Dale Gruber Senior bought a little mandolin and fiddle for Luke and Dale when they were tykes roaming the hills of the Minnesota Old-Time Bluegrass Festival at the Camp in the Woods Resort near Zimmerman, Minn. (now located at El Rancho Manana west of St. Cloud, Minn.).
Luke and Dale began their musical careers in the band “Dad n’ the Crawdads” which consisted of Dale Gruber Senior on the guitar, Luke Gruber on the mandolin, little Dale Gruber on the fiddle and little spitfire bassist Jeremy Rooney. There were also some guest appearances from Tommy Jorgenson on the banjo.
Later Luke and Dale formed the Gruber Family Band with Dale Gruber Senior and their sister Hannah (Gruber) Johnson and mother Diane Gruber.
Finally, after years of trying to form the perfect band, Blue Hazard was born. Hannah, Luke and Dale joined forces with bassist Jeremy Rooney. From 2000-2008 these four band-mates won several talent shows, recorded their first two CDs “The Old Home Place” and “All I Know” and performed on the main stage at MBOTMA.
Sadly, Jeremy Rooney had to step down from Blue Hazard to pursue a degree in law enforcement. Rooney fondly remains in Hannah, Luke and Dale’s hearts and memories.
In the wake of Rooney’s absence, Clara Wicklund stepped in to fill the void in Blue Hazard. Since she joined the band she has exceeded expectations with her steady beat and tear-evoking voice.
After more than 10 years, Blue Hazard decided it was time to add a full-time banjo player. Blue Hazard found its missing piece when Uriah Nibbe joined Blue Hazard in 2011.
Blue Hazard continues to move ahead with one goal: to enrich people’s lives with bluegrass music with a contemporary twist.
