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Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Composer: Traditional

Grateful Dead

No Grateful Dead recordings.

Others

no info Single, Monroe Brothers, 1936
no info Single, Roy Acuff , 1953
no info Spirituals, Volume 1, Swan's Silvertone Singers, 1957
no info Sacred Songs, Volume 2, Brown's Ferry Four, 1958
no info Pickin' and Blowin', George Pegram and Red Parham, 195?
no info Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Staple Singers, 1960
no info Glory Bound Train, Rose Maddox, 1960
no info Stewart Family Sings Country Sacred Songs, Stewart Family, 1960
info Sing And Play Folk Songs And Bluegrass, The Country Gentlemen, 1961
info The Mountain Music Sound Of The Stanley Brothers, Various Artists (Red Allen), 1962
no info Best Of The Staple Singers, Staple Singers, 1962
no info Hymns Of The Cross, Stanley Brothers, 1964
info Jack Elliott, Jack Elliott, 1964
no info Freedom Highway, The Staple Singers, 1965
no info Presenting The Blue Sky Boys, The Blue Sky Boys, 1965
info Golden Gospel Guitar, Joe Maphis, 1965
no info EP, Moore Brothers and the Pike County Hikers, 1965
no info What God Has Done, Marty Robbins, 1965
no info Gospel and Sacred Songs, Charlie Moore and Bill Napier, 1967
info Old Timey Concert, Doc Watson, Clint Howard and Fred Price, 1967
no info Teton Tea Party with Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown, 1967
no info Single (Home From The Forest/Will The Circle Be Unbroken), Ronnie Hawkins, 1967
no info Ronnie Hawkins, Ronnie Hawkins, 1968
no info Memorial Album, Frank Proffitt, 1968
no info Pray On, The Staple Singers, 1968
info David's Album, Joan Baez, 1969
info The New Message, Marion Williams, 1969
no info John Fahey, Guitar, Vol. 4, John Fahey, 196?
no info Sunday Down South, Johnny Cash, 1970
no info The First Ten Years, Joan Baez, 1970
no info The Essential Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, 1970
info Motel Shot, Delaney & Bonnie, 1971
info Good And Dusty, The Youngbloods, 1971
no info Reflection, Pentangle, 1971
info Traditional Country Music, Betsy Rutherford, 1971
no info My Little Home In West Virginia, Curly Ray Cline, 1972
info Strange Creek Singers, Strange Creek Singers, 1972
info Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 1972
info Laid Back, Gregg Allman, 1973
no info Song For Mom and Dad, Carl and Don, The Skyline Pals, 1973
info The Gregg Allman Tour, Gregg Allman, 1974
no info John Lee Hooker In Person, John Lee Hooker, 1974
info Feast Here Tonight, Monroe Brothers, 1975
info Live at the Cellar Door, Seldom Scene, 1975
no info Single (Will The Circle Be Unbroken/ Lady Came From Baltimore), Ronnie Hawkins, 1975
no info Something Different, Cascade Country, 1976
no info 16 Greatest Hits, Brown's Ferry Four, 1977
info Dirt, Silver And Gold, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 1976
no info Mandolin Instruction - Old Time, Country and Fiddle Tunes, Michael Holmes, 1977
info A Man Must Carry On, Jerry Jeff Walker, 1977
info Bluegrass Festival, Lester Flatt & the Nashville Grass, 1977
no info Original Carter Family In Texas: Vol. 1, The Carter Family, 1978
no info Mountain Fiddler, Robert Byrd, 1978
no info Willie And Family Live, Willie Nelson, 1978
no info The Legendary Staple Singers, Staple Singers, 1978
info The Joan Baez Country Music Album, Joan Baez, 1979
no info My Very Special Guests, George Jones, 1979
info Live in Telluride 1979, Vassar Clements, 1979?
no info This Is Hip, John Lee Hooker, 1980
info Old Time Bluegrass from Grayson and Carroll Counties, Virginia (Vol. 3), Virginia Mountain Boys, 1980
info Live!, Hoyt Axton, 1981
no info Single, Jimmy Martin and his Sunny Mountain Boys, 1981
no info The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music, Various Artists (Carter Family), 1981
info Precious Friend, Arlo Guthrie/Pete Seeger, 1982
no info The Sun Years, Jerry Lee Lewis, 1982
info Classic: The Definitive Edition of His Sun Recordings 1956-1963, Jerry Lee Lewis, 1989
info Yellow Moon, The Neville Brothers, 1989
no info Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol 2, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 1989
info Columbia Country Classics, Vol. 1: Golden Age, Various Artists (Carter Family), 1990
info Folk Songs & Bluegrass, The Country Gentlemen, 1991
no info Will The Circle Be Unbroken, The Jordanaires, 1992
info Another Country, The Chieftains, 1992
info Jubilation: Great Gospel Performances, Vol. 3: Country Gospel, Various Artists (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), 1992
info The One Rose: The Capitol Years, Rose Maddox, 1993
info Mountain Treasures, George Shuffler & Laura Boosinger, 1993
info Original Folkways Recordings of Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley, 1960-1962, Clarence Ashley and Doc Watson, 1994
info The Essential Gospel Sampler, Various Artists (Staple Singers), 1994
info Mountain Music Collection, Vol. 3: Pictures from Life's Other Side, Various Artists (Rosa Lee Maphis), 1994
info Good News in Hard Times, Sisters Of Glory, 1995
info Appalachian Stomp: Bluegrass Classics, Various Artists (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), 1995
no info Best of Bluegrass, Arizona Smoke Revue, 1996
no info Get Acquainted Waltz, The Strange Creek Singers, 1997
