Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s ‘Fishin’ Goes Gold

Congratulations go out to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band!  Not only do they know what the top of Casper Mountain looks like, but their hit single, Fishin' In The Dark has become the band's first ever gold digital download.  Woo Hoo!!

I remember the first time that i ever listened to that song.  The year was 1987.  We were in 'Shorty's' sister's car, piled five high, and doing our usual weekend rounds, which consisted mainly of staying on the oil field roads and looking for others to share in the weekend festivities.  We must've played it no less than 30 times that night, and I would become an instant fan of the band that I had had no recollection of before this fateful night.

I'll also point out that it's still a big crowd favorite on karaoke night.

It seems almost out of place for a group called the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band--that signified some of the greatest bare bones traditional, Americana, and Folk music out there, to have a 'digital' award.  I'm sure that the boys must sense the irony.  Still,  the irony mustn't downplay the significance.  'Fishin'...' was a great song, and it's still a great song almost 14 years after its initial release. 

'Dirt Band'er,' John McEuen had this to say to AOL's The Boot: 

"I think that 'Fishin' in the Dark' became our first gold download because a lot of people identify with the song regarding a good time in their life.  "They can identify with the song; it's about them. I think it relates to people's own lives, rather than 'Mr. Bojangles,' which is a good story song, or 'Long Hard Road,' which is about the singer's life. People who hear the song can go 'Fishin' in the Dark;' they can put themselves in the song."

Jeff Hanna adds:

"'Fishin' in the Dark' seems to have a life of its own and has certainly become a signature song for us over the years.  We love that this song has become a summer anthem and continues to appeal to new audiences year after year."

This year the boys are celebrating their 40th continuous year as a band and show no signs of slowing down.  I hope we can get them back to Casper one of these days.