John McEuen & The Circle Band.

John McEuen brings The Circle Band to McCabe’s for a program built around favorite Nitty Gritty Dirt Band songs and the stories behind them. The evening draws on the multi-instrumentalist’s acoustic repertoire, with McEuen bringing guitar, banjo, fiddle and mandolin to the shop’s listening-room stage. It is a chance to hear material from a long career in a room designed for the details of string playing and songcraft to register clearly.

McEuen has been performing professionally since 1962, when he worked as a teenage magician in Disneyland’s Magic Shop. Four years later he became a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and he remained with the group through its 50th year of touring before leaving to concentrate on solo work and other projects. His work spans more than 40 albums, including seven solo releases, alongside guest appearances on 25 more; the recordings have received four platinum and five gold awards, plus Grammy nominations, CMA and ACM awards. He has also produced albums and film scores, and has spent much of his career creating, producing and preserving original and traditional folk and acoustic music. The Folk Alliance Organization honored his stage approach with its Best in the West Award.