A singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (primarily mandolin and fiddle) who rose to prominence with the Colorado-based group Hot Rize (1979-1990). Since then, he has performed as a solo artist and with his band The O’Boys. He has also toured and recorded with his sister Mollie O’Brien, Darrell Scott, New Grange, the Earls of Leicester and several other ensembles.
Early years: had a group in high school called the Northern Valley Boys (in high school). He also performed as a solo act in a pizza parlor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and spent some time as a member of the The Hutchison Brothers, an Ohio group. After moving to Colorado, he worked with a group called Ophelia Swing Band.
He plays the role of Red Knuckles in the Hot Rize western band “Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers.”