John McEuen of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

A concert by John McEuen, founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, at Space in Evanston. The program falls within blues, country and folk.

John McEuen is a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the California group formed in Long Beach in 1966 that moved across folk, bluegrass and country. McEuen is known within the band as a multi-instrumentalist, particularly on banjo and mandolin. The group's best-known record is the 1972 triple album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, which brought together traditional country and bluegrass musicians and became a landmark of American roots music.

This evening's program sits in the blues, country and folk tradition that has shaped the band's music from its early years. Space hosts concerts and shows in Evanston, and this engagement offers a direct way to hear a musician who helped define the sound of American roots music across several decades.