Interview with Sonny Osborne, June 4, 2009

Partial Transcript: Hello there, this is Tom Riggs with the Bluegrass Museum and we're sitting down today with one of the real legends of our music and one of the real contributors: Sonny Osborne.

Segment Synopsis: Sonny Osborne is introduced. He describes his childhood home in Thousandsticks, near Hyden, Kentucky, and their lack of electricity and other amenities. He describes the atmosphere in Hyden due to violent clashes over coal mining unions. He tells several stories about himself and his siblings demonstrating their rural lifestyle, including one of their forms of entertainment: throwing rocks at one another.

Keywords: Amenities; Bars; Bobby Osborne (Artist); Coal mining; Coal oil lamps; Cold; Dillinger, John; Electricity; Entertainment; Fathers; Games; Ginny barns; Heaters; Homes; Jobs; John Dillinger; Murders; Osborne, Bobby (Artist); Playing; Rocks; Ruby (Song); Schools; Sisters; Stores; Teachers; Thousandsticks (Ky.); Toys; Transportation; Uncles; Utilities

Subjects: Childhood; Coal miners; Coal miners--Labor unions--Kentucky; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky; Country life; Families.; Hyden (Ky.); Rural children; Rural conditions; Rural electrification; Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining

Partial Transcript: So you moved to Dayton eventually with your dad.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne tells several stories about his family members, including one about Bobby Osborne being covered in manure in a farming accident, he and Bobby carrying their grandfather down a mountain, and a gunfight at a bar near his aunt's house.

Keywords: Animals; Aunts; Barns; Bullet holes; Cigarettes; Creeks; Dayton (Ohio); Fertilizer; George Osborne; Grandfathers; Grandmothers; Gunfights; Jeeps; Manure; Osborne, George; Osborne, Pearl; Pearl Osborne; Rooming houses; Smoking; Traffic lights

Subjects: Childhood; Country life; Families.; Family farms.; Farmers.; Hyden (Ky.); Rural children; Rural conditions; Subsistence farming; Traditional farming

Partial Transcript: So Dayton. Is that when--sometime in Dayton's when the music kind of started--

Segment Synopsis: Osborne discusses his brother Bobby's early interest in playing music. He describes his memories of living in a rooming house his father owned in Dayton, Ohio and his access to the news. He talks about moving to a remote farm. He talks about Bobby's musical influences, including Ernest Tubb, and talks about his brother playing music.

Keywords: 1942; Amplifiers; Banjos; Boarding houses; Bobby Osborne (Artist); Cars; Ernest Tubb (Artist); Fathers; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Grand Ole Opry; Guitars; Interests; Jimmy Short (Artist); Learning; Newspapers; Osborne, Bobby (Artist); Paper boys; Poker; Radio shows; Remote; Rooming houses; Schools; Short, Jimmy (Artist); Singing; Television; Tubb, Ernest (Artist); WSM (Radio station); World War II

Subjects: Bluegrass musicians; Childhood; City and town life; Country life; Dayton (Ohio); Families.; Family farms.; Hyden (Ky.); Music--Instruction and study.; Musical ability.; Musical families; Radio programs.; Radio stations.; Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945; Rural children; Rural conditions

Partial Transcript: Um, Bobby got interested in music and, uh, we moved to that farm then.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne talks about his brother Bobby beginning to play in a band, singing "Ruby" on the radio, and being requested to come back to play again. He talks about Bobby beginning to play with Larry Richardson, and his own interaction with Richardson regarding the banjo that made him want to learn to play. He talks about teaching himself to play banjo before even owning an instrument, his natural ability, and his sneaking to practice late into the night.

Keywords: Attitude; Band members; Banjo players; Banjos; Bluefield (Va.); Bobby Osborne (Artist); Breaks; Cripple Creek (Song); Earl Scruggs (Artist); Fathers; Interests; Jimmy Martin (Artist); Larry Richardson (Artist); Learning; Learning to play; Lonesome Pine Fiddlers (Artist); Martin, Jimmy (Artist); Miami Valley Playboys (Artist); Middletown (Ohio); Music lessons; Natural ability; Osborne, Bobby (Artist); Playing music; Practice; Richardson, Larry (Artist); Ruby (Song); Schools; Scruggs, Earl (Artist); Split; Sports; Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys, the (Artist); Talent; The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys (Artist); Welch (W. Va.); Work

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass musicians; Childhood; Country life; Family farms.; Music--Instruction and study.; Musical ability in children.; Musical ability.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical instruments.; Practicing (Music); Radio stations.; Rural children; Rural conditions; Subsistence farming; Traditional farming

Partial Transcript: So, you really didn't, uh, have an influence to your banjo playing, you just came by it naturally.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne talks about the influences on his banjo playing and style, including Earl Scruggs, among others. He talks about Bobby's unique voice that set them apart from other bands. He talks about how the modern way of recording leads to a loss of "soul" in the music. He discusses various banjo players' styles of playing.

