Search - Hot Rize :: Radio Boogie

Gone But Not Fogotten

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 01/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hot Rize--named after the secret ingredient in Martha White Flour--was one of the premier bluegrass bands of the Eighties. All four members were solid musicians: Pete Wernick on banjo, Tim O'Brien on lead vocals, mandolin and fiddle, Nick Forster on bass, and the late Charles Sawtelle on flat-top guitar. Half of the songs were written by Wernick or O'Brien, but my favorite is the gospel number "The Man In the Middle." Both Wernick and O'Brien continue to release the occasional solo album, but the sum of this band was greater than its parts. Traditional bluegrass at its finest. Also, if you enjoy oldtime country music, pick up the albums by their alter egos Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers. If your bluegrass library doesn't include anything by Hot Rize, there's a big hole in your collection. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"