Bobby Osborne – Luegra

Jesse McReynolds, Bobby Osborne RIP

I realize that I am about two weeks late on this, but it slipped my mind, and I did want to say a few words about two great bluegrass mandolinists.

Jesse McReynolds passed away on June 23, a few days short of his 94th birthday. I was at the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival at the time when the news came down, and word spread throughout the bands and crowd slowly that afternoon. By the evening, each band that came on stage made a short announcement and dedication.

Jesse performed for over 50 years with his brother Jim as Jim & Jesse. He had a very unique style of mandolin playing. Instead of hard, barking rhythmic strumming and fast single-note leads, he instituted and perfected an arpeggio-style of picking to simulate the picking of a banjo. The duo had a number of hits on the bluesgrass charts, most notably recording an album of Chuck Berry songs in bluegrass style. Jim McReynolds died of cancer in 2002, and Jesse continued on solo, recording with a number of collaborators. He was also a big fan of jam bands, particularly the Grateful Dead, with one of his last recordings being Songs of the Grateful Dead: A Tribute to Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter in 2010. I had the chance to speak with him briefly at an IBMA World of Bluegrass conference back when it was in Nashville, and he was a true, humble gentlemen.

Bobby Osborne passed away on June 27 at the age of 91. With his brother Sonny, they helped bluegrass gain a foothold in the country and pop music world during the 1960s as the Osborne Brothers with the standard “Rocky Top.” The band was well known for pushing the bluegrass barrier, often plugging in their instruments into amplifiers and having a drummer so that they could compete with country bands at outdoor shows. Bobby was also instrumental in having his high tenor voice serve as the lead singer while harmonies were sung in the lower registers. One of his most memorable vocal songs is “Ruby Are You Mad.” in which he holds a falsetto note often throughout the song for a number of seconds. After Sonny’s retirement in 2005 (he passed away in 2021), Bobby continued to perform with his sons as the Rocky Top X-Press. The band performed regularly on the Grand Ole Opry until Bobby’s passing. I also met Bobby at an IBMA World of Bluegrass conference in Nashville, but not the same year as when I met Jesse. Bobby as well was friendly and humble about his work in the bluegrass field.

What will be missed about both of these mandolin players is their love of bluegrass music, the dedication to the art, and how much of an impact that they both had on players of today. Yes, they were in their old age, but it is always heartbreaking when those that were pioneers in the music industry leave us. Ironically, one of the last recordings that these men did was an album together, Masters of the Mandolin. That might be a good one to hunt out.

Chew on it and comment.

Sonny Osborne RIP

By now, most everyone in the bluegrass world knows of the death of Sonny Osborne, banjo player extra ordinaire, passing away last weekend at the age of 84. Sonny was phenomenal on the five-string, to say the least. Although he retired from The Osborne Brothers in 2005, he still kept his finger on the pulse of bluegrass, occasionally appearing on stage and writing a column for the online resource Bluegrass Today.

Sonny always had an essence of “cool” about him. When most bluegrass musicians were clean shaven, he had a well-trimmed Vandyke beard that complemented his brother Bobby’s muttonchops. The brothers were the first to electrify their bluegrass instruments so that they could be heard better at festivals that were booking country and rock acts. Sonny often experimented with the banjo, and was one of the first to use a six-string version.

Sonny worked with Bill Monroe as a teenager while Bobby was in the Marines during the Korean War. After that, the two formed a band with Jimmy Martin and became regulars at WJR radio in Detroit. Upon splitting from Martin, they went to Wheeling, West Virginia to be part of the cast at WWVA’s “Wheeling Jamboree.” From that point, the duo’s stardom began to rise. Along with fantastic playing, the band was known for having Bobby sing lead as high tenor, while Sonny and another member harmonize in lower baritone or tenor registers – something unheard of in bluegrass before. The Osborne Brothers had a number of hits during the 1950s through 70s, including “Ruby,” Tennessee Hound Dog,” Up This Hill and Down,” and the classic, “Rocky Top,” which would become the official State Song of Tennessee.

Sonny’s physical presence was demanding. He was big, and always looked like he could kick your ass in. However, once you saw that Cheshire cat grin of his, you knew that a cool dude was in those shoes. His trademark while playing banjo was, if he hit a bad note, he would play that note again to make you think that he meant to play that way. I remember once seeing the Osborne Brothers on TNN’s Ralph Emory Show, and Sonny was playing a unique guitar. It had a guitar body with a banjo neck. The banjo rolls were mellow sounding, which again was something different. Again, the band was always doing something to push the barriers out.

Sonny had a fantastic sense of humor. He loved telling and hearing jokes, and although Bobby was the MC of the band, Sonny could throw out a line or two that would make the audience wail with laughter. Whenever the band was booked at a festival with The Lewis Family, you could guarantee that there would be sone pranks going on between Sonny and Little Roy Lewis.

Because The Osborne Brothers were known for their progressive instrumentation during the 1960s and 70s, Sonny was always supportive of young bluegrass bands trying something different. Yet he was also a staunch supporter of tradition. After his 2005 retirement due to rotator cuff surgery, Bobby continued with the band Rocky Top X-Press. Sonny would promote a number of signature banjo lines, as well as write his Bluegrass Today column, “Ask Sonny Anything.” He suffered from a stroke earlier this year, which kept him from doing much, including having to dictate his columns.

Sonny’s banjo playing was distinctively strong. The banjo rolls were spot-on, you didn’t need any type of metronome. Drummers would follow him in keeping the beat. And as far as a signature, who could forget that ending to “Rocky Top,” in which Sonny does that familiar scrape?

Sonny is now playing with the Angel Band, along with so many other bluegrass heroes and pioneers. His smile, laughter, and personality will be missed just as much as his banjo playing. Fortunately, we have so many Obsorne Brothers’ recordings to enjoy and from which to learn.

Chew on it and comment.