Jeff Hanna and Fadden founded Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1966 with a lineup initially consisting of Bruce Kunkel, Ralph Barr, Les Thompson, and Jackson Browne, who quit early on and was replaced by longtime member John McEuen (vocals, guitar, banjo).

Starting in the early 1980s, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band began a shift toward country music, led off by the singles "Shot Full of Love" and "Dance Little Jean".

Founding guitarist Jeff Hanna was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, but his family had moved to Long Beach four years prior.

[6] John's older brother William E. McEuen served as the band's manager, helping to book them as opening acts for artists such as Joan Baez.

[9] During this hiatus, Hanna and Darrow briefly founded a country rock band called the Corvettes, who recorded one session with Michael Nesmith of the Monkees as producer.

[7][9] Richie Unterberger of AllMusic wrote of this album, "The group moved into a more accessible rock-oriented fusion of country, bluegrass, pop, and rock & roll, relying primarily on smartly chosen covers...Few bands had incorporated instruments more commonly associated with country and bluegrass, particularly mandolin and banjo, as comfortably into a rock setting prior to this release, and their well-crafted harmonies help put the songs over for those not-steeped-in backwoods sounds.

[7] Hartford Courant writer Henry McNulty found the cover songs superior to the original cuts on the album, but criticized the inclusion of fake applause between tracks.

This was a collaborative three-disc album featuring a number of country and bluegrass artists, such as Roy Acuff, Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, and Doc Watson.

[2] Larkin noted that critical reception of Will the Circle Be Unbroken "played an important role in breaking down mistrust between the country's establishment and the emerging 'long hair' practitioners.

[27] Conversely, music writer Tom Roland attributed the name change to Chuck Morris, who had taken over as the band's manager due to William E. McEuen becoming overwhelmed by the role.

[29] Joining Hanna, John McEuen, and Fadden as members were drummer Merel Bergante, bassist Richard Hathaway, and Al Garth, who played multiple instruments including saxophone and keyboards.

[31] Also during 1978, the band appeared under the pseudonym the Toot Uncommons as backing musicians on comedian and actor Steve Martin's novelty hit single "King Tut".

[7] Ken Paulson of the Fort Myers, Florida, News Press noted that, unlike their previous albums, it contained only one cover song; specifically, Cidny Bullens's "Anxious Heart".

An uncredited review in the New Jersey Daily Record panned the album's soft rock sound and lack of variety between tracks, as well as the songs on which Carpenter sang lead vocals.

Furthering their move to country music, they also switched booking agents, which resulted in them opening shows for Ricky Skaggs and Hank Williams Jr.[41] Paul Worley and Marshall Morgan served as producers on the project.

According to Ibbotson, the band chose to switch producers after moving to Warner, as they thought Putnam's and Landis's production styles were not suitable for country.

[19] Writing for the Mattoon, Illinois, Journal Gazette, Rickey Ferguson found a country influence through the "storytelling lyrics" of "Long Hard Road".

[44] Holly Gleason of The Miami Herald reviewed the album favorably, praising Hanna's and Ibbotson's lead vocals as well as the lyrics of the title track.

[19] Writing for the Palm Beach Post, Holly Gleason praised Leo's "perfectly pretty production" and Ibbotson's vocals on "Fishin' in the Dark", while also finding influences of country rock and Cajun music on individual tracks.

Like its predecessor, it featured a large number of guest musicians, including Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Bruce Hornsby, Levon Helm, Marty Stuart, and Vince Gill.

These were a cover of Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere" featuring Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman on lead vocals, as well as the original compositions "Turn of the Century" and "And So It Goes", the latter a collaboration with John Denver.

[19] It also included covers of Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" and the Dennis Linde composition "What'll You Do About Me", previously recorded by Randy Travis and later a single for Doug Supernaw in 1995.

[66] Entertainment Weekly writer Bob Cannon was less favorable, writing, "They’re always competent, with shimmering three-part harmonies and stellar musicianship, but that doesn’t compensate for their generally forgettable songwriting.

[76] George Hauenstein of Country Standard Time spoke favorably of the variety of songwriters, which included Jim Lauderdale, Dennis Linde, and Hanna's wife, Matraca Berg.

[3] The first single was a cover of "The Times They Are a-Changin'", featuring guest vocals from the War and Treaty, Rosanne Cash, Jason Isbell, and Steve Earle.

[90] In January 2024, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band began their farewell tour For the Good Times, starting with a concert in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and lasting throughout 2024.

"[9] AllMusic's Mark Deming spoke similarly of their early material, noting influences of bluegrass in the "Mr. Bojangles" cover as well as the tracks from the first Will the Circle Be Unbroken album.

[42] Holly Gleason noted the twang evident in Hanna's and Ibbotson's singing voices, and thought the rhythm sections were stronger than usual for a country band.

[93] Jim Wensits of The South Bend Tribune described them as a "coming force in country rock" during the success of "Mr. Bojangles", and added that they "confounded critics by refusing to be categorized."

[94] In a 2022 concert review, Jeffrey B. Remz of Country Standard Time opined that Jeff Hanna's "voice was well intact at 75" and that he had "an affable, easy going stage presence."