Born on This Day in 1937, the Bluegrass Banjo Legend Who Helped Broaden the Genre’s Audience

On this day (October 29) in 1937, Sonny Osborne was born in Thousandsticks, Kentucky. After learning to play the banjo as a child, he formed a group with his brother, Bobby Osborne. Together, the Osborne Brothers helped to broaden the horizons of bluegrass, introducing it to new audiences across the country.

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By the time Sonny Osborne was in middle school, his brother, Bobby, was a professional musician. He played in a band called the Lonesome Pine Pickers in West Virginia, according to the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. After being surrounded by bluegrass and country music, the younger Osborne brother convinced his father to buy him an entry-level banjo in 1949. By the end of the first day, he was playing Stanley Brothers songs for his family.

[RELATED: The Meaning of the State Song “Rocky Top” by The Osborne Brothers]

The Osborne Brothers played together publicly for the first time in 1953 in Knoxville, Tennessee. However, it would be more than a decade before they finally got a break when they met Doyle Wilburn of the Wilburn Brothers. With the duo’s help, they landed a deal with Decca, a spot on the Grand Ole Opry, and radio exposure.

This wider exposure allowed more listeners to hear Osborne’s cutting-edge banjo style. He combined traditional bluegrass style with elements of jazz, rock, pop, and country music. However, that was only the tip of the innovation iceberg for the Osborne Brothers. They were also the first act to bring amplified instruments to bluegrass. These things drew ire from genre purists but caught the interest of countless listeners.

The Osborne Brothers Popularized a Tennessee State Song

The Osborne Brothers released “Rocky Top” as a single on Christmas Day 1967. The bluegrass classic highlights Sonny Osborne’s banjo skills and the group’s famous stacked harmony vocals. The next year, it became a minor hit, peaking at No. 33 on the country chart.

The song is named for one of the peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains, but is about a fictional place in Tennessee. In 1982, Tennessee adopted it as one of its official state songs. Today, it is incredibly popular in the Knoxville area and is played by the Pride of the Southland Band at University of Tennessee sporting events.

In 2014, citizens of the town of Lake City, Tennessee, voted to change the town’s name to Rocky Top, in honor of the song.

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