John McEuen & The Circle Band at The Jackson Theatre

Name: John McEuen & The Circle Band at The Jackson Theatre
Start: 2025-08-24T19:00:00-04:00
Location: 121 W. Main St., Jonesborough, TN, United States, Tennessee 37659

Schedule

Sun, 24 Aug, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

121 W. Main St., Jonesborough, TN, United States, Tennessee 37659 | Jonesborough, TN

John McEuen brings us a special show of songs and stories, sharing his incredible 50-year career with the trend-setting Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the landmark Will the Circle Be Unbroken record in a multi-media show spanning nearly 60 years!
Les Thompson, fellow Nitty Gritty co-founder, on bass, joins in the music and stories of ‘band life’ and more. Bryan McDowell on fiddle/mandolin (Winfield 1st place winner on guitar and mandolin) his hot notes are complemented by his great vocal. Marty Fair will hold down the guitar slot as John says: “in his impickable manner.”
All join host John McEuen, with his banjo, guitar, fiddle and mandolin (in front of the screen) for the hits and stories behind the NGDB music, leading up to that magic time when three generations came together. The Library of Congress inducted ‘…Circle…’ as one of “…the most important American recordings” (also, it’s in the Grammy Hall of Fame). More notes than you can shake a pick at – Bluegrass in overdrive!
John’s new album – The Newsman, a man of record – a spoken word/story album (on Compass Records) features John’s new music behind stories from America’s past.
Some of the show’s music includes: Mr. Bojangles Some of Shelly’s Blues Dance Little Jean Keep on the Sunny Side Will the Circle Be Unbroken House at Pooh Corner Earl’s Breakdown Wreck on the Hiway Cannonball Rag Dismal Swamp Way Downtown Acoustic Traveller Fingerbuster Long Hard Road Grand Ole Opry song The Mountain Whippoorwill. Fly Trouble
When John initiated the Will the Circle Be Unbroken album with his brother William (NGDB’s manager, record producer, photographer), he brought together the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the icons of Bluegrass, Country, and West coast country rock. John asked Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Maybelle Carter, and Merle Travis, to record with the band. Earl (and his wife, Louise) then helped connect John and William to Jimmy Martin, Roy Acuff, Bashful Brother Oswald, Norman Blake, Junior Huskey, and Vassar Clements. Six hot 1971 August Nashville recording days produced this 36-song benchmark album.
In 4 episodes of Ken Burns Country Music (2020), McEuen also closes Episode 6, titled “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”, describing making this milestone album. “…Circle…” is in the Library of Congress and The Grammy Hall of Fame
His multi-media show (archival photographs, 8mm footage from 1967!), “Circle…” and brother William’s session photos, and NGDB music takes us on his near 60-year journey – interwoven with Dirt Band favorites, hot bluegrass, and new music
John was inducted in the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame, 2018. He received the 2024 Josie Musician’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grand Ole Opry. Strangely, in 1915 England the first recording of Will the Circle Be Unbroken was made… by William McEwan
Surprise guest, John’s Nashville friend, hit song writer Even Stevens, is doing a cameo appearance with the stories about how some of his iconic music came to be… I Love a Rainy Night, When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman, and Drivin’ my Life Away to name a few.