John McEuen back by popular demand
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member returns to Blowing Rock Friday

The American country-folk-rock outfit the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has existed in many incarnations since its founding as a jug band in Long Beach, Calif., in 1966.

Singer-guitarist Jimmy Fadden and drummer Jeff Hanna have been constants since the group’s inception, and multi-instrumentalist John McEuen isn’t too many steps behind them. Upon replacing original member Jackson Browne, who left after only a few months, McEuen, a driving force with the band from 1966-86 and then again since 2001, helped NGDB find its easygoing country-folk-pop roots and, consequently, its massive success, as evidenced by the band’s blockbuster recording of the crossover hit “Mr. Bojangles.”

Then, in 1972, Rolling Stone magazine called the soon-to-be legendary album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, which featured such country stalwarts as Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff and Mother Maybelle Carter, “one of the most important recordings ever to come out of Nashville.”

Forty-odd years later, McEuen, whose acoustic mastery on the five-string banjo, fiddle, mandolin and steel guitar has inspired reviewers and fans to coin him The String Wizard, still tours with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but he also takes his acclaimed solo shows on the road, as well. High Country audiences have the opportunity to catch the Grammy-nominated virtuoso bluegrass picker when he returns, after last year’s sold-out concert, to the Hayes Performing Arts Center on April 17 at 7:30 p.m. The concert is part of the Blue Ridge Food & Wine Festival.

McEuen may be pegged as a picker, but brass bands, gospel, ragtime, country, blues and minstrel shows have all seeped into his strange brew of songs. And you can credit audience receptiveness to McEuen’s clever arrangements, as the artist brings bluegrass to folks who otherwise wouldn’t listen to bluegrass by inserting the banjo, fiddle and mandolin into different frameworks, and then seeing where the music takes both him and audiences alike.

The Hayes Performing Arts Center presents McEuen April 17 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, $14 student, and are available now by calling the box office at (828) 295-9627 or online at www.hayescenter.org. You may pay by credit card or by cash (in person).

The Hayes Performing Arts Center is located at 152 Jamie Fort Road (off U.S. 321), Blowing Rock.

Upcoming Shows at the Hayes Center

April 13-14, 20-21
HAYESGRASS (quarterfinals)
Bluegrass band competition. Audience and judges vote on who will advance to next round.

April 18 & 19
FIRE ON THE ROCK
Local chefs compete in a playoff-style competition with a secret ingredient a la Iron Chef.

April 23
APPALACHIAN GOSPEL CHOIR by ASU’s Hayes School of Music
Inspirational music in the black gospel tradition. Conducted by Jason Thompson.

April 25
LIVINGSTON TAYLOR
The Chapel Hill-reared singer-songwriter celebrates his critically acclaimed newest release.

April 30 – May 9
DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 by Rocket Players Youth Theatre.
Sequel to the sold-out 2007 production by RPYT.

May 4-5 & 15
HAYESGRASS (semifinals & finals)
Bluegrass band competition. Audience and judges vote on who will advance to next round.

May 16
LONESOME RIVER BAND
Back by popular demand, one of bluegrass music’s most popular and influential acts returns after last year’s sold-out concert.