Guitarist Bob Britt Addresses Departure From Bob Dylan’s Band

Bob Britt made waves on Saturday when he abruptly quit as Bob Dylan's acoustic guitarist mid-tour. Britt just shared a post on Facebook regarding his decision.

“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. 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 wrote.

“I am looking forward to getting back to doing sessions (give me a call) and also finishing up [wife Etta Britt’s] gospel record,” the Nashville-based musician continued. “As far as any touring goes, we will see what the future holds. Meanwhile, I have some flower beds to weed.”

The Monday afternoon missive followed a since-deleted cryptic Facebook post Bob Britt shared on Saturday. The text of the post said “Sayonara Bobby” accompanied by an image illustrating the guitarist had flown from Austin (where Dylan is schedule to play tonight) to Nashville. Britt responded “I quit” to a commentor asking why he was stepping off tour before the post was trashed.

When Bob Dylan started his Long Hot Summer Tour ’26 on June 4, the guitar roles were filled by Bob Britt and Doug Lancio. The first surprise and unexplained change to the lineup came at Dylan's show in Santa Barbara on June 17 when Julian Lage stood in for Doug Lancio. Lage was also in Lancio’s spot for each of the six shows that have followed.

Now, the question is who will join Bob Dylan on guitar tonight at his concert in Austin and through August 1 for the rest of the tour. Julian Lage has a gig tonight in Brooklyn and has two shows in Montreal scheduled for Saturday, July 4.

Bob Dylan has remained mum on the lineup changes since Lage showed up in Santa Barbara with no advance announcement. Stay tuned for the next chapter in “As Bob Dylan’s Band Turns.”