info A Man Must Carry On, Vol. 2, Jerry Jeff Walker, 1997
info One More Try: An Anthology, Gregg Allman, 1997
info Southern Country Gospel, Various Artists (Joan Baez), 1997
info Amazing Grace, Vol. 2: A Country Salute to Gospel, Various Artists (Bryan White), 1997
info Welcome To Our World (For Members Only), JGB, 1998
info Folk Hits, Various Artists (Ramblin' Jack Elliott), 1998
info Generations of Bluegrass, Vol. 1: Pickers & Fiddlers, Various Artists (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), 1998
info Kerrville Folk Festival: Early Years 1972-1981, Various Artists (Plum Nelly), 1998
info From Where I Stand: The Black Experience in Country Music, Various Artists (Staple Singers), 1998
info Bottom Line Encore Collection, Vassar Clements, 1999
info Uptown Rulin': The Best of the Neville Brothers, The Neville Brothers, 1999
info Pickin' Up, Red, White & Blue (Grass), 1999
info Greatest Grooves, Joe Poovey, 1999
no info 15 Gospel Favorites, Raymond Fairchild, 199?
no info The Legendary Monroe Brothers Collection, Monroe Brothers, 19??
no info EP, Wayne Raney & the Raney Family, 19??
no info EP, Hylo Brown, 19??
no info The Smithsonian Collection Of Classic Country Music, Various Artists (Carter Family), 19??
no info Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: Black American FreedomSongs 1960-1966, Various Artists (Jimmy Collier and The Movement Singers), 19??
no info Red Allen, 19??
info Bluegrass Bonanza, Various Artists (Brown's Ferry 4), 2001
info The Definitive Bluegrass Collection, Various Artists (Lester Flatt), 2001
no info 1st Recorded Live Concert, Mac Wiseman, 2001
info Blue Moon of Kentucky 1936-1949, Bill Monroe, 2002
info Freedom: Songs From The Heart Of America, Various Artists (Carter Family), 2002
info Further Beyond Nashville, Various Artists (Gabriel and Habershcon), 2002
info Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 3, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 2002
info Rhythm of the Mountains: Bluegrass Explores Its Roots, Various Artists (Rosa Lee Maphis), 2002
info The King Years 1961-1965, The Stanley Brothers, 2003
info The Carter Family: 1935-1941, The Carter Family, 2003
info Will The Circle Be Unbroken, The Trilogy, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 2003
info All the Classic Releases 1937-1949, Bill Monroe, 2003
no info Free Country, Joel Harrison, 2003
info Treasury of Bluegrass: America's Music, Various Artists (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), 2003
info The Best of Bluegrass, Various Artists (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), 2003
info Keep on the Sunny Side: Bluegrass Salutes the Carter Family, Various Artists (Lester Flatt), 2003
info Songs of the South: Farther Along, Various Artists (Staple Singers), 2004
info The Very Best of the 13th Floor Elevators: Going Up, 13th Floor Elevators, 2004
info The Definitive Collection 1955-1962, George Jones, 2004
info The New Message/Standing Here Wondering, Marion Williams, 2004
info The Lost Broadcasts: 1968-1972, Pentangle, 2004
info People Get Ready, Heidi Joy, 2004
info When the Sun Goes Down, Vol. 10: East Virginia Blues, Various Artists (Monroe Brothers), 2004
info A Musical History, The Band, 2005
info On The Road: July 19, 2005, Rochester, NY, String Cheese Incident, 2005
info Bluegrass Banjo, Various Artists (Adam Swann), 2005
info Deadwood: Music From HBO Original Series, Various Artists (June Carter Cash), 2005
info 36 Bluegrass Hits, Various Artists (Rosa Lee Maphis), 2006
info On The Road: July 22, 2007, Berkeley, CA, String Cheese Incident, 2007
info Classic Bluegrass Collection, Vols. 1-4, Various Artists (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), 2007
info Definitive Collection, Merle Travis, 2008
no info Yarn Sessions, Tobasco Donkeys, 2008
info YarmonyGrass, August 16, 2008, Rebel Alliance Jam, 2009
info Live, Beacon Theater, NYC, 3/13/12, Allman Brothers Band, 2012
info Electric Hay: Live, Rollin' In The Hay, 2012
info Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective, Duane Allman / Various Artists, 2013
info International Incident, String Cheese Incident, 2014
info On The Road: Nov 1, 2015, Live Oak, FL, String Cheese Incident, 2015
info My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean: British Songs in the USA, Various Artists (Carter Family), 2015
info Truckers, Kickers, Cowboy Angels Volume 5: 1972, Various Artists (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), 2015
info Hillside Album Hour 2016: Birdsongs, The Waybacks And Friends, 2017
info The Yarn Sessions, The Tobasco Donkeys, 2021

Notes

Will The Circle Be Unbroken was played once only by the Dead, with the Allman Brothers, on 10th May 1970. It was also played by Jerry Garcia and David Nelson at the College of San Mateo in San Mateo on November 10th 1962 and by the Allman Brothers Band, with Garcia sitting in, on December 31, 1973.

It was performed by Phil Lesh & Friends and by Phil Lesh with the Errapin Family Band. It was also played by Bob Weir sitting in with Billy Strings in 2022 and by Bob Weir sitting in with Willie Nelson in 2023.

This song was copyrighted by Charles H Gabriel (music) and Ada R Habershon (lyrics) in 1907 but is thought to be an earlier song. Sometimes occurs as May The Circle Be Unbroken or Can The Circle Be Unbroken.