THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN (final script, 9/2/06)
Grady Kirkpatrick, WNKU Productions and Bgrass, Inc., www.Bgrass.org,
info@bgrass.org
OSBORNEPROMO1: (:36)
Bgrass, Inc. presents The Osborne Brothers: From Hyden to the Ryman, a two-hour
musical documentary on one of the most influential bluegrass bands ever. You’ll
hear the Osborne Brothers’ music, including “Ruby,” “Once More,” and “Rocky
Top,” along with conversation from Bobby & Sonny Osborne. Join us for The
Osborne Brothers: From Hyden to the Ryman.
_____________________________________________________________________
OSBORNEHRA1: (:55)
(brief audio quote from Fred Bartenstein/music up & under)
These guys were incredible! The innovations they introduced included twin banjos,
the “high lead trio” vocal arrangement, the use of string sections on bluegrass
recordings...
WNKU and Bgrass, Inc. present “The Osborne Brothers: From Hyden to the
Ryman”… a two-hour musical documentary on one of the most influential bluegrass
bands ever. You’ll hear the Osborne Brothers’ music, including “Ruby,” “Once
More,” “Kentucky,” and “Rocky Top,” along with conversation from Bobby and
Sonny Osborne.
(Bobby quote Q: “it was right.”)
Stay with us for the ride…The Osborne Brothers: From Hyden to the Ryman.
(music up and ends)
_____________________________________________________________________
OSBORNEHRA2: (25:46)
I’m Grady K your host ….
This hour, the Osborne Brothers’ musical roots in Hyden, Kentucky; their
childhood move to Dayton, Ohio; their early career and the high lead trio.
(town sfx/music up & under- Clawhammer banjo of the brothers’ father Robert Osborne
on The Osborne Brothers/Pinecastle/Hyden
Hyden, Kentucky, is located in the Appalachian region of the state, coal country….
southwest of Hazard and just north of Harlan. It’s the seat of Leslie County, at the
mouth of Rockhouse Creek on the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River. The Hyden
post office opened in 1879.
(music up)
In the 1930’s, Robert Osborne farmed, helped two of his brothers operate their
grocery store in Hyden, and taught school for 11 years. His wife Daisy also taught
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 2
school until the children came along: Bobby was born Dec 7, 1931, and Sonny on
October 29, 1937.
(music up & under)
In 1941, the family left Hyden, first moving briefly to Radford, in southwestern
Virginia. Before long, the family headed north to Dayton, Ohio, where Robert
found a good job at the National Cash Register plant.
(music up & under)
A WORKING MAN/The Osborne Brothers/Bear Family (Decca)/The Osborne Brothers:
1968-1974/1969 (2:39)
The family eventually settled on a farm eight miles outside of Dayton. This pattern
of part-time farming and full time industrial work was followed by quite a few
Appalachian migrant families in the upper midwest at the time. It helped preserve
some of the qualities of life they’d left in Hyden.
(instrumental music up & under)
Music was another part of rural eastern Kentucky home life that the Osborne
family maintained when they moved to Ohio. Robert, a Jimmie Rodgers and Carter
Family fan, sang, yodeled and played the banjo, fiddle and guitar. He taught his son
Bobby his first guitar chords. As a teenager, Bobby began listening to the Grand
Ole Opry regularly on Saturday nights.
Red Foley introduction of Bill Monroe/Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys/MCA/Live at
the Grand Ole Opry/1948
He started listening closely to Bill Monroe after he and Sonny saw Bill with his most
famous group of Blue Grass Boys, including Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and Chubby
Wise. They performed at a sold-out Memorial Hall in Dayton in the winter of 1947.
MULE SKINNER BLUES/Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys/MCA/Live at the Grand
Ole Opry/1948
Bobby Osborne’s first public appearances were with his mother’s brother,
McKinley Dixon. During 1947 and ’48 they played together on Sundays at the
Apache Inn near Middletown, Ohio, in a group called the Miami Valley Playboys.
