The WVU School of Music invites the community to “An Evening with Tim O'Brien” at the Gladys G. Davis Theatre in the WVU Canady Creative Arts Center on April 1 at 7:30 p.m.
O’Brien will work with the WVU Bluegrass and Old-Time Bands during the day, then perform in the evening, with students joining him for a few songs.
“The idea for getting Tim here came after School of Music grad and American Pops Orchestra founder, Luke Frazier, made a gift to the program and instructed me to do something big that the kids would remember,” said Chris Haddox, Associate Professor of Sustainable Design and Director of the WVU Bluegrass and Old-Time Bands.
“Well, having Tim O'Brien here for the day is pretty big. He is one of the most talented players, singers and songwriters in the music business, and he is from right here in West Virginia,” Haddox continued.
Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1954, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien grew up singing in church and in school. After seeing Doc Watson on TV, he became a lifelong devotee of old-time and bluegrass music. O’Brien started touring nationally in 1978 with Colorado bluegrass band Hot Rize. His songs “Walk the Way the Wind Blows” and “Untold Stories” were bluegrass hits for Hot Rize and country hits for Kathy Mattea. Soon, more artists—like Nickel Creek, Garth Brooks and The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks)—covered his songs.
Over the years, O’Brien has recorded and toured with his sister Mollie O’Brien, songwriter Darrell Scott, old-time musician Dirk Powell and his wife Jan Fabricius. Other collaborators include the Chieftains, Steve Earle, Mark Knopfler, Sturgill Simpson, Tom Paxton and Billy Strings.
O’Brien’s skills on guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo make him an in-demand session player. The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awarded him song of the year in 2006 and named him best male vocalist in 1993 and 2006. He was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2013 and, with Hot Rize, into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2022, as well as the IBMA Hall of Fame in 2025.
Recent releases “He Walked On” and “Cup of Sugar” weave stories of everyday life into socially conscious themes. “Paper Flowers,” his 2025 duet release with Jan Fabricius, narrated the couple’s life together. The “Tim O’Brien Songbook,” coming in May 2026, collects 40 originals from his 50-plus years on the music scene.
“When I assumed leadership of the WVU Student Bluegrass and Old-Time Bands, I wanted to carry on the tradition started by my friend and colleague, Travis Stimeling, of exposing students to master artists like Kathy Mattea and Charlie McCoy. I am a big Tim O’Brien fan, and I knew he would be a great Master Artist to bring to campus. Fortunately, he was available and through the generosity of alumni Luke Frazier, we had the funds to make it happen,” said Haddox.
Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online at go.wvu.edu/ccam-tickets, by phone at 304-293-SHOW or in person at the box office located in the main lobby of the WVU Canady Creative Arts Center, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.