Charles Sawtelle
Charles Sawtelle (September 20, 1946 – March 20, 1999) was an American guitarist, singer, and record producer known as a member of the Grammy-nominated bluegrass band Hot Rize from 1978 to 1990. In addition to guitar, he concurrently portrayed the silent, stone-faced bassist "Slade" in Hot Rize's satirical classic-country alter-ego band, Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers. Following the group's initial disbandment, Sawtelle formed his own regional ensemble, the Whippets, toured extensively with folk-bluegrass musician Peter Rowan, and operated Rancho deVille, an analog recording studio near Boulder, Colorado, where he engineered and produced albums for numerous acoustic artists. Utilizing vintage instruments, his adventurous yet deeply traditional sonic philosophy was preserved on his sole solo project, Music from Rancho deVille (2001), which was completed posthumously by his close friend Laurie Lewis following his death from leukemia complications at age 52.
In the newsletter
- No. 22 Winter 2000