At his first radio appearance, he sang a song that would later become one of the
Osbornes’ signature tunes. Bobby recalls first hearing the song…
(insert Bobby w/music under) 1:20 Q: “I just learned the words from Cousin Emmy.”
RUBY/Cousin Emmy & Her Kinfolk/MCA (Decca)/From the Vaults: Decca Country
Classics/1946 (2:43)
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 3
Cousin Emmy’s version of “Ruby.” Now Bobby tells the story of when he first sang
the song on radio at WPFB in Middletown, (Ohio) in June, 1949
(insert Bobby /WPFB manager ) :55 Q “…sing it again.”
RUBY, ARE YOU MAD?/The Osborne Brothers & Red Allen/Bear Family (MGM)/The
Osborne Brothers 1956-1968/1956 (3:00)
You’re listening to the Osborne Brothers: from Hyden to the Ryman. I’m Grady K.
In the summer of 1949, Bobby played in a couple of groups with Larry Richardson,
a young banjo player from Galax, Virginia. In the fall, they joined the Lonesome
Pine Fiddlers. Bobby and Larry were credited for the most enduring song from a
recording session on the Cozy label in 1950….”Pain in My Heart,” which soon
became a bluegrass standard thanks to Flatt & Scruggs’ cover version. Here’s the
original.
PAIN IN MY HEART/Lonesome Pine Fiddlers/Bear Family (Cozy)/Windy
Mountain/1950 (2:40)
In June of 1951, Jimmy Martin, a guitarist and lead singer formerly with Bill
Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys replaced Larry Richardson in the Lonesome Pine
Fiddlers. Jimmy didn’t think two guitarists were needed in the band, so Bobby
bought a Gibson A-50 for 15 bucks and became a mandolin player.
Sonny Osborne began playing banjo in the late ‘40s.
(insert Sonny 2 /MD 2) 1:16 Q: “….me a Kay banjo.”
Sonny sandwiched banjo practice between school, farm chores and sports.
Sneaking out on the back porch in the wee hours, he often only got a few hours sleep
at night.
ME & MY OLD BANJO/The Osborne Brothers/Bear Family (Decca)/ The Osborne
Brothers 1956-1968/1964 (2:15)
“Me and My Old Banjo,” a 1964 recording from the Osborne Brothers.
In 1951, Jimmy Martin and Bobby visited the Osborne family farm near Dayton.
While they were there, Ott Ginter recorded the Osborne family with Bobby and
Sonny, sister Louise, and Jimmy Martin. Four of the songs were issued on the
obscure Kitty label. Sonny, at 13, had been playing banjo for a couple of years.
Louise sang and composed the songs, including a song later made famous by the
Country Gentlemen, “New Freedom Bell.”
NEW FREEDOM BELL/Lou & Sonny Osborne/Kitty 002/1951 (fragment)
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 4
“New Freedom Bell” from Osborne sister Louise.
In August of 1951, Bobby and Jimmy Martin left the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers.
Starting their own band, they recorded four songs for King Records of Cincinnati,
issued under the name of Jimmy Martin & Bob Osborne and the Sunny Mountain
Boys.
BLUE EYED DARLIN’/Jimmy Martin & Bob Osborne/Gusto (King)/Cabin on a
Mountain/1951 (2:24)
“Blue Eyed Darlin’” from Jimmy Martin & Bob Osborne and the Sunny Mountain
Boys.
When Jimmy Martin got a job in Knoxville, the band broke up. Bobby played with
the Stanley Brothers for about three weeks before joining the Marines in November
of 1951. He served his country in the Korean War.
Sister Louise wrote about her reaction to Bobby’s military service in a song,
recorded by Sonny on the Kentucky label with a group of Dayton and Cincinnati
musicians.
A BROTHER IN KOREA/Sonny Osborne/Crosscut (Kentucky)/The Early Recordings of
Sonny Osborne 1952-1953, Volume 3/ (3:00)
You’re listening to The Osborne Brothers from Hyden to the Ryman, I’m Grady K.
