George McConnell

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George McConnell is a guitarist from Vicksburg, Mississippi who played for Widespread Panic, Kudzu Kings, and Beanland.

McConnell co-founded Beanland in Oxford, Mississippi in 1985 with guitarist Bill McCrory. After some early shuffling, the band's line-up consisted of McConnell and McCrory on guitar, John Hermann on keyboards, Ron Lewis on bass, and Harry Peel on drums. The band recorded a self-titled debut album in 1991 and toured extensively, mainly around the South and Southwest, playing blues-oriented rock as part of the nascent early-90's jamband renaissance.

Shortly after the album's release, keyboardist John Hermann left Beanland to join Widespread Panic. McConnell kept Beanland alive breifly as a four-piece with a much-altered line-up, and recorded a follow-up album in 1992, but the band dissolved soon after.

McConnell went on to play for several years in the country-rock band Kudzu Kings, eventually leaving to devote his time to a guitar store he opened in Oxford.

In 2002, following Widespread Panic guitarist Michael Houser's diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, McConnell and saxophone player Randall Bramblett were asked to accompany Widespread Panic on the band's summer tour. Initially McConnell sat in for a few songs per show to add support to Houser's playing, however when Houser was unable to complete the tour McConnell filled in as the lead guitarist. McConnell was named as the new lead guitarist in the band following Houser's death in August of 2002.

McConnell served as Widespread Panic's guitarist for almost four years, recording two studio albums and three live albums with the band. On August 2, 2006, the band's management announced that McConnell had left Widespread Panic. The reason(s) for McConnell's departure have yet to be fully disclosed. He was replaced by jam-band veteran Jimmy Herring, as announced August 3, 2006.