Hank Snow & the Rainbow Ranchboys
Hank Snow (lead vocals, guitar)
Bufford Gentry (fiddle, 1955)
Chubby Wise (fiddle, 1954-1970)
Ed Hyde (unknown)
Ernie Newton (bass guitar, 1952)
Joe Talbot (steel, 1952)
Sleepy McDaniel (bass guitar, 1957)
Tommy Vaden (fiddle, 1952)
Robert Russell "Chubby" Wise (Oct. 2, 1915, Lake City, Florida - Jan. 6, 1996) was a bluegrass fiddler.
Wise began playing fiddle at age 15, working locally in the Jacksonville area. 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. Wise worked with Monroe through 1948, then played with Clyde Moody in 1948-49. 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. Chubby remained with the group until 1970. Alongside this he worked as a session musician with Mac Wiseman and Red Allen, among others.
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.
Researched and written by Richard Bell, Roots of Country Music, Nov. 26, 2011.