Coming up, Sonny Osborne and Jimmy Martin become Blue Grass Boys in Bill
Monroe’s band and Sonny plays the Grand Ole Opry for the first time at age 14.
(:60 instrumental music bed: BLUE WAVES/Sonny Osborne/Crosscut (Kentucky)/The
Early Recordings of Sonny Osborne 1952-1953, Volume 1)
_____________________________________________________________________
OSBORNEHRA3: (31:55)
This is The Osborne Brothers: from Hyden to the Ryman.
During the winter of 1951-52, Sonny Osborne played occasionally on WPFB in
Middletown, Ohio. The following spring, Jimmy Martin began working in the area.
On a Sunday in July, Jimmy and Sonny drove over to the country music park that
Bill Monroe had recently purchased in Bean Blossom, Indiana. Monroe had only
two band members at the time, so Martin worked with him that day and asked for
his old job back and one for Sonny. They were hired on the spot and left the
following Wednesday from Dayton to Nashville. Sonny at 14 was suddenly thrust
into the high powered world of professional country music. (music up)
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 5
RAW HIDE/Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys/Bear Family (Decca)/Blue Grass 19501958/1951 (2:36)
(insert Sonny quote/music up and under. Q: “I got through it OK.”)
Within a few days of becoming a member of the Blue Grass Boys, he joined the
group for a recording session at the Old Castle Studios in the Tulane Hotel. Among
the eight numbers they recorded were “In the Pines,” “Footprints in the Snow,”
“The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake,” and Bill Monroe’s autobiographical
“Memories of Mother and Dad.”
MEMORIES OF MOTHER AND DAD/ Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys/Bear
Family (Decca)/Blue Grass 1950-1958/1952 (3:00)
“Memories of Mother and Dad” from Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys…off the
1951-52 Decca recordings. You’re listening to the Osborne Brothers special from
Hyden to the Ryman.
In the fall of 1952, Sonny returned home to continue school. He was contacted by
Cincinnati-based Gateway Records, who wanted him to record. The company’s
records were heavily advertised in the [Jimmie Skinner Record ED.] Shop’s mail
order record ads on Cincinnati radio station WCKY, also in local newspapers and
magazines like “Country Song Roundup.” The hit from these sessions was Sonny’s
own composition, “Sunny Mountain Chimes,” which sold some 67,000 copies in
1953.
SUNNY MOUNTAIN CHIMES/Sonny Osborne/Crosscut (Gateway)/The Early
Recordings of Sonny Osborne 1952-1953, Volume 1/ (2:20)
Sonny Osborne and “Sunny Mountain Chimes,” recorded on Cincinnati’s Gateway
record label.
Jimmy Martin was back in the area playing at a café in nearby Hamilton, Ohio.
Bobby and Sonny got together with Jimmy and they formed a trio. In November,
1954, they recorded six songs for RCA Victor in Nashville; the most popular was a
song Gene Autry had recently recorded, “20-20 Vision.”
20-20 VISION/Jimmy Martin & the Osborne Brothers/Bear Family (RCA)/Jimmy Martin
& the Sunny Mountain Boys: 1954-1974/1954 (2:45)
“20-20 Vision” from Jimmy Martin & the Osborne Brothers.
In early 1956, the Osborne Brothers were once again at home in Dayton, playing at
local bars with Enos Johnson as their guitarist. Around this time Bobby took a job
at the National Cash Register Company, where his father and a fellow musician by
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 6
the name of Red Allen were working. When Johnson was unable to play with the
band on some engagements, Bobby asked Red to fill in. This led to the formation of
the Osborne Brothers and Red Allen. Bluegrass historian Fred Bartenstein….
(interview with Fred Bartenstein. Q: “could go further”)
Indeed they did. They soon landed a recording contract with MGM.
