Lori Faith Merritt and PhotographyByFaith.com
Lori Faith Merritt and PhotographyByFaith.com
 

BIOGRAPHIES ~
The O'Brien Family Band

Click on a face to see that Family member's biography

Featured on Fox Television's International Prime Time Television Show
"Trading Spouses"
aired February 2005 and December 2005

The O'Brien family has been performing in Colorado and the West for four years.
They have quickly become one of Denver's favorite family bands, performing at these popular

Colorado venues:

Acoustic Cafe-Nederland
Angie's Coffee Shop, Lakewood
Arvada Center, Arvada
Avogadro's Number, Ft. Collins
Black Rose Acoustic Music Society, Colorado Springs
Blooming Idiots Restaurant, Evergreen
Bluebird Theatre, Denver
Bongo Billy's, Salida, CO
Buffalo Grass Acoustic Music, Peyton
Burro Days, Fairplay
Canon Rose Acoustic Music Society, Canon City
Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Arvada
D-Note Venue, Old Town Arvada
Estes Park YMCA, Estes Park

Four Mile Park, Denver
Greeley Bluegrass Festival-Greeley

Headless Chicken Festival, Fruita
Jefferson County Libraries, Denver
Hiwan Homestead Museum, Evergreen
Lakewood Cider Days, Lakewood
Lakewood on Parade, Lakewood

Mid-Winter Bluegrass Festival, Northglenn

Otis Music Festival-Otis, CO
Salida Steamplant Theater, Salida
Swallow Hill Music Hall, Denver
Taste of Colorado-Downtown Denver

Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival, Wheat Ridge
White Fence Farm Restaurant, Lakewood

National Bluegrass, Oldtime Country, Fairs and Festivals
Other than in Colorado include:

  • 2002.2003.2005 2006 Ainsworth Country Music Festival, NE
  • 2004 Apple Butter Festival, Kimmswick, MO
  • 2002 Avoca's Country Music Festival, IA
  • 2006 Bluegrass by the River Festival Pueblo, CO
  • 2004 2005 Buckeye Bluegrass Festival Buckeye, AZ
  • 2003 Cedar Depot Memorial Festival Cedar, KS
  • 2004 Country Bluegrass Show Hastings, NE
  • 2003 2004 2005 2006 Fourth Ave Street Fair Tucson, AZ
  • 2003 Founder's Day Celebration Union, MO
  • 2003 Gladys Stein's Bluegrass Fest Hampton, IA
  • 2002,2003,2004 Bluegrass Fest Kids Tent, Guthrie, OK
  • 2005 2006 Lathrop Bluegrass Festival Lathrop, MO
  • 2006 Lane County Bluegrass Festival Dighton, KS
  • 2003 Merlefest, Children's Tent Entertainers Wilkesboro, NC
  • 2005 2006 Milford Lake Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Festival Milford Lake, KS
  • 2005 Mountain View Fair Mountain View, OK
  • 2004 2005 North Platte Bluegrass Festival North Platte, NE
  • 2005 Oktoberfest Sidney, NE
  • 2004 2005 Oregon Trail Wagon Train Festival Bayard, NE
  • 2004 Saguaro Traditional Music Festival Casa Grande,. AZ
  • 2004 Saw Logs 'n Strings Dodge City, KS
  • 2004, 2005 Silver Dollar City American Festival of Craftsmanship Branson, MO
  • 2003 South Texas Music Fest Mercedes, TX
  • 2003-2004 Wahoo Country Music Festival Wahoo, NE
  • 2003 W/Kacey Musgraves Walnut Valley Festival Winfield, KS
  • 2003 Windmill Country Celebration Hyannis, NE

Concerts:

  • 2004 2005 Eagle's Club Tucson, AZ
  • 2002.Pheasant County Music Wilcox, NE
  • 2003 Quail Valley Fun Barn Winfield, KS
  • 2004 Utica Park Concert Series Angels Camp, CA
  • 2005 Winfield Arts and Humanities Council Winfield, KS

RV Rallies:

  • 2004 Good Sam Club Rally Hastings, NE
  • 2006 Good Sam Club Rally Frederick, MD
  • 2004 Miles of Memories Rally Hastings, NE

Cowboy Poetry Gatherings:

