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By Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune March 12. 2015 9:00AM Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland John McCuen plays solo shows and also performs with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Photo courtesy of Michael J. Media Group One of the founding members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John McEuen's solo shows are steeped in the music, culture and stories of the '60s and '70s.  "I like to present the music and tell audiences about the history of it," McEuen says during a telephone interview. "Like how 'Bojangles' made it to the Top 10, stories about where the song came from, how it came about in the first place. It's a fun thing to do." Various formations of NGDB have existed since the band was founded in 1966 in Long Beach, Calif. Over the years, the lineup has changed, but the constant members include multi-instrumentalist McEuen, guitarist Jeff Hanna and drummer Jimmie Fadden. During a stretch from 1976 to 1981, the band performed and recorded as The Dirt Band.  NGDB is well-known for its cover of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles," a song from the "Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy" album released in '68, along with the band's 1972 album "Will the Circle be Unbroken," featuring Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Jimmy Martin and Vasser Clements. In, 1989, a follow-up to "Circle" was released based on the same concept of stellar musicians coming together to play country, rock and folk. Called "Volume Two," it won two Grammy Awards and was named Album of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards.  A third, "Volume III," followed in 2003 with more of the nature of the first "Circle" album, more of the ambiance and feel of the first one, McEuen says. It featured Johnny Cash, June Carter, Alison Krauss and others. All told, NGDB released dozens of full-length albums, singles, a live album and appeared on several compilation albums.  All of these distinctions aside, McEuen's own credits include six solo albums, production of recording projects with many other artists — including Steve Martin's Grammy-winning bluegrass album "Crow" — and scores for film projects. His radio show, "The Acoustic Traveller" on Sirius/AM, is now in its seventh year. He's also recognized as a pioneer of five-string banjo stylings. McEuen will perform solo at 8 p.m. Friday, March 13, at the Unitarian Fellowship, 87 Fourth St., Ashland. Tickets cost $25 in advance and can be purchased online at stclairevents.com, at Music Coop, 268 E. Main St., or by calling 541-535-3562. Tickets cost  $28 at the door, $10 for ages 12 through 17. Kids 11 and younger get in free. "Some of my show is Dirt Band music, and some of it is strange banjo or guitar music with unusual tunings," McEuen says. "I bring my guitar, fiddle, mandolin and banjo. I try to take audiences on the journey that I've been on. It's an interesting trip, and every night is different. I even have some archival film footage that's rarely been seen that I can screen at the show." Last year, McEuen performed 80 shows with NGDB and 45 solo shows. "Some of us have worked together for 49 years," he says. "In between I've gone out and worked on my own projects. Going out with the Dirt Band is great. I love playing the shows, but quite often it's the same 18 or 19 songs. It's fine because those songs are important to people." In 1977, NGDB became the first American band to tour the Soviet Union. The band played 28 sold-out shows in five cities. "There's a documentary coming out called 'Free to Rock,' about how rock 'n' roll brought down the Iron Curtain," McEuen says. "When we were growing up, older Americans would say that rock 'n' roll is a communist plot to overthrow America, while the Russians were saying American music is a capitalist plot to overthrow communism." http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20150312/ENTERTAINMENT/150319893 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->