Before there was Brooks & Dunn, we had the Osborne Brothers. Consisting of Bobby Osborne and younger brother Sonny, the sibling duo threw out the bluegrass playbook entirely, incorporating drums, electric bass, pedal steel guitar, and even strings into their music. Far from being shunned for flouting tradition, the Osborne Brothers enjoyed five decades of success, one of the few bluegrass bands to consistently land on the country charts. Today we’re remembering Bobby Osborne, who died on this day (June 27) in 2023 in Gallatin, Tennessee. He was 91 years old.
How Bobby Osborne and His Brother Disrupted Bluegrass
Born December 7, 1931, in Thousandsticks, Kentucky, Robert Van Osborne grew up trying to emulate Grand Ole Opry staples like Ernest Tubb.
However, he became infatuated with bluegrass music after hearing Earl Scruggs play “Cumberland Gap” over the radio.
In 1951, the U.S. Marine Corps drafted Bobby Osborne to serve in the Korean War. Serving two years, he was wounded in combat and earned the Purple Heart.
Upon his return, he started a band with younger brother Sonny. The Osborne Brothers charted their first song in 1958 with “Once More”, controversial among bluegrass traditionalists for its use of three-part harmonies.
At the time, fellow bluegrass artists squeezed lead vocals in between tenor and baritone parts. Driving home one night, Bobby Osborne decided to try out the melody on top.
“We knew then that we had caught onto something that…we had never heard before,” he told NPR in 2017. “So we got the guitar out of the trunk and found out what key we was in, and we sang that song all the way home so we would not forget that type of harmony because that’s what we wanted to do.”
Additionally, the Osborne Brothers expanded their string band sound to include electric guitars and drums, unabashedly borrowing from pop, country and rock.
The duo’s biggest hit came in 1967 with “Rocky Top” , which became an official Tennessee state song in 1982.
Other hits included “Up This Hill & Down” (1965), “Making Plans” (1965), “Tennessee Hound Dog” (1969), and “Midnight Flyer” (1972).
Nine years earlier, the Osborne Brothers made history as the first bluegrass group to perform at the White House.
Going Solo
After Sonny retired in 2005, Bobby Osborne reinvented himself as a solo artist. His solo albums included 2009’s Bluegrass & Beyond and 2017’s Original.
Bobby continued performing with his band, the Rocky Top X-Press, until his death.
“People ask me now, ‘When you gonna quit?’” he told NPR. “Why, they ask the wrong guy. I don’t intend to quit as long as I can do what I’m doing now.”
Featured image by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
The post 3 Years Ago Today, We Said Goodbye to This Bluegrass Pioneer and Purple Heart Recipient appeared first on American Songwriter.
Go To Source | Author: Erinn Callahan
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