September 3, 2002
John McEuen, multi-instrumentalist/composer

John McEuen's broad spectrum of music Americana - with a bit of "the old country" music thrown in for good measure - has made him known as America's instrumental poet. John brings his musical impressions of over 30 years of worldwide travels to the stage with performing expertise that sets him apart from others, and focuses on acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, and mandolin.

A founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1966, after 21 years he left to broaden his artistic pursuits. Multi-instrumentalist McEuen has since ventured into varied musical genres, taking his music and other talents to different formats including television specials, film scoring, unusual award winning CDs and concert production.
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McEuen onstage incorporates his vintage instruments he has taken to international venues, with instrumental wizardry that keeps the audience entranced, whether he is entertaining them live or via CD. His love for the history of acoustic music and his joy at being onstage is evident to all those who see him and hear him . . . there's never a dull moment when McEuen is on!

With his band (The Dirt Band) he made over 22 albums, including the platinum-selling Will The Circle Be Unbroken, conceived by John and the band's manager/producer (his brother Bill) in 1971 for United Artists. Indisputably one of the most important recordings ever come out of Nashville "...Circle..." is recognized today as a country music milestone and integral part of Americana history.

The music he performs today evolved from early inspiration seeing The Dillards in his native Southern California, and music he made going down that early road with various artists, including Jose Feliciano and Michael Martin Murphey prior to the formation of NGDB. Then, in 1966, "a bunch of guys playing together at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Long Beach, California, joined forces to form The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. For more than 20 years McEuen traveled with them, playing everything from "folk to rock to country . . ." All this has led him to continuing recent success in new frontiers.

McEuen's score for National Geographic Society's Braving Alaska television special earned their first Emmy nomination for music; his production for The Nashville Network, The Music Of The Wild West, was lauded by critics throughout the U.S.; his work with the Tommy Lee Jones written/directed TNT film The Good Old Boys found him teaching Sissy Spacek how to play the piano for the film, as well as doing the score. This has lead to hot interest from other movie producers and directors, leading him to both acting and scoring work in the year 2000.

John McEuen is known to a wide spectrum of music fans from working with a diverse group of people throughout his career. Name somebody in show business and he's probably got a story to tell about them! He has performed or recorded with Dolly Parton, Andy Williams, The Doors, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Bill Wyman, Johnny Cash, Little River Band, Marshall Tucker Band, Air Supply, Doobie Brothers, Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, Robert Schimmel, Stephen Wright, The Smothers Brothers, Rowan & Martin, Little Richard . . . Mary Chapin Carpenter, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Clint Eastwood, Robert Schimmel, Dizzy Gillespie, The Band, Crystal Gayle, Tammy Wynette, Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, Leon Russell, Vassar Clements, Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Albert Gore, Hootie and the Blowfish, Phish, ... the list goes on.

Initially, searching for a path to showbiz in 1965, McEuen booked Bob Dylan for a show that sold out at a high school in southern California. Later, by 1970, he convinced his brother to also manage high school buddy Steve Martin, who John had worked with in Disneyland's Magic Shop (Steve learned his musicianship on the banjo from John). In the 80's John brought Mark O'Connor to Warner Brothers Records; he took Marty Stuart out on the road with him as a sideman; he introduced the Dirt Band audience to many now nationally known musicians by incorporating them in band shows often.

In his career so far John McEuen has:
  • Flown 2 million miles and driven a million miles.
  • Done over 11,000 interviews and over 300 television performances.
  • Produced television shows (as an interviewer, interviewed diverse personalities from Malcolm Forbes to Emmylou Harris).
  • Played over 4,600 shows around the world. .
  • Only lost his luggage three times!

John's last Vanguard release, "The Best of... " String Wizard's Picks showcases just how he manages to enchant his audience with a gypsy melody one minute and then charm them with his magician's touch on a bit of county/Salsa or music that rides the wind on the western plains. It is also one of the first and only enhanced acoustic music CDS, featuring 15 minutes of video footage complementing the 52 minutes of music on the cd in CD ROM format (for PC or MAC).

Featuring 13 songs chosen from his previous Vanguard albums and a hot new live cut recorded with his full band of String Wizards: 21 year old hot guitarist/vocalist son, Jonathan; Randy Tico (acoustic bass); Phil Salazar (fiddle); and Tom Corbett (mandolin, guitar), Jesse Siebenberg (percussion), this cd captures the essence of John's studio work and production finesse.

On his producer side John is especially proud of his 90 minute video documentary on The Dillards - A Night in the Ozarks, which captures the Dillards at their hottest in a reunion of the original group in 1991. Shot on film with live music, (Mike Denecke engineered) in a Salem Missouri farmhouse, this is "the best bluegrass movie ever made!" The Deadwood Jam, held annually in the Black Hills of South Dakota, is a hot festival type show conceived 10 years ago by John in the historic town made famous by Wild Bill Hickock - Deadwood, So. Dakota. This 'Telluride' style event has featured some of America's best known music acts. Also hosted by McEuen, The Jam has earned the reputation of the best music festival in the three state area it is situated in (Wyoming, Nebraska, and So. Dakota). Starting at high-noon in front of the saloon where Wild Bill played his last hand, the mysterious Black Hills come alive with the sound of great music. Also, McEuen's recent award winning production of Chief Jim Billie - Alligator Tales (see chiefjimbillie.com) has made considerable impact on the Native American music market and crossed over in to the mainstream of country music. With the release of his Alligator Tales CD on the SOAR label, the Chief of the Seminole Tribe of Florida for the past 20 years, Jim Billie writes true stories based on his life and impressions of living in his Everglades homeland on the Big Cypress reservation in southern Florida.

Heading in to 2000 Chrome Records has released John's first live and newest CD Round Trip, with the L.A. string Wizards (released at the end of '99 - see chromerecords.com). "Round Trip" pays homage to John's early influences including Doc Watson, Don Reno, Merle Travis, Earl Scruggs, Douglas Dillard, Bill Monroe. John has combined these influences and developed his own unique styles over the years.

John has traveled the world America's instrumental poet born of this area, influenced by all those who came through the venues in '60's L.A. area. He now comes back to Pasadena and Santa Monica with his hot band and his collections of memories and music reflecting those travels. Round Trip, showcases stellar talents of some of California's best acoustic musicians, and features the hot musicianship and vocals of his son Jonathan.

Recording "Round Trip" live in Southern California (Mike Denecke, engineer and co-producer), where he dreamed of a worldwide music career, brings John McEuen back to his home turf and captures some of the magic he has spread around the world. Phil Salazar (fiddle), Randy Tico (bass), Jonathan McEuen (guitar & astonishing vocals), Bryan Savage (sax), Jesse Siebenberg (drums) and Tom Corbett (mandolin) make up the String Wizards, and now they "bring it all home".

Check out some of John's "road stories" on the website for a preview of the upcoming book by John - www.johnmceuen.com


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