John McEuen, Co-Founder Of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Announces He Is Leaving Group After 50 Years
It turns out that after 50 years, John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has made the decision to leave the group and move on. This isn’t the first time he has left, but this time it sounds like it is for good. Taste of Country shared the news that John is done, and he explained what is going on, teasing more stories to come.
John McEuen actually helped found the group back in 1966 and was with the band for 20 years. After that 20 years was over, he took a brief hiatus and then came back. He was out of the group from 1986 until 2001, and once he came back, John has been a part of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band ever since. Now, he has decided it is time to move on.
He says the reason he is leaving is “business disagreements and ongoing difference of opinions,” but he didn’t elaborate enough that fans feel like they know the full reason behind his departure. He did share that back in December of 2015, it was revealed to him that he was now an employee of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and wasn’t actually a member of the corporation anymore. He says that he knows this group made history, but it sounds like it was time for him to move on.
It doesn’t sound like John McEuen is going to be leaving music, though. Instead, he explained that he will be working on his individual endeavors. That makes fans feel like new music could be coming out, or he at least might be doing a few concert dates here and there. He said that there are more stories to come later, and everyone can’t wait to hear what those are and maybe get some great details from him of what they have been through over the years. The group Nitty Gritty Dirt Band won’t be the same without him, but no word yet on what their future plans are.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band founding member John McEuen leaving group :: https://t.co/blfqVZUEvS pic.twitter.com/l0jcgX8dKt
— Relix (@RelixMag) October 30, 2017
Are you shocked to hear that founding member John McEuen is leaving the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band? Do you think that this is the end of the group now? Sound off in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images]