WHO DONE IT/The Osborne Brothers & Red Allen/Bear Family (MGM)/The Osborne
Brothers 1956-1968/1956 (2:12)
“Who Done It,” the first recording from The Osborne Brothers and Red Allen. Red
Allen was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Honor in 2005.
You’re listening to The Osborne Brothers: From Hyden to the Ryman.
The Osborne Brothers recorded “Once More” in 1957. It was their first vocal trio
to feature Bobby’s “high lead.” The entire song featured the lead voice on top and
the two harmony parts below it. Conventional country and bluegrass trio
arrangements had the harmony parts sung above and below the melody. The
Osbornes’ new approach placed the melody highest in the trio. The “high lead
trio,” with its’ unique approach to three-part harmony singing, was the key to
showcasing Bobby’s incredible tenor voice. It also became the most distinctive
“sound” of The Osborne Brothers.
ONCE MORE/The Osborne Brothers & Red Allen/Bear Family (MGM)/The Osborne
Brothers 1956-1968/1957 (2:46)
The Osborne Brothers and Red Allen, with “Once More”… their first recording to
make the Billboard country charts, reaching Number 13 in March and April of
1958. While Red Allen helped to invent the “high lead” arrangement, the
innovation ended the group’s need for a second lead vocalist. Red soon left to form
his own influential band, The Kentuckians.
By late summer of 1959, guitarist Jimmy Brown, Jr. joined the Osborne Brothers
along with Benny Birchfield. Benny played bass and second banjo with Sonny on
their twin banjo numbers. It was this group that came to Nashville for their sixth
MGM session in September. Here’s Jimmy Brown singing lead on “Blame Me”…
BLAME ME/ The Osborne Brothers/Bear Family (MGM)/The Osborne Brothers 19561968/1959 (2:08)
“Blame Me,” a 1959 recording on MGM from the Osborne Brothers featuring
Jimmy Brown, Jr singing lead.
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 7
Another first for the Osborne Brothers came in March of 1960. They performed at
Antioch College, just east of Dayton, in Yellow Springs, Ohio. It marked the first
time a bluegrass band would give a concert for a college audience. National
columnist Tom Teepen attended the show when he was the editorial page editor for
the Dayton Daily News.
Tom Teepen telephone interview 1:53 Q: “for the band and for the audience.”
BLUEGRASS MUSIC’S REALLY GONE TO TOWN//The Osborne Brothers/Bear
Family (MGM)/The Osborne Brothers: 1956–1968/1963 (2:34)
(fade under)
It would be a few years before bluegrass became familiar to other college audiences,
but the Osborne Brothers were called back to Antioch for a repeat performance
within a few months. Before the next year was out, the Stanley Brothers and the
Country Gentlemen also performed on campus in Yellow Springs. Around that
time a Dayton folk music fan named Larry Vanover taught the Osbornes a song
he’d learned from the Anthology of American Folk Music’s reissue of Clarence
Ashley’s 1929 performance. They set it to a modern country chord progression and
sang it in their high lead trio style to create a classic… “The Cuckoo Bird.”
THE CUCKOO BIRD/The Osborne Brothers/Bear Family (Decca)/The Osborne
Brothers: 1956–1968/1963 (2:33)
The Osborne Brothers with “Cuckoo Bird” from a 1963 Decca recording.
Fred Bartenstein, bluegrass historian, talks about the Osbornes influence….
Fred Bartenstein audio Q: “picked up the Osborne Brothers’ sound.”
A LETTER TO TOM/The Country Gentlemen/Starday/High Lonesome/1960 (fragment)
The Country Gentlemen, with “Letter To Tom.” While The Country Gentlemen
were leaning more toward the folk side, the Osbornes continued to pursue reaching
the country audience and even dabbled in rockabilly.
YOU’LL NEVER KNOW (HOW MUCH IT HURTS)/The Osborne Brothers/Bear
Family (Decca)/The Osborne Brothers: 1956–1968/ 1959 (2:04)
“You’ll Never Know (How Much It Hurts),” the Osborne Brothers.
