadden
- National Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- You Ain't Going Nowhere
- Twelve String Guitar & Vocals (1st & 3rd Verse): Roger Mcguinn
- Guitar & Vocals (2nd & 4th Verse): Chris Hillman
- Guitar & Harmony Vocal: Jeff Hanna
- Mandolin & Harmony Vocal: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Piano & Harmony Vocal: Bob Carpenter
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- The Valley Road
- Lead Vocal & Piano: Bruce Hornsby
- Guitar & Harmony Vocal: Jeff Hanna
- Accordian & Harmony Vocal: Bob Carpenter
- Mandolin: Jimmy Ibbotson
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Banjo: Bernie Leadon
- Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- Will The Circle Be Unbroken
- Lead Vocal (1st Verse): Johnny Cash
- Lead Vocal (2nd Verse): Roy Acuff
- Lead Vocal (3rd Verse): Ricky Skaggs
- Lead Vocal (4th Verse): Levon Helm W/Emmylou Harris
- Lead Vocal (5th Verse): Jimmy Ibbotson,
- Jeff Hanna, & Bob Carpenter Harmony Vocals (1st Chorus): The Carter Family (June, Helen, & Anita)
- Guitar: Jeff Hanna
- Piano: Bob Carpenter
- Drums: Jimmie Fadden
- Banjo: Earl Scruggs
- Lead Guitar: Randy Scruggs
- Fiddle: Mark O'Connor
- Dobro: Jerry Douglas
- Upright Bass: Roy Huskey, Jr.
- Background Vocals: Roy Acuff, Cynthia Biederman, Sam Bush, Paulette Carlson, Bob Carpenter, Gretchen Carpenter, June Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Cindy Cash, John Cowan, Steve Dahl, John Denver, Jimmie Fadden, Bela Fleck, Pat Flynn, Radney Foster, Vince Gill, Jeff Hanna, Melody Hanna, John Hiatt, Chris Hillman, Bruce Hornsby, Jimmy Ibbotson, Helen Carter Jones, David Jones, Pete "Oswald" Kirby, Bill Lloyd, Jimmy Martin, Michael Martin Murphey, Roger Mcguinn, Tracy Nelson, Robert Oermann, Brad Parker, Don Schlitz, Earl Scruggs, Gary Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Steve Scruggs, Lynn Shults, Marty Stuart, Wendy Waldman, Steve Wariner, Buck White, Cheryl White, Sharon White, Bobbie White
