John McEuen
John McEuen | |
---|---|
![]() John McEuen playing the banjo | |
Background information | |
Born | (1945-12-19) December 19, 1945 (age 78) Oakland, California, U.S. |
Genres | Country, folk, folk-rock, bluegrass |
Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, producer |
Instrument(s) | Banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, piano, accordion, vocals |
Years active | 1965–present |
Labels | Warner Bros., Vanguard, Cedar Glen, Planetary, Aix, Rural Rhythm |
Formerly of | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
Website | www![]() |
John McEuen, born December 19, 1945, in Oakland, California, is an American folk musician and a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Career
Solo work
John McEuen was born in Oakland, California. In 1964, at age 18, he became interested in music after seeing a performance by the Dillards, and learned to play the banjo. Eventually, he took an interest in fiddle and mandolin. In 1986, after twenty years with the Dirt Band, McEuen departed to pursue a solo career. From 1991–1997, he released four albums for Vanguard Records. He composed music for movies and television and he appeared as a guest on albums with several artists including five albums with Michael Martin Murphey. He then returned to the Dirt Band in 2001.[1] McEuen departed the band once again in late 2017.[2]
Steve Martin
McEuen has known Steve Martin since high school, when he would give Martin occasional lessons on the banjo. In 1978, he was asked by Martin to provide the backing band for a comic, novelty song called King Tut. With Martin on vocals, the Dirt Band recorded the song under the alias "The Toot Uncommons".[1]
McEuen produced and played on Martin's album The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo (Rounder, 2009). The album was Number 1 for seven months and won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.[1]
Other ventures
McEuen published an autobiography in 2018 titled The Life I've Picked - A Banjo Player's Nitty Gritty Journey.[3]
Awards and honors
- The American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame Inductee[4]
- Independent Music Award for Best Americana Album, "Made in Brooklyn"[5]
References
- ^ a b c Deming, Mark. "John McEuen | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ "Bluegrass today". November 13, 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "The Life I've Picked". Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ "American Banjo Museum". American Banjo Museum. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ "The 16Th Independent Music Awards Winners".
External links
- Official website
- John McEuen Interview at NAMM Oral History Collection (March 6, 2004)
- v
- t
- e
- The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- Ricochet
- Rare Junk
- Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy
- All the Good Times
- Stars & Stripes Forever
- Symphonion Dream
- The Dirt Band
- An American Dream
- Make a Little Magic
- Jealousy
- Let's Go
- Plain Dirt Fashion
- Partners, Brothers and Friends
- Hold On
- Workin' Band
- The Rest of the Dream
- Not Fade Away
- Acoustic
- The Christmas Album
- Bang, Bang, Bang
- Welcome to Woody Creek
- Speed of Life
- Will the Circle Be Unbroken
- Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two
- Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III
- Alive
- Live Two Five
- "Mr. Bojangles"
- "House at Pooh Corner"
- "I Saw the Light"
- "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)"
- "The Battle of New Orleans"
- "All I Have to Do Is Dream"
- "An American Dream"
- "Dance Little Jean"
- "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)"
- "I Love Only You"
- "High Horse"
- "Modern Day Romance"
- "Home Again in My Heart"
- "Partners, Brothers and Friends"
- "Fire in the Sky"
- "Baby's Got a Hold on Me"
- "Fishin' in the Dark"
- "Oh What a Love"
- "Workin' Man (Nowhere to Go)"
- "I've Been Lookin'"
- "Down That Road Tonight"
- "Turn of the Century"
- "And So It Goes"
- "When It's Gone"
- "From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)"
- "I Fought the Law"
- "King Tut"
- "Joe Knows How to Live"
- "Bless the Broken Road"