(Music under)
You’ve been listening to The Osborne Brothers: From Hyden to the Ryman, a
Bgrass, Inc. production recorded at WNKU in Highland Heights, KY. Bgrass,
Inc.… preserving and celebrating the bluegrass music heritage of the
Cincinnati/Dayton region. Special thanks to Fred Bartenstein, Neil Rosenberg, Joe
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 8
Mullins and Jon Weisberger for writing and production assistance. I’m Grady
K…. Thank you for listening.
_____________________________________________________________________
OSBORNEPROMO2: (:31)
music up & under)
Coming up in Part 2 of The Osborne Brothers: From Hyden to the Ryman, the
Grand Ole Opry, the Osbornes breakthrough song from 1968,”Rocky Top,” going
electric, and back to the basics….
_____________________________________________________________________
OSBORNEHrB1: (:54)
(brief audio quote from Fred Bartenstein/music up & under)
These guys were incredible! The innovations they introduced included twin banjos,
the “high lead trio” vocal arrangement, the use of string sections on bluegrass
recordings...
WNKU Productions and Bgrass, Inc. present “The Osborne Brothers: From Hyden
to the Ryman”… a musical documentary on one of the most influential bluegrass
bands ever.
You’ll hear the Osborne Brothers’ music, including “Rose of Old Kentucky,”
“Tennessee Hound Dog,” and their breakthrough song from 1968, “Rocky Top,”
along with commentary from Bobby and Sonny Osborne.
(Bobby quote Q: “you immediately became something .”)
Stay with us for the ride…The Osborne Brothers: From Hyden to the Ryman.
(music up and ends)
_____________________________________________________________________
OsborneHrB2 (26:14)
I’m Grady K your host….
In August of 1963, the Osborne Brothers made their first recording on Decca. One
of the songs from the early Decca session came from Kentucky-born singersongwriter Pete Goble. Here’s “This Heart of Mine”….
THIS HEART OF MINE (CAN NEVER SAY GOODBYE)/The Osborne Brothers/Bear
Family (Decca)/ The Osborne Brothers: 1956 – 1968/1964 (2:38)
The Osborne Brothers, with “This Heart of Mine.”
By 1963, the bookings had begun to fall off. MGM had given them a good start and
exposure. but didn’t promote their records enough for the Osbornes to make a
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 9
decent living. They had to drive and maintain taxicabs in Dayton to keep food on
the table. Doyle Wilburn had met Bobby and Sonny early in the year. He left
Bobby his card and told him to get in touch if they ever decided to make a change.
The Wilburn Brothers were key players in the Nashville country music scene in the
60’s. They were promoting their own careers among others, including Loretta
Lynn. The Osbornes knew that the Grand Ole Opry was the key to commercial
success, and they wanted to become members as soon as possible. Talent agent
Wesley Rose told them he could not get them on the Opry. Bob Osborne recalls the
story…
(insert Bobby) 1:07 Q: “…members of the Opry.”
(Roy Acuff introduction of the Osborne Brothers from The Osborne
Brothers/RCA/Bluegrass Spectacular/1982)
I’LL BE ALRIGHT TOMORROW/The Osborne Brothers/Bear Family (Decca)/The
Osborne Brothers: 1956–1968/1965 (2:22)
In August of 1964 the Osborne Brothers were installed as regular members of the
Grand Ole Opry.
(Bobby) 1:08 Q: “it meant a lot for us.”
Labor Day Weekend, 1966, the Osborne Brothers were included among a handful of
artists at Carlton Haney’s second multi-day outdoor bluegrass festival…, held near
Roanoke, Virginia. Thanks to the proliferation of festivals and innovative artists
like the Osborne Brothers bringing the sounds to new audiences, bluegrass gained a
new lease on life and was soon bigger than ever.
(music up and under)
SALTY DOG BLUES/The Osborne Brothers/Bear Family (Decca)/The Osborne
Brothers: 1956–1968/1964 (2:22)
The “Salty Dog Blues” from 1964 on The Osborne Brothers special …from Hyden
to the Ryman. I’m Grady K.
