Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Lives Clean, Keeps Rollin’

Much lip service (and/or sarcasm) is paid to the longevity of such rock bands as the Rolling Stones or even Aerosmith. But how many country groups can say they’ve been together since the ‘60s?

When the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band started up in 1966, Lyndon Johnson was president. Good Lord, this is a band that once opened for Jack Benny. Back then, it fit under the broader pop music umbrella, which encompassed everything from Johnny Cash to the Doors, Sergio Mendes to Otis Redding. Now, they perform mostly in country venues, including a Monday night show at the Crazy Horse Steak House in Santa Ana.

“We’ve always had a flavor of folk and bluegrass in our music,” keyboardist-vocalist Bob Carpenter said in a recent phone interview. “ ‘Mr. Bojangles’ [the group’s breakout single from 1970] would be considered a country radio song today, but then it was pop. We’ve remained the same; it’s the titles and formats that have changed.”

Carpenter, 51, is the junior Nitty, having joined in 1978. Rounded out by founders Jeff Hanna and Jimmie Fadden on guitar and vocals and drummer Jimmy Ibbotson, who came on board in 1967, the band’s basic lineup has been solid for almost 20 years, with seven additional members coming and going along the way.

Perhaps best known for their two “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” collections from 1972 and 1989--projects involving several generations of country music royalty in the same studio--the Nittys have also delved into traditional acoustic music and mainstream radio country. Always, they have remained true to their sound--simple Americana. It made them the obvious choice to be the first U.S. group to tour the Soviet Union back in 1977.

Early on, the band logged chart time with Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles” and Kenny Loggins’ “House at Pooh Corner,” and they stayed on the country boards in the ‘80s with “Modern Day Romance” and “Fishin’ in the Dark.” Even without any newer hits, people still come to hear them play--and record companies still sign them.

“We’ve been able to work all the time,” Carpenter said. “This band has toured continuously for 31 years. . . . Now we’ve got, like, three generations of people coming out to see us. There were people who were in their 30s coming out to see us when ‘Bojangles’ came out and are still fans of the band to this day. Their kids know us through our country years in the ‘80s, and now their kids, who are 10, 11 years old, are coming out too.”

The band’s last album, 1994’s “Acoustic,” was an “unplugged” project from a group that’s been unplugging itself on and off since its inception. Next up will be a Christmas album of more acoustic material--traditional and original--scheduled for release in November, followed by what Carpenter describes as a “more mainstream” electric country.

Despite their status as grizzled journeymen, the group’s members appear much younger than their years, if you can their believe publicity shots. Carpenter attributes that to clean living and the love of playing live.

“We stopped [partying] a long time ago,” he said. “We’re golfers now. We go out on the road, play a round of golf, get back on the tour bus and play our shows. We all joke that being on the road is great because it gives us a chance to get our naps in. Like anything else, when you’re enjoying what you’re doing, it keeps you young.

* The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band plays Monday at the Crazy Horse Steak House, 1580 Brookhollow Drive, Santa Ana. 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets, $24.50. (714) 549-1512.