Keywords: Aggressive; Banjo players; Banjos; Bill Monroe (Artist); Bobby Osborne (Artist); Bower, James (Artist); Don Reno (Artist); Earl Scruggs (Artist); Flatt and Scruggs (Artist); Flaws; Hearing; Influences; James Bower (Artist); Knowledge; Learning; Listening; Lyle, Rudy (Artist); Microphones; Monroe, Bill (Artist); Musical styles; Osborne, Bobby (Artist); Ralph Stanley (Artist); Recorders; Recording equipment; Records; Reno, Don (Artist); Rudy Lyle (Artist); Scruggs, Earl (Artist); Set up; Showing off; Singing; Songs; Soul; Stand out; Stanley, Ralph (Artist); Timing; Vocalists (singers)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass musicians; Childhood; Music--Instruction and study.; Music--Performance.; Musical ability in children.; Musical ability.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical instruments.; Musical performance; Practicing (Music); Rural children; Sound recordings.; Sound studios; Sound--Recording and reproducing

Partial Transcript: You and Jimmy and Bobby eventually were playing together.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne talks about playing with his brother Bobby and Jimmy Martin, and their eventual split. He talks about playing in Wheeling and the lack of money that made them return home to Dayton. He talks about beginning to play in a local bar and talks about some of the band members that joined at that time. He talks about recording a demo record which included the song "Ruby."

Keywords: Acuff-Rose Music; Allen, Red (Artist); Art Stamper (Artist); Audio recording; Bailey, Charlie; Band members; Banjo players; Banjos; Bars; Bobby Osborne (Artist); CKLW (Radio station); Charlie Bailey; Deejays; Demos; Detroit (Mich.); Disagreements; Disc jockeys; Enis Johnson (Artist); Home; Jimmy Martin (Artist); Jobs; Johnson, Enis (Artist); Leaving; Little Mickey; MGM Records; Martin, Jimmy (Artist); Money; Music recording; Osborne Brothers (Artist); Osborne, Bobby (Artist); Payment; Personality; RCA Victor; Recording sessions; Recording studios; Red Allen (Artist); Rose, Wesley (Artist); Ruby (Song); Salary; Split; Stamper, Art (Artist); Sutton, Tommy; Tommy Sutton; Twin banjos; Venues; WJR (Radio station); Wages; Wesley Rose (Artist); Wheeling (W. Va.); Wheeling Jamboree (Radio program)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Radio programs.; Radio stations.; Records.; Sound recordings.; Sound studios; Sound--Recording and reproducing

Partial Transcript: And, uh, we knew a guy named Paul Myers from Wheeling.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne talks about how they came to work on the Wheeling Jamboree. He talks more about how their singing style made them unique and discusses the popularity of their records at the time.

Keywords: Albums; Allen, Red (Artist); Audio recording; Band members; Charts; Country Pickin' And Singin' (Album); Dayton (Ohio); Dusty Owens (Artist); Key; LPs; MGM Records; Music recording; Once More (Song); Osborne Brothers (Artist); Owens, Dusty (Artist); Parts; Quitting; Record companies; Recording sessions; Recording studios; Red Allen (Artist); Release; Singing; Unique; Wheeling (W. Va.); Wheeling Jamboree (Radio program)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Radio programs.; Radio stations.; Records.; Sound recordings.; Sound--Recording and reproducing

Partial Transcript: Uh, so, um, we, we were due then to come to Nashville--oh, Johnny Dacus had been playing fiddle with us and he started playing the guitar and singing with us.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne talks about how Johnny Dacus left the band the day they left town to go record in Nashville which led to Ira Louvin singing with them for that recording. He talks about their style of switching parts constantly while singing just by looking at one another, which Louvin was also able to follow.