In November, 1967, Bob and Sonny recorded their first Boudleaux & Felice Bryant
song since they’d joined Decca. It was an uptempo piece. The Wilburns objected to
them using the song since they didn’t have publishing rights. When the Osbornes
insisted, Doyle Wilburn walked out. The Osbornes considered it “just another
bluegrass song”…. It was the “B” side of their next single, “My Favorite
Memory.” The song, “Rocky Top,” was released around Christmas, 1967… within
10 days it had sold 85,000 copies.
ROCKY TOP/The Osborne Brothers/Bear Family (Decca)/The Osborne Brothers: 1956–
1968/1967 (2:33)
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 10
“Rocky Top!” It hit the Billboard charts in February, 1968 and stayed there for 10
weeks. In addition to it being the Osborne Brothers’ signature tune, it remains one
of the most requested songs in bluegrass.
The chaotic events of the ‘60s, including war and social change, seemed destined to
continue in the ‘70s. And in the summer of 1970, the Osbornes were busier than
ever. They played country music package shows with a number of artists including
Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn.
IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE/Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn/Decca/We Only Make
Believe/1970 (fragment, fades under)
Bob Osborne talks about the country music package shows…
(Bobby) Q: “Teddy and Doyle Wilburn helped us pick some great material.”
TODAY I STARTED LOVING YOU AGAIN/The Osborne Brothers/Bear Family
(Decca)/The Osborne Brothers: 1968–1974/1972 (2:16)
The Osborne Brothers with the Merle Haggard tune “Today I Started Loving You
Again.”
Although the group used electric instruments in recording sessions as early as 1959,
they didn’t use them in personal appearances until the mid-sixties. In the spring of
1968, bluegrass banjo pioneer Don Reno’s son Ronnie joined the Osborne Brothers
on electric bass. By this time, Bob and Sonny were also using electric pickups in
their instruments on stage. One of the main reasons for going electric for the
Osbornes was the fact that it was hard to hear acoustic instruments in some of the
larger venues where they played.
The Osbornes recorded three sessions in April of 1969. In the final session, they laid
down the new George Jones hit, “When the Grass Grows Over Me,” and another
Felice/Boudleaux Bryant tune written especially for the Osbornes…. “Tennessee
Hound Dog.”
TENNESSEE HOUND DOG/The Osborne Brothers/Bear Family (Decca)/The Osborne
Brothers: 1968–1974/1969 (2:36)
From the album “Ru-beeeeee,” “Tennessee Hound Dog.” The song reached #28 and
stayed on the charts for 11 weeks.
You’re listening to The Osborne Brothers: from Hyden to the Ryman, I’m Grady K.
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 11
In October of 1971, The Country Music Association voted the Osborne Brothers the
number one Country Vocal Group of the Year. They were nominated in the top five
in that same category for six consecutive years.
On March 17th, 1973, The Osborne Brothers were the first bluegrass band to play
the White House. It was just a few weeks before the Watergate scandal exploded for
the Nixon Administration
“Pickin Grass and Singin Country,” released in 1975, would be the Osborne
Brothers final album for Decca/MCA.
After two decades of positioning their music for country radio airplay, the Osborne
Brothers decided in the late ‘70s to return to their roots and unplug their
instruments. Audiences at bluegrass festivals and concert appearances welcomed
the traditional sounds. A string of albums for niche labels CMH, Sugar Hill, and
Pinecastle brought them to audiences too young to have seen the classic bands of the
‘40s and early ‘50s.
From 1978 on CMH…the Osborne Brothers with “My Rose of Old Kentucky.”
MY ROSE OF OLD KENTUCKY/The Osborne Brothers/CMH/Bluegrass
Collection/1978 (2:56)
“Rose of Old Kentucky” with The Osborne Brothers: from Hyden to the Ryman.
I’m Grady K.
