Biography

Highlights of The Osborne Brothers’ illustrious career include being named Best Vocal Group by the Country Music Association (and placing among the finalists in this category for six years) and being voted Top Bluegrass Group for nine straight years by the readers of Music City News. In 1982 their hit single, “Rocky Top,” was named the state song of Tennessee.
The Osborne Brothers have long been known for pushing to broaden the horizons of bluegrass music. They were the first group to introduce bluegrass on college campuses at the beginning of the folk revival of the 1960s, and the first bluegrass band to play at Harrah’s in Lake Tahoe. In the ‘70s they brought bluegrass to mainstream country audiences around the world as part of giant package tours which included such artists as Johnny Cash and Faron Young. During the mid-‘80s, The Osbornes pioneered a program of bluegrass with symphony orchestras across the country, engaging a whole new set of fans.

“When the Roses Bloom in Dixieland” is a compelling collection of Southern-flavored songs, many of which have never before been recorded in a bluegrass style. Though the spotlight is on Bobby Osborne’s commanding high lead vocals, there are plenty of those acclaimed skin-tight Osborne Brothers trios with Sonny Osborne and Terry Eldridge. Bobby’s solo on “Sweet Sunny South” paints a vivid picture of sweet smells and warm breezes, while “Shiloh Hill” conjures up hair-raising images of the South’s darkest hours. “The Last Time” is an incredibly mournful lament with powerful harmonies guaranteed to raise the chill bumps. The Carter Family’s “When the Roses Bloom in Dixieland: has never sounded better, with great singing supported by Sonny Osborne’s clean, tasteful banjo accompaniment and stellar instrumental work by fiddler David Crowe and dobroist Gene Wooten. Sonny’s banjo playing is masterful and creative throughout, and he really shines on his own lovely arrangement of “America the Beautiful.” He even takes out his famous “gitjo” for a stunning rendition of the classic “Amazing Grace.”