Tim O'Brien, a spearhead of contemporary bluegrass, co-founded and was lead vocalist of Hot Rize. In the 1980s, the Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist served as a bridge between the traditional sounds of his native West Virginia hill country and modern bluegrass. He scored a country hit with Kathy Mattea’s cover of his song Walk the Way the Wind Blows. Artists like Nickel Creek and Garth Brooks also covered his songs. O’Brien says his most recent recording, “He Walked On,” is about “what you need to do to survive in America.” Covering work, racial issues, and modern technology, its eight originals and five covers offer an expansive portrayal of the nation from its beginnings to the present day.
This triple threat, singer/songwriter/Nashville session musician, with his wife, Jan Fabricius, return for an encore performance at Bartlett with a string of new tunes.