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Special Guests
SATURDAY, May 31, 2003
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Mollie O'Brien
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MOLLIE O'BRIEN grew up in Wheeling, West
Virginia where she and her brother Tim began singing covers of artists
like Bob Dylan, Judy Collins and Peter, Paul & Mary when they were
in high school. After a couple years of college, Mollie moved to New York,
where she hoped to become a musical-comedy star on Broadway; however,
she got stuck working day jobs instead. In 1980 she moved to Boulder and
started a band called the Prosperity Jazz Band, which did '30s and '40s
swing music with three-part harmonies. In Boulder she also reformed the
high school duo with her brother, Tim, for a one-off show that was so
well received that it became an annual event. In 1987 Mollie released
her debut album, I Never Move Too Soon and in 1988 Mollie and Tim
made a duo album called Take Me Back, which led to them making
two more albums together. Since then Mollie has sung with Blue Tips, a
popular Colorado blues and R & B band, and released four solo albums,
the most recent being Things I Gave Away. Today Mollie is regarded
as one of the greatest, and most versatile, interpretive singers of her
generation.
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Tim O'Brien
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TIM O'BRIEN grew up in Wheeling,
West Virginia and is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and
singer. When he was still a teen, O'Brien moved west to check out the
vibrant bluegrass scene in Colorado; there he met guitarist Charles Sawtelle,
banjoist Pete Wernick and bassist/vocalist Nick Foster, with whom he formed
the bluegrass band Hot Rize (1978-1990). Hot Rize was the International
Bluegrass Music Association's first Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and
in 1993 O'Brien was chosen IBMA's Male Vocalist of the Year. In 1984 O'Brien
released his first solo album, Hard Year Blues that fused bluegrass
and folk styles and defined his solo career. He released three subsequent
duo albums with his sister Mollie in 1988, 1992 and 1994, which still
rank among his best-recorded performances. After the breakup of Hot Rize,
O'Brien assembled the O'Boys to back up his original material. The band
toured extensively and recorded 1993's Oh Boy! O'Boy! O'Brien released
two more solo albums in 1997 and 1999 and is known for not only for his
remarkable singing, songwriting and instrumental talents, but also for
his ability to convey something distinctive and personal in each of his
performances.
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BeauSoleil
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BeauSoleil is a revolutionary Cajun
band that has fought to heighten awareness and acceptance of the Cajun
culture for the past 25 years. Founded by band-member Michael Doucet,
BeauSoleil has done this by playing and preserving the music of its grandparents,
old-style French music, "Not in a stiff, academic manner, but in
the way that we had learned it, straight from the heart and …like
one's life depended on it," according to Doucet. BeauSoleil is the
epitome of cultural pride and they have played in concert halls and at
festivals and dances around the world. BeauSoleil has also appeared on
countless TV and radio shows and has released three albums, their most
recent being Encore! Encore! The Best of BeauSoleil.
BeauSoleil's members are: Michael Doucet on violin, guitar, accordion,
mandolin and vocals; David Doucet on guitar and vocals; Jimmy Breaux on
accordion; Billy Ware on percussion; Tommy Alesi on drums; Al Tharp on
bass, fiddle, banjo and electric guitar.
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