The Osborne Brothers Biography

The Osborne Brothers Biography

 The Osborne Brothers, Sonny Osborne, born October 29 1937, and Bobby Osborne, born December 9 1931, were an influential and popular bluegrass act from Hyden, Kentucky. They are probably best known for their 1968 hit song, Rocky Top, which is about a mountain in Tennessee. Upon their breakout into the bluegrass scene, the group quickly became noted for their virtuosic instrumentation and exceptionally tight, melodic vocal harmonies. Their first country chart appearance was "Once More", a 1958 trio with Red Allen, with a then-novel inverted stacked harmony: Bobby singing the lead line highest, then Sonny singing baritone, and finally the third singer (in this case Red Allen) singing the tenor as the lowest part. This placed Bobby's distinctive voice as the lead, and made the third voice a somewhat interchangable part. As a result, the brothers could hire a series of guitarist/singers without changing their overall sound. This "high lead" vocal trio became their signature sound, used to great effect in the country market, with songs like "Blame me", "Sweethearts Again", and a stunning remake of the Carter Family's "Fair and Tender Ladies".  During their breakout period of the mid 50's, Sonny's banjo and Bobby's mandolin styles became distinctive and easily-identifiable with their overall sound.

 Their next hit, "Up This Hill & Down", came eight years later and began a string of 18 hits through 1980. Among them were "Making Plans", "Midnight Flyer", "Tennessee Hound Dog", and "Ruby (Are You Mad At Your Man)." During the 1960s, the duet caused some controversy among Bluegrass Music purists for their incorporation of electronic and percussion instruments in their live acts and studio works. The Osborne Brothers' final chart appearance came in late 1986 with a new version of "Rocky Top." Sonny retired in 2005, but Bobby continues to perform with his band Rocky Top X-press.