Mollie O'Brien

by Jason AnkenyThe older sister of Hot Rize member Tim, bluegrass performer Mollie OBrien grew up in Wheeling, WV, where during high school she and her brother teamed as a folk duo. After studying voice in college, OBrien moved to New York City, where she worked as a buyer for the garment industry. In 1980, inspired by Tims success in Hot Rize, she joined him in Colorado, where she became a fixture on the R&B and jazz club circuits. In 1984, the OBrien siblings reunited for a Mothers Day concert, and four years later, they recorded a duets album, Take Me Back. Concurrently, OBrien continued her solo career, issuing her debut LP, I Never Move to Soon, in 1987. She also joined with the group the Mother Folkers for 1989s Live at the Arvada Center. In the decade that followed, OBrien continued to divide her time between solo and duo work, releasing her Everynight in the Week in 1990 and rejoining Tim two years later for Remember Me. Another duet collection, Away Out on the Mountain, appeared in 1994, and in 1996, OBrien issued the solo effort Tell It True. Big Red Sun Blues followed two years later, and Things I Gave Away was issued in 2000.