Hot Rize, circa 1986 – photo © Rick Gardner Photo
Hot Rize is back, in a manner of speaking. Two old recordings from this wildly popular group from the 1970s and ’80s, one from the vintage group with Charles Sawtelle on guitar, and another more recent with Bryan Sutton, are set to be released in the coming weeks, and you can hear them now at Bluegrass Today.
The band was an immediate sensation when they first hit the scene, a fresh sound featuring the voice and songwriting of Tim O’Brien, paired with Pete Wernick on banjo, Nick Forster on bass, and Sawtelle on guitar. They were young and innovative, but in a restrained sort of way that set them apart in the industry. And their hilarious alter egos, Red Knuckles & The Trailblazers, were an early forerunner to today’s renewed popularity of traditional country music.
They remained a successful recording and touring group until 1990 when they went their separate ways, doing the odd reunion show until the passing of Charles Sawtelle in 1999. A few years later the band resurfaced, with Bryan Sutton on guitar, but the various other commitments of the members took precedence. Then, in 2014, a new album and an extensive tour served as the official farewell of Hot Rize as an active group.
Wernick tells us that it felt like a good time to revisit that classic sound.
“We made so much music together starting in 1978, and a lot of it was recorded to tape, and some to video. Lately, as I’m approaching 80 I’ve thought, why not put out some things that hardly anyone ever heard us do, put them in circulation. Especially with Charles gone 25 years now, it’s a satisfaction to give people a taste of his playing on a song they haven’t heard. He remains a unique musician. And Bryan is a miracle man, hard to believe the stuff he comes up with and can pull off!
It’s just good to hear us playing some good old songs together again in Hot Rize style. I always like hearing us, quite a big and fortunate part of my life.”
First up is Mighty Mississippi, written by Kelly Harrell about a devastating flood in 1927 along the Mississippi River in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi that saw the river crest its banks by up to 30 feet, and remained that way in some places for months. Deaths approached 500 people, with more than 600,000 displaced as approximately 27,000 square miles were affected.
The song came to Hot Rize through the New Lost City Ramblers, and this version was recorded live at a Hot Rize show in 1989.
It’s worth noting that Hot Rize last year created two bundles of their CDs and videos, available for online purchase, with all proceeds going to help restore the lives of the people who suffered great loss in the Appalachian region during the damage from Hurricane Helene in 2024. They can be purchased from the band web site.
Brown Eyed Rabbit is an old time number that Wernick brought to the 2014 sessions for the reunited band’s When I’m Free project with Bryan Sutton. Pete says that they were just jamming on the tune with the tape rolling, and what we have here is them live with no fixes.
They give it a tasty, Ralph Stanley sort of vibe, reimagined by Hot Rize.
Both of these tracks will be offered for sale online in the coming weeks.
What a treat to listen to Hot Rize again!
