Guitarist Bob Britt has spoken out about his departure from Bob Dylan‘s live backing band.
Over the weekend, Britt was reported to have left the touring line-up after he shared a brief social media post that was later deleted.
He had played with Dylan since 2019, and been a regular fixture during the Rough And Rowdy Ways tour.
The news came after electric guitarist Doug Lancio was replaced in the live group by acclaimed jazz guitarist Julian Lage. Lancio had toured with the legendary singer-songwriter since 2021, but was absent from his June 17 show in Santa Barbara, California.
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Dylan has since enlisted Chicago-based jazz and blues musician Joel Paterson as his sole guitarist.
Paterson then played his first show with Dylan and co. in Austin, Texas, on Monday (June 29), per Setlist.FM. Lage is said to have stepped back due to scheduling conflicts.
Britt has now shared an update on the situation via Facebook, confirming that he was “not fired” by Dylan.
“Apparently there are quite a few threads out there with people speculating about my departure from the Bob tour. I’d like to clear it up,” he began.
“I was not fired but left of my own accord for reasons I would prefer to keep private. I will miss my band mates and crew,” Britt mentioned, adding, that he was “looking forward to getting back to doing sessions (give me a call)”. He then hinted that a return to live performing could be on the cards at some point, adding: “As far as any touring goes, we will see what the future holds.”
“Meanwhile, I have some flower beds to weed,” Bob Britt concluded.
Meanwhile, Lancio is yet to speak out about his departure from Dylan’s band.
Bob Dylan’s current North American summer tour continued in New Braunfels, Texas, last night, that is, June 30.
Further gigs are scheduled throughout the rest of this month, with the trek set to finish in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 1.
