| John McEuen | |
|---|---|
McEuen performs with his sons at the Grand Ole Opry |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | December 19, 1945 |
| Origin | Oakland, California |
| Genres | Country, rock |
| Instruments | Vocals, banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, lap slide guitar, electric bass |
| Years active | 1966-present |
| Labels | Warner Bros. Vanguard Cedar Glen Planetary Aix/>Rural Rhythm Records |
| Associated acts | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
John McEuen (born December 19, 1945), is an American folk musician and entertainer.[1] He was one of the earliest members of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.[2] He played with the band from 1966 to 1986, and returned in 2001.The group prior to that 'dissolved' a few times briefly, but none as long as in 1968, right after spending 4 months working on the Paramount Pictures Paint Your Wagon. Jeff Hanna went on to play with Linda Ronstadt, John did various solo gigs and worked in Vegas with Andy Williams (for a month), and frequented the L.A. music scene, occasionally running in to Jeff. It was in a So. Cal club, the famed Golden Bear, one night in early 1969, where John and Jeff Hanna were watching POCO (in one of their first appearances) that they said "we can do this! let's put it back together and find a singing drummer...". The short search led them to Jimmy Ibbotson, fresh in from the Baltimore and Philly area, and whose participation with the group began in 1969. John is known as a multi-instrumentalist, entertainer, composer, and especially recognized as a pioneer stylist on the 5-string banjo and other acoustic colorings he adds to recordings with the other instruments.
Besides his career with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John McEuen has performed and recorded prolifically as a solo artist and in various group settings, as well as producing music CDs, film scores, and videos.
John is the only Californian musician to perform solo on the Grand Ole Opry, plus play it several times with his band, and then be featured as a guest with several of the Opry member acts. He has recorded with the Nashville's Country music creators, and had records in the pop and country charts. He instigated what Rolling Stone (in 1972) called 'the' most important record to come out of Nashville, and what the 2004 ZAGAT survey called the most important record in country music, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."
As a multi-instrumentalist (banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, piano) and solo entertainer, John McEuen plays to the boomer 'hippie' crowd, the traditional/bluegrass and folk audience, as well as the older country audience, and now the younger crowd is showing up to see 'where it all came from'. (Twenty percent are under the age of 30.)
In 2010, John won a Grammy for his production of Steve Martin - The Crow: New Songs for the 5-string Banjo, which enjoyed a continuous run on the Billboard charts at #1 for 7 months. He Played on 7 cuts, did the musical arrangements (except for The Crow, arrg. by Steve and Tony Trischka), of this album of all original music written by Steve. This was followed by appearances with Martin on the finale of American Idol, the Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Grand Ole Opry in the same week, the week it was released on Rounder Records.
McEuen has made over 40 albums (six solo) that have earned four platinum and four gold recognition awards, Grammy nominations, CMA and ACM awards, Western Heritage Award, Emmy nomination, and IBMA record of the year award. In addition, John has performed on another 25 albums as guest artist. He has produced over 200 concerts (his first one being with Bob Dylan in 1965). John created and ran The Deadwood Jam in South Dakota for its first 15 years.
John has known and worked with Steve Martin since high school to the present, and was featured on a two-hour A&E TV special about Steve in February, 2006. In 'the early daze' he accompanied him on banjo or guitar a few shows prior the NGDB starting. John scored Steve's first two NBC television specials, and arranged most of his music; The NGDB was the band on Steve's hit song, "King Tut." In May, 2009 Rounder Records released the now highly acclaimed music album by Steve Martin, produced by John, The Crow.(2009 Grammy winner for Best Bluegrass Album) Although Steve has often said "John McEuen taught me a lot of how to play the banjo when we started..."John adds that he 'showed him a few licks every now an then, and then he took off writing his own.. and has been as much an influence on me as I may have been on him. I think it is amazing how a couple of guys from Orange County, CA, went and played on the Opry and won a bluegrass Grammy. Never would have guessed that would happen." They both attribute huge influence to Pete Seeger's 'How to Play the 5-String Banjo' book and Doug Dillard.
John's own XM Satellite radio show, Acoustic Traveller on channel 15, runs two times a month has been on since 2005. You can also find him on syndicatednews.net with his Americana Music Show.
He created the music scores for fourteen film/television projects, including the Emmy nominated 10-hour mini-series for Warner Bros. 'The Wild West.'
John has also raised his six kids (five boys and a girl) ages between 31-41, and a 27-year-old stepson.
Some of the artists John McEuen has performed or recorded with include: Levon Helm, Dolly Parton, Steve Martin, Willie Nelson, Bill Wyman, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Jerry Garcia, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Phish, Jerry Jeff Walker, Kevin Nealon, Alison Krauss, Bill Cosby, Stephen Wright, Mark OConnor, Tommy Lee Jones, Sissy Spacek, Linda Ronstadt, Leon Russell, Maybelle Carter, Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, Kenny Rogers, Steve Vai, Doc Watson, Jimmy Buffett, The Smothers Brothers, Rowan & Martin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bobby Sherman, Jose Feliciano, Allman Brothers, John Denver, Roy Acuff, Earl Scruggs, Jack Benny, Glen Campbell, Steve Goodman, Waylon Jennings, Robin Williams, Little River Band, Marshall Tucker Band, Doobie Brothers, Andy Williams, Merle Travis, Vassar Clements, Dizzy Gillespie, The Osmond Brothers, Everly Brothers, Crystal Gayle, Gary Morris, Doug Kershaw, Michael Martin Murphey, The Doors, Donovan, Lee Marvin, Ramblin Jack Elliot, David Amram, Arlo Guthrie, America, Bill Monroe, and Asleep at the Wheel.
Contents |
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | John McEuen | 49 | Warner Bros. |
| 1991 | String Wizards | Vanguard | |
| 1993 | String Wizards II | ||
| 1996 | Acoustic Traveller | ||
| 1997 | String Wizard's Picks | ||
| 1999 | Round Trip: Live in L.A. | Cedar Glen | |
| 2000 | Stories and Songs | Planetary | |
| 2002 | Nitty Gritty Surround | Aix | |
| 2007 | Vanguard Visionaries | Vanguard |
| Year | Single | US Country | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Blue Days Black Nights" | 81 | John McEuen |