John McEuen, born December 19, 1945 in Oakland, California is an American musician and he is known as a multi-instrumentalist, and especially recognized as a pioneer stylist on the 5-string banjo. A founding member and driving force within the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band from 1966 to 1987, he returned in 2001, departing again 2017.
Besides his career with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John McEuen has performed and recorded prolifically as a solo artist and in various group settings, as well as producing music 12 CDs, 14 film scores, three film/television shows and videos. He also has a news website under development : syndicatednews.net and a planetarium film of which he is scriptwriter and executive producer: The Simple Gifts of Christmas.
He is the brother of William E. McEuen and father of Jonathan McEuen.