Bobby Van Osborne (December 7, 1931 – June 27, 2023) was an American bluegrass musician. He was the co-founder (with his brother

Sonny Sonny is a common nickname and occasional given name. Often it can be a derivative of the English word "Son", a name derived from the Ancient Germanic element *sunn meaning "sun", a nickname derived from the Italian name Salvatore (especially in N ...

) of the

Osborne Brothers The Osborne Brothers, Sonny (October 29, 1937 – October 24, 2021) and Bobby (born December 7, 1931), were an influential and popular bluegrass act during the 1960s and 1970s and until Sonny retired in 2005. They are probably best known for ...

, a member of the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

, and the

International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame Induction to the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, called the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor from its creation in 1991 through 2006, is managed by the International Bluegrass Music Association, and the Hall itself is mainta ...

. Osborne was a member of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, received a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

for his service, and was honorably discharged in 1953. Osborne was an instructor of bluegrass music at the Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music in

Hyden, Kentucky Hyden is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Leslie County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 365 at the 2010 census. It is located at the junction of U.S. Route 421 and Kentucky Route 80, along the Middle Fork of the Ken ...

, and his primary instrument was the

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

Early life

Osborne was born in Thousandsticks in Leslie County,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. While growing up, he helped his father and grandfather at the older man's general store. At the same time he was attracted to the music of the Grand Ole Opry and eventually dropped out of high school to form a band with his brother, Sonny. He helped develop the vocal trio concept in bluegrass music by putting the melody in the tenor voice, instead of putting it in one of the lower voice registers.

Career

Bobby Osborne released many recordings since the 1950s.

The Osborne Brothers The Osborne Brothers, Sonny (October 29, 1937 – October 24, 2021) and Bobby (born December 7, 1931), were an influential and popular bluegrass act during the 1960s and 1970s and until Sonny retired in 2005. They are probably best known for ...

recordings of "Rocky Top", and "Kentucky" were named official state songs of

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and

, respectively. Osborne was drafted into the U.S. Marine Corps in 1951 and served in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. He was wounded in action and received the

. "Bobby knew nothing about bluegrass music. He was listening to the

one night on

WSM radio WSM (650 kHz) is a 50,000-watt clear channel AM radio station located in Nashville, Tennessee. It broadcasts a full-time country music format (with classic country and Americana leanings, the latter of which is branded as "Route 650") at 650& ...

. He liked the sound of that banjo, and found out later on it was

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-fin ...

playing a tune called 'Cumberland Gap.' From then on he became interested in that type of music." He appeared on many shows with

Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), m ...

, playing guitar and singing.

suggested that Bobby play the

to complement his high

tenor voice A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is widel ...

. He took the advice and it remained one of his main instruments for the rest of his career. Osborne's 2017 solo album ''ORIGINAL'' was his first album since ''Bluegrass & Beyond'' in 2009''.'' The album was the product of Osborne's collaboration with

Peter Rowan Peter Rowan (born July 4, 1942) is an American bluegrass musician and composer. Rowan plays guitar and mandolin, yodels and sings. Biography Rowan was born in Wayland, Massachusetts to a musical family. From an early age, he had an interes ...

, which led him to another collaboration with

Alison Brown Alison Brown (born August 7, 1962) is an American banjo player, guitarist, composer, and producer. She has won and has been nominated for several Grammy awards and is often compared to another banjo prodigy, Béla Fleck, for her unique style of ...

. The album features many bluegrass/Americana musicians and artists including

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...

, Sam Bush,

Jim Lauderdale James Russell Lauderdale (born April 11, 1957) is an American country, bluegrass, and Americana singer-songwriter. Since 1986, he has released 31 studio albums, including collaborations with artists such as Dr. Ralph Stanley, Buddy Miller, and ...

Sierra Hull Sierra Dawn Hull (born September 27, 1991) is an American bluegrass singer-songwriter, mandolinist, and guitarist. Hull was signed to Rounder Records at the age of 13 and released her debut vocal album, ''Secrets'', in 2008 at the age of 16. ...

, Claire Lynch,

Del McCoury Delano Floyd McCoury (born February 1, 1939) is an American bluegrass musician. As leader of the Del McCoury Band, he plays guitar and sings lead vocals along with his two sons, Ronnie McCoury and Rob McCoury, who play mandolin and banjo respec ...

, Ronnie McCoury, Robbie McCoury, Stuart Duncan and Rob Ickes. Osborne also wrote the song, "Windy City" in 1972, later recorded by

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with ...

on her LP "Windy City." Krauss recorded the song with Suzanne and Sidney Cox and performed the song on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live''. Osborne continued to perform with his band, the

Rocky Top X-Press Bobby Osborne (born December 7, 1931) is an American bluegrass musician. He is the co-founder (with his brother Sonny Osborne) of the Osborne Brothers and a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. He also t ...

, until his death in 2023.

Death

Osborne died at a hospital in

Gallatin, Tennessee Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee. The population was 30,278 at the 2010 census and 44,431 at the 2020 census. Named for United States Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, the city was established on ...

, on June 27, 2023, at the age of 91.

Honors and awards

Inducted to

(1964, as member of the

) Between the death of

Jesse McReynolds Jesse Lester McReynolds (born July 9, 1929) is an American bluegrass musician. He is best known for his innovative crosspicking and split-string styles of mandolin playing. Biography McReynolds was born in Coeburn, Virginia. He and his brother J ...

on June 23, 2023, and his own death on June 27, 2023, Osborne was the oldest standing Opry member. Named Vocal Group of the Year by

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...

(1971 as member of the

) Inducted to

(1994, as member of the

). Inducted to International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2009 as a member of The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers Awarded the Bluegrass Star Award by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation of Dallas, Texas on October 20, 2018. The award is bestowed upon bluegrass artists who do an exemplary job of advancing traditional bluegrass music while preserving its character and heritage. Elected to Kentucky Music Hall of Fame (2002, as member of the Osborne Brothers) Nominated for Best Bluegrass Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards (for solo album ''Original)''. International Bluegrass Music Award (IBMA) for Recorded Event of the Year (2017, for "

I've Gotta Get a Message to You "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" is a song by the Bee Gees. Released as a single on 1968, it was their second number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, and their first US Top 10 hit. Barry Gibb re-recorded the song with Keith Urban for his 202 ...

") 2023 Inductee to the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame as a member of The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers Recognized in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (Posthumously) with C.J. Lewandowski as a 2024 American Currents: State of the Music Exhibit, specifically the Unbroken Circle section of the Exhibit.https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/press/epk/american-currents-state-of-the-music

References

External links

Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-PressOMS Records - Bobby Osborne
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Osborne, Bobby 1931 births 2023 deaths Bluegrass musicians from Kentucky Singers from Kentucky People from Leslie County, Kentucky American bluegrass mandolinists Songwriters from Kentucky Country musicians from Kentucky