Bluegrass legend Bobby Osborne has passed away at the age of 91. Osborne was known for forming the Osborne Brothers alongside his younger brother Sonny, who passed away in 2021 at 83.
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The news of Osborne’s passing was announced on June 27 by the self-proclaimed “world-famous home of country music,” The Grand Ole Opry. Osborne was a long-time member of The Grand Ole Opry, which he joined in 1964.
Dan Rogers, the executive producer of Opry, released a statement regarding Osborne’s death. It reads, “Bobby Osborne was among the last of his generation of bluegrass pioneers. What a profound loss for the Opry family and bluegrass music fans around the world. Mr. Osborne’s legacy will live forever on this stage we love and wherever his style is emulated. Thank you to Bobby Osborne for more than 70 years of music and memories.”
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Along with his brother, Bobby Osborne has released some beloved bluegrass hits such as “Rocky Top,” “Big Spike Hammer,” and “I’ll Be All Right Tomorrow.” In addition to the Opry, Osborne was also a member of the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. Osborne was known for playing the mandolin and even taught students how to play the instrument while an instructor at the Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music in Hayden.
In 2021, Osborne opened up to Kentucky’s WYMT about his love and dedication to the bluegrass genre, and how he will never stop making music. Osborne said, “I’ve been a dedicated person to bluegrass music so I’m going to do it until the man upstairs says you can’t do it no more.”
During a 2017 interview with The Bluegrass Situation, Osborne revealed how he developed his own unique singing style. The legend said, “If you wanted to sing bluegrass, if you didn’t have a voice like Bill Monroe or Lester Flatt, you just couldn’t sing bluegrass. I lived by the Grand Ole Opry — I listened to it all the time in those days — and I noticed that one guy sounded different from the other guy.
“Ernest Tubb or Eddie Arnold, how different they sounded. I got tied into Ernest Tubb. I liked his songs and his singing. When I first started singing, my voice was kind of low. I could sing Ernest Tubb songs in the same key,” Osborne continued. “And I had never heard anything in the world about bluegrass. The only thing I knew about bluegrass was that they called Kentucky bluegrass country. So, in listening to Ernest Tubb, I got to know all his songs.”
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
