Chubby_Wise
Chubby Wise
American bluegrass fiddler (1915–1996)
Robert Russell "Chubby" Wise (October 2, 1915 – January 6, 1996) was an American bluegrass fiddler.[1][2]
Originally starting out playing the banjo and guitar, Wise began playing fiddle at age 12, working locally in the Jacksonville area.[3] He joined the Jubilee Hillbillies in 1938, then began playing with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1942, including dates at the Grand Ole Opry.[3] He worked with Monroe through 1948, then played with Clyde Moody.[3] He also played with the York Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, and Connie B. Gay.
In 1954, Wise became a member of Hank Snow's Rainbow Ranch Boys, again appearing at the Grand Ole Opry; he remained with the group until March 1970.[3] Alongside this he worked as a session musician with Mac Wiseman and Red Allen, among others.[3] Wise returned to Florida in 1984 and went into semi-retirement, though he continued to tour and record occasionally, such as with the Bass Mountain Boys in 1992.[3]
He joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry for the In the Heat of the Night cast's CD Christmas Time's a Comin' performing "Christmas Time's a Comin'" with the cast on the CD released on Sonlite and MGM/UA. Franks occasionally joined Wise performing twin fiddle with him on his shows.