Founding Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member John McEuen will reunite with the enduring country rock band for a handful of summer tour dates, as well as a fall Canadian tour supporting Alabama. The multi-instrumentalist will round out a lineup the features fellow founding members Jeff Hanna and Jimmie Fadden, and longtime members Jimmy Ibbotson and Bob Carpenter.
The summer dates kick off July 2 in Ashland, Ky., and last through July 28 in Dubuque, Iowa. The dates with Alabama begin Sept. 27 in Vancouver. "If all goes well, look for more Dirt Band dates in 2002," the band's manager, Chuck Morris, said in a statement.
After his exit from the band in 1987, McEuen recorded with NGDB for 1989's "Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. II" (Universal), and composed film and television scores. In 1992, he released his first solo album, "String Wizards" (Vanguard), and the next year, "String Wizards II." He followed those with "Acoustic Traveler" on his own String Wizard label in 1996, and with Ibbotson (who joined NGDB in 1969), recorded the anecdote-filled rock/bluegrass album "Stories and Songs" in 1999.
McEuen was replaced in NGDB by Bernie Leadon for one album, 1988's "Workin' Band" (Warner Bros.). Through the 1990s, the band continued on as a four-piece, releasing eight albums, and winning two Grammys in 1989 -- best bluegrass recording for "The Valley Road" with Bruce Hornsby and best country performance by a duo or group with vocal for "Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. II." The most recent NGDB album was "Bang Bang Bang," released in 1999 by DreamWorks.
Here are the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band tour dates:
July 2: Ashland, Ky. (Summer Motion Festival)
July 3: O'Fallon, Mo. (Ozzie Smith Park)
July 4: Livingston, Mon. (TBA)
July 14: Morrison, Colo. (Red Rocks / with Willie Nelson)
July 20: Regal, Min. (Cornstalk Festival)
July 21: Tomah, Wis. (Monroe County Fair)
July 28: Dubuque, Iowa (Dubuque County Fair)
Sept. 1: Volga, S.D. (Bash in the Grass)
Sept. 27: Vancouver (General Motors Place)
Sept. 28: Kelowna, British Columbia (Skyreach Place)
Sept. 29: Kamloops, British Columbia (Sports Mart Place)
Oct. 1: Prince George, British Columbia (Prince George Multiplex)
Oct. 2: Grande Prairie, Alberta (Crystal Centre)
Oct. 4: Calgary (Pengrowth Saddledome)
Oct. 5: Edmonton (Skyreach Centre)
Oct. 6: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Place)
Oct. 8: Winnipeg (Winnipeg Arena)
Oct. 18: Ottawa (Ottawa Civic Center)
Oct. 19: Peterborough, Ontario (Peterborough Memorial Centre)
Oct. 20: Sarnia, Ontario (Sports And Entertainment Centre)
Oct. 21: Owen Sound, Ontario (Bayshore Community Centre)
Oct. 23: Kitchener, Ontario (Kitchener Memorial Auditorium)
Oct. 24: Barrie, Ontario (Barrie Molson Centre)
Oct. 25: Sudbury, Ontario (Sudbury Arena)
Oct. 26: North Bay, Ontario (North Bay Memorial Gardens)
Oct. 29: Saint John, New Brunswick (Harbour Station)
Oct. 30: Halifax, Nova Scotia (Metro Centre)
The summer dates kick off July 2 in Ashland, Ky., and last through July 28 in Dubuque, Iowa. The dates with Alabama begin Sept. 27 in Vancouver. "If all goes well, look for more Dirt Band dates in 2002," the band's manager, Chuck Morris, said in a statement.
After his exit from the band in 1987, McEuen recorded with NGDB for 1989's "Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. II" (Universal), and composed film and television scores. In 1992, he released his first solo album, "String Wizards" (Vanguard), and the next year, "String Wizards II." He followed those with "Acoustic Traveler" on his own String Wizard label in 1996, and with Ibbotson (who joined NGDB in 1969), recorded the anecdote-filled rock/bluegrass album "Stories and Songs" in 1999.
McEuen was replaced in NGDB by Bernie Leadon for one album, 1988's "Workin' Band" (Warner Bros.). Through the 1990s, the band continued on as a four-piece, releasing eight albums, and winning two Grammys in 1989 -- best bluegrass recording for "The Valley Road" with Bruce Hornsby and best country performance by a duo or group with vocal for "Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. II." The most recent NGDB album was "Bang Bang Bang," released in 1999 by DreamWorks.
Here are the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band tour dates:
July 2: Ashland, Ky. (Summer Motion Festival)
July 3: O'Fallon, Mo. (Ozzie Smith Park)
July 4: Livingston, Mon. (TBA)
July 14: Morrison, Colo. (Red Rocks / with Willie Nelson)
July 20: Regal, Min. (Cornstalk Festival)
July 21: Tomah, Wis. (Monroe County Fair)
July 28: Dubuque, Iowa (Dubuque County Fair)
Sept. 1: Volga, S.D. (Bash in the Grass)
Sept. 27: Vancouver (General Motors Place)
Sept. 28: Kelowna, British Columbia (Skyreach Place)
Sept. 29: Kamloops, British Columbia (Sports Mart Place)
Oct. 1: Prince George, British Columbia (Prince George Multiplex)
Oct. 2: Grande Prairie, Alberta (Crystal Centre)
Oct. 4: Calgary (Pengrowth Saddledome)
Oct. 5: Edmonton (Skyreach Centre)
Oct. 6: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Place)
Oct. 8: Winnipeg (Winnipeg Arena)
Oct. 18: Ottawa (Ottawa Civic Center)
Oct. 19: Peterborough, Ontario (Peterborough Memorial Centre)
Oct. 20: Sarnia, Ontario (Sports And Entertainment Centre)
Oct. 21: Owen Sound, Ontario (Bayshore Community Centre)
Oct. 23: Kitchener, Ontario (Kitchener Memorial Auditorium)
Oct. 24: Barrie, Ontario (Barrie Molson Centre)
Oct. 25: Sudbury, Ontario (Sudbury Arena)
Oct. 26: North Bay, Ontario (North Bay Memorial Gardens)
Oct. 29: Saint John, New Brunswick (Harbour Station)
Oct. 30: Halifax, Nova Scotia (Metro Centre)
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