Black Stone Cherry bassist and co-founder Jon Lawhon has parted ways with the band. Black Stone Cherry issued a statement on their social media reading in part, “It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that Jon Lawhon has decided to take an indefinite sabbatical from music and touring for personal reasons . . . We love Jon, we wish him all the best in all his future endeavors and will cherish the memories and legacy we've built with him over 20 years as a band . . .”
The statement concluded with an eye on the future which includes playing “more rockin' Black Stone Cherry shows in 2021 and onward,” however lead singer Chris Robertson recently told the Aftershocks podcast that if anyone decided to leave the band, the band would break up.
He said, “It's the four of us. You take one away and it's not Black Stone Cherry anymore . . . I would say if one guy ever had to walk away for whatever reasons, the friendship would remain first and foremost, because, to me, that's worth more than the band. And then secondly, I would say that would be it for Black Stone Cherry.”
According to the band's tour schedule, they're slated to play this Saturday (June 5th) in Barnardsville, North Carolina.