IBMA 2023 — Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Rolling Stone magazine called this "the most important album to come out of Nashville."

In terms of the history of bluegrass and country music, one of the most important sessions at the 2023 IBMA “World of Bluegrass” was the session with John McEuen, where he and Les Thompson, along with Jim Lauderdale, Dan Miller, and Daniel Mullins discussed the recording of this album, shared anecdotes, and discussed how it came about and the impact that it has had on American traditional music. The historical importance of this 3-record set cannot be overstated. It was covered in some depth in Ken Burns’ documentary “Country Music,” Episode 6: “…a hippie band from California, the Nitty Gritty Band, comes to town [Nashville] to create a landmark album that bridges the gap between the generations.” 

Sandy Hatley wrote about the September 29, 2023 panel discussion for Bluegrass Today.

Just one of the many historically-significant connections from that album was the first face-to-face meeting of Doc Watson and Merle Travis. Doc Watson had named his son after Merle Travis. The two men met for the first time in the recording studio while making this historic album. And William McEuen had the great foresight to capture that meeting on tape. You can hear it on the album.

In August 2022, John McEuen released a book, Will The Circle Be Unbroken: The Making of a Landmark Album, on its 50th Anniversary.