Rusted Root Biography
Often compared to the Grateful Dead, this multi-instrumentalist US outfit appeared on the scene the same time as similarly-styled, acoustic-based jam bands such as the Dave Matthews Band and Sister Hazel. The band's origins lay in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the late 80s, when singer-songwriter and guitarist Michael Glabicki began writing songs with fellow vocalist and songwriter Liz Berlin. By the start of the 90s, local University of Pittsburgh students Jim Donovan (drums/percussion) and Patrick Norman (bass, percussion, vocals) had joined up with Glabicki and Berlin, and began playing under the name Rusted Root. Second guitarist John Buynak and vocalist Jenn Wertz (4 January 1969, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA) completed the original line-up, as the band issued an independently produced debut, Cruel Sun. The album sold extremely well (eventually selling over 100,000 copies), and led to a contract with Mercury Records. The band'S major label debut, When I Woke, which featured new member Jim DiSpirito (b. Daniel James DiSpirito; percussion), was a sizeable hit (eventually going platinum in the USA) and the band toured with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.
Wertz left Rusted Root the following year, prior to the recording of Remember. This album and 1998's self-titled release were unable to sustain Rusted Root's initial chart success, and the members took an extended hiatus at the end of the decade to work on solo projects. Wertz returned in place of DiSpirito on the band's comeback album Welcome To My Party, but this 2002 release met with little appreciation from both loyal fans and the general public. After another hiatus the members regrouped in 2006 for a US tour and to begin work on a new studio album.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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