Coming up: official state songs, and the Osbornes’ music, still carryin’ on…
(:60 instrumental music bed: BLUE WAVES/Sonny Osborne/Crosscut (Kentucky)/The
Early Recordings of Sonny Osborne 1952-1953, Volume 1)
_____________________________________________________________________
OSBORNEHrB2: (31:53)
You’re listening to The Osborne Brothers: From Hyden to the Ryman.
The song that was a big hit for the Osborne Bothers back in 1968 is still one of the
most requested songs in bluegrass. On February 15, 1982, “Rocky Top” also
became the official state song of Tennessee. The honor was made possible by the
work of state senator (and former Opry announcer) T. Tommy Cutrer, along with
Dr. W.J. Julian, director of the band at the University of Tennessee/Knoxville. In
October, 1985, backed by the 155-piece band, they sang it before a crowd of 100,000
during the halftime show at the Tennessee-Alabama football game. Here’s the UT
Pride of the Southland band with their version of “Rocky Top.”
ROCKY TOP/University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland Band/
http://www.utk.edu/athletics/tn_songs.shtml
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 12
“Rocky Top,” from the University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland Band.
(Go Vols!)
And we best give Wildcat fans their due… The song “Kentucky” was composed in
the 1930s by Kentuckian Karl Davis. It was popularized by North Carolinians, the
Blue Sky Boys, in the late 40’s. The Osborne Brothers learned it later from
Alabamians, the Louvin Brothers. These groups did the song as a duet. The
Osbornes converted it to a trio and it’s this recording that led to the vote
proclaiming it the official state song on March 17, 1992. Bobby recalls a special
performance of the song during half time of a basketball game at the University of
Kentucky’s Rupp Arena
(insert Bobby)
Q: “sung Kentucky at half time up there.”
KENTUCKY/The Osborne Brothers/Sugar Hill/Once More Volumes I & II/1986 (3:25)
“Kentucky,” the official state song, from the Osborne Brothers.
Sonny and Bob continued to attract young and talented disciples, eager to
apprentice on touring appearances and recording sessions with the well-known
masters. In the 1990s, these included Terry Eldredge, Gene Wooten, Terry Smith,
and David Crow. Eldredge’s voice particularly evoked the Osborne sound, and his
lead singing is featured on ”Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle To You.” (music up)
OLD FLAMES CAN’T HOLD A CANDLE TO YOU/The Osborne
Brothers/CMH/Hillbilly Fever/1991 (2:49)
Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle To You,” from the Osborne Brothers’ 1991
release, “Hillbilly Fever.”
In 1994, the Osbornes celebrated their debut on Pinecastle Records with “When the
Roses Bloom in Dixieland,” a concept album of songs connected with the Civil War.
The last cut was a moving banjo solo of “America the Beautiful,” which Sonny
played to open the International Bluegrass Music Awards Show in 2001, just weeks
after the 9/11 tragedy.
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL/The Osborne Brothers/Pinecastle/When the Roses Bloom
in Dixieland/1994 (2:53)
“America The Beautiful” featuring Sonny Osborne. You’re listening to The
Osborne Brothers: From Hyden to the Ryman.
Sonny Osborne found a side career in producing recording sessions for young
artists, including most notably Terry Eldredge and Dale Ann Bradley. In 1997, he
brought most of the Osborne Brothers’ band into a Pinecastle session for Dale Ann
Bradley, including this gorgeous duet with brother Bob Osborne…
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 13
THE DAY I LOSE MY MIND/Dale Ann Bradley/Pinecastle/East Kentucky
Morning/1997 (2:42)
“The Day I Lose My Mind,” from Dale Ann Bradley’s “East Kentucky Morning,”
with help from Bob Osborne on vocals.