  • 2002 2003 2004 2005 Arvada Center Cowboy Poetry Arvada, CO
  • 2004 2006 Big Bear Cowboy Poetry Gathering Big Bear, CA
  • 2003 Cheyenne Symposium, Cheyenne, WY
  • 2004 2005 2006 Cochise Cowboy Gathering Sierra Vista, AZ
  • 2004 2005 Cody Stampede Celebration Cody, WY
  • 2005 Cowboy Gathering Encampment, WY
  • 2005 Elko Cowboy Poetry Gathering Elko, NV
  • 2005 2006 Estes Park Gathering Estes Park, CO
  • 2003 2004 Festival of the West Scottsdale, AZ
  • 2006 Otis Music Gathering Otis, CO
  • 2005 Trail Dust Town Pioneer Days Tucson, AZ
  • 2002.2003 Tucson Cowboy Roundup Tucson, AZ
  • 2002 Western Music Association Convention Las Vegas, NV
  • 2003 Western Music Association Convention Wichita, KS
  • 2005 Western Music Association Convention Nashville, TN

Awards:

  • 2005 Nominated for Crescendo Award by The Western Music Association
  • 2003 Ainsworth, NE National Country Music Festival
    -First Place Band Competition
    -First Place Jr. Competition, Kyle O'Brien
    -First Place Pre-teen Competition, Maura O'Brien
    -First Place Fiddle Contest, Kyle O'Brien
    -First Place Songwriter's Contest, for Dan's Song: "That's Texas For Ya"
  • 2002 & 2003 Colorado's High Plains Fiddle Contest
    -First Place "No Holds Barred" Kyle O'Brien
  • 2003 Loveland Colorado's Fiddle Contest
    -Second Place Fiddle Contest, Kyle O'Brien
  • 2003 Oklahoma's International Bluegrass Festival Guthrie
    -First Place Youth Band Competition Kyle and Maura
  • 2002 Wickenburg Arizona's Bluegrass Festival
    -First place, Family Band competition
  • 2003 Winfield, Kansas Bluegrass Festival
    -First Place Songwriter's Competition for Dan's song: "Tumbleweed Jack"

Papa Dan writes many of the band's favorite tunes. Dan, a newly retired high school history teacher,
enjoys piloting the family around the country in their motor home and teaching history on the move.
"Old Cars and Old Guitars" Dan's cd, chalked full of his great original songs.


2005 Ainsworth, NE Songwriter's Contest- First place "Almost Done"
2004
Winfield, KS Songwriter's Contest - First place "That's Texas For You"
2003 Winfield, KS Songwriter's Contest
-First place "Tumbleweed Jack"
2003 NE Songwriter's Contest -
First Place "That's Texas for Ya"
2002 Ainsworth, NE Songwriter's Contest
-First place "A Day to Remember"
2002 Winfield, KS Songwriter's Contest -First place "Crosses By the Roadside"
2001 Winfield, KS Songwriter's Contest -First place "Baseball, Baseball"
1999 Winfield, KS Songwriter's Contest -First place "Old Cars and Old Guitars"
1998 Winfield, KS Songwriter's Contest -First place "Mexican Widow" &"Grand Junction"

Find out more about Dan...

Mama Janette is a certified elelmentary teacher who has home schooled both Kyle and Maura from the start.
She plays acoustic bass and sings back-up vocals in the band. She designs and updates the website and also manages and books the band.

Find out more about Janette...

 

Kyle, fifteen years old, finished his rollicking first CD in April, 2002 entitled, "Kyle's Big Hit"
Some of Kyle's honors include:
2005 Ainsworth, NE Country Music Festival- First place Fiddler, Picker and Band Scramble
2004 Oklahoma's International Bluegrass Festival-First place "Youth Band" Contest
2004 South Texas Music Festival-
First place "Youth Fiddle" Contest
2003 Ainsworth Nebraska Country Music Festival-First place Fiddler & Junior Contest
2002 Ainsworth Nebraska Country Music Festival-First place Pre-teen and male vocal

2002 Gospel Festival Elizabeth, CO-
First place Songwriters, "Life is Like a Baseball Game"
2002 & 2003 Kiowa County Fiddle Contest-
First place "No-Holds Barred"
2003 Oklahoma's International Bluegrass Festival-
First place Youth Band Contest

2003 South Texas Music Festival-First placeYouth Fiddle Contest
2002 Western Music Association, Las Vegas-
First place Youth Male, "International Yodeling Champion"

Find out more about Kyle...


Maura, twelve years old, is "the little girl with the big voice" and holds these honors:
2004 Oklahoma's International Bluegrass Festival-First place Youth Band Contest
2003 Western Music Associaiton, Wichita-First place Youth Female, "International Yodeling Champion"
2003 Oklahoma's International Bluegrass Festival-
First place Youth Band Contest

2003 Ainsworth Nebraska Country Music Festival-First place Pre-teen
2003 South Texas Music Festival-
Third place Yodeling Contest

2002 Ainsworth Nebraska Country Music Festival-
Second place Pre-teen Contest
2001 Colorado Open-
Small-Fry Fiddle Champion

Find out more about Maura...

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