Bob Dylan’s Former Guitarist Addresses His Recent Exit

Bob Britt, the guitarist who was formerly part of Bob Dylan’s live band, has addressed his recent exit.

On June 27, Britt, who had served as Dylan’s acoustic guitar player since 2019, posted a message on social media that said “Sayonara Bobby” and featured the image of a plane route from Austin to Nashville. Fans quickly assumed this meant Britt was out of the band. His post was later taken down, but not before screenshots were shared in Dylan-related forums all over the internet.

Now, Britt has issued his first direct statement on the matter.

“Apparently there are quite a few threads out there with people speculating about my departure from the Bob tour,” he wrote on Facebook. “I’d like to clear it up. 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.”

READ MORE: Bob Dylan Makes Surprising Changes to Live Band Mid-Tour

Britt noted that he was “looking forward to getting back to doing sessions,” while leaving the door open somewhat regarding touring. “We will see what the future holds,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, I have some flower beds to weed.”

Who Is Bob Dylan’s New Guitarist?

Tonight (June 29), Dylan played his first show since Britt’s departure, a performance at the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas. The guitarist was replaced by Joel Paterson, an acclaimed jazz and blues musician out of Chicago. There has been no official confirmation that Paterson is now a permanent fixture in Dylan’s band.

Britt isn’t the only one of Dylan’s guitarists to recently leave. Earlier this month, electric guitarist Doug Lancio also quietly departed the band. He was replaced at several gigs by popular jazz guitarist Julian Lage, however Lage seems to have only been a temporary stop-gap (he did not perform at tonight’s Austin gig).