As the millennium approached, not all the music the Osborne Brothers made was
traditional. Nashville studio wizard Scott Rouse had a vision of bluegrass/hiphop/disco fusion, and recruited Sonny and Bob to join him, Mac Wiseman, Doc
Watson, Del McCoury, and Bootsy Collins in the Groove Grass Boyz. Using
sampling technology and new dobro work by Josh Graves, they turned “Rocky
Top” into something new…
(music up)
ROCKY TOP (GROOVEGRASS RADIO MIX)/The Osborne Brothers/Brave/The
Rocky Top Album/2001 (2:38)
Getting down with it… the Rocky Top Radio Mix from the Groove Grass Boys on
The Osborne Brothers: From Hyden to the Ryman special.
Bob Osborne participated in a historic gathering of mandolin players assembled for
David Grisman’s Acoustic Disc Records in 1999. One of the highlights of the
resulting double album was his duet of “Ashokan Farewell.” It won the IBMA
award for recorded event of the year.
ASHOKAN FAREWELL/Acoustic Disc/Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza/1999
(fragment)
“Ashokan Farewell” from Bob Osborne. You may remember it from the Ken Burns
PBS series, “The Civil War.”
Former International Bluegrass Music Association Executive Director and current
Marketing Director for Merlefest, Art Menius, talks about the evolution of
bluegrass and the Osbornes’ influence.
(insert Art Menius commentary) Q: “particularly Felice and Boudleaux Bryant.”
In 2003, former Osborne Brothers band members Terry Eldredge, Terry Smith and
Jimmy Mattingly joined forces with other fans of Bob and Sonny's music, including
southern Indiana native and vocalist Jamie Johnson, to create a new bluegrass
group--the Grascals. Regularly invited to play mandolin and sing with Eldredge
and Johnson on a few numbers at some of their earliest shows, Bob found himself
doing entire sets with the new band.
(insert Bobby) :11 Q: “played things hither and yonder with ‘em.”
THE OSBORNE BROTHERS: FROM HYDEN TO THE RYMAN, page 14
When the Grascals released their debut CD for Rounder Records the following
year, not only did they record a couple of the Osborne Brothers' signature songs,
but they brought Bob in to play some mandolin, and even sing a verse on a song he
and Sonny had recorded years earlier, "Some Things I Want To Sing About."
SOME THINGS I WANT TO SING ABOUT/The Grascals/Rounder/The Grascals/2005
(2:32)
“Some Things I Want To Sing About” from the Grascals’ self-titled CD, with
special guest, Bob Osborne.
Bob’s vocals were showcased on another Osborne tune, a duet with Rhonda
Vincent, on her 2006 release, “All American Bluegrass Girl.” Here’s “Midnight
Angel.”
MIDNIGHT ANGEL/Rhonda Vincent/Rounder/All-American Bluegrass Girl/2006
(3:11)
That’s Rhonda Vincent, “Midnight Angel,” featuring Bob Osborne.
On July 31, 1964, the Osborne Brothers joined the WSM Grand Ole Opry in
Nashville, Tennessee. The summer of 2004 marked their 40th anniversary as
members of the Grand Ole Opry. At the beginning of 2005, Sonny, who had long
been struggling with shoulder pain, announced his retirement from five decades on
the road. Bob is touring with a new band, the Rocky Top X-Press, including Bobby
Osborne, Jr. on guitar. (music up)
A Rounder album, “Try a Little Kindness,” was released in 2006.
THE HARD TIMES/Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press/Rounder/Try a Little
Kindness/2006 (3:10)
Rocky Top X-Press with “Hard Times” from the 2006 release, “Try a Little
Kindness.”
(“Rocky Top” music bed up)
You’ve been listening to the Osborne Brothers: From Hyden to the Ryman, a
Bgrass, Inc. production recorded at WNKU on the campus of Northern Kentucky
University in Highland Heights, Kentucky. B-Grass Inc… preserving and
celebrating the bluegrass music heritage of the Cincinnati/Dayton region. Thanks to
Fred Bartenstein, Neil Rosenberg, Joe Mullins and Jon Weisberger for writing and
production assistance. Thanks also to Art Menius, Tom Teepen and special thanks
and appreciation to Sonny and Bob Osborne. I’m Grady K…. Thank you for
listening.