Keywords: Audio recording; Changing; Dacus, Johnny (Artist); Duets; Give This Message to Your Heart (Song); Ira Louvin (Artist); It's Just the Idea (Song); Johnny Dacus (Artist); Louvin, Ira (Artist); Music recording; Nashville (Tenn.); Osborne Brothers (Artist); Recording sessions; Recording studios; Rose, Wesley (Artist); Singing; Song arrangements; Songs; Switching parts; Vocalists (singers); Vocals; Wesley Rose (Artist); You'll Never Know (Song)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Records.; Sound recordings.; Sound--Recording and reproducing

Partial Transcript: I think Benny Birchfield came back to sing with us I think.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne talks about how their career had hit a low point which led to them signing with the Wil-Helm Talent Agency. He talks about their contract stipulation that they be made members of the Grand Ole Opry, which Doyle Wilburn delivered on. He tells the story of how Doyle got them a recording contract with Decca Records. He talks about where they got most of their material to record, and tells the story of recording "Rocky Top" against the wishes of Teddy Wilburn.

Keywords: Army; Audio recording; Benny Birchfield (Artist); Birchfield, Benny (Artist); Booking; Boudleaux Bryant (Artist); Bryant, Boudleaux (Artist); Bryant, Felice (Artist); Chester (Pa.); Contracts; Dale Sledd (Artist); Decca Records; Deejays; Devine, Ott; Disc jockeys; Don Larkin; Dottie West (Artist); Doyle Wilburn; Faron Young (Artist); Grand Ole Opry; Guests; Hits; Larkin, Don; Management; Members; Music recording; Nashville (Tenn.); Offices; Osborne Brothers (Artist); Ott Devine; Personality; RCA Records; Recording contracts; Recording sessions; Recording studios; Rocky Top (Song); Rose, Wesley (Artist); Signing; Sledd, Dale (Artist); Songs; Songwriting; Success; Sure-Fire Music Publishing Company; Teddy Wilburn; Tripping; Wesley Rose (Artist); West, Dottie (Artist); Wil-Helm Talent Agency; Wilburn Brothers; Wilburn, Doyle; Wilburn, Teddy; Wilhelm Music Agency; Wilhelm Talent Agency; Young, Faron (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Records.; Sound recordings.; Sound--Recording and reproducing

Partial Transcript: Going back, uh, we, we skipped over your year or so playing with Bill Monroe.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne talks about how he came to work with Bill Monroe through Jimmy Martin when he was only fourteen years old. He tells a story about picking up a hitchhiker to demonstrate Jimmy Martin's personality. He talks about Bill Monroe's attitude toward him, and talks about being left alone much of the time while on the road because he was too young to join the other band members in their activities.

Keywords: 14; 1952; Attitudes; Bean Blossom Festival, Indiana; Bessie Lee Mauldin (Artist); Bill Monroe (Artist); Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys (Artist); Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys (Artist); Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys (Artist); Breaks; Charlie Cline (Artist); Cline, Charlie (Artist); Dayton (Ohio); Fathers; Flat tires; Fourteen; Hitchhikers; Jimmy Martin (Artist); Job offers; Marine Corps; Martin, Jimmy (Artist); Mauldin, Bessie Lee (Artist); Monroe, Bill (Artist); Nashville (Tenn.); Personality; Rawhide (Song); Ryman Auditorium; Schools; Teachers; Tulane Hotel; WPFB (Radio station)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Education; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical performance

Partial Transcript: And then Bobby got out of the Marine Corps in September--or October I guess it was, October--oh, he came home from Korea, that's what he did.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne talks about how they came to work in Knoxville for disc jockey Cas Walker. He describes Walker's personality and tells several anecdotes about him. He also tells several stories involving cars, including buying his first car with money earned from selling hogs.

Keywords: Bill Monroe (Artist); Bobby Osborne (Artist); Car accidents; Cars; Carver, Cynthia May ("Cousin Emmy") (Artist); Cas Walker; Concerts; Cynthia May Carver ("Cousin Emmy") (Artist); Fired; Future Farmers of America (FFA); Gigs; Hogs; Knoxville (Tenn.); Marine Corps; Masters, Owen (Artist); Money; Monroe, Bill (Artist); Osborne Brothers (Artist); Osborne, Bobby (Artist); Owen Masters (Artist); Payment; Personality; Radio shows; Salary; Shows; Smokey White (Artist); Trailer parks; WKXB (Radio station); WROL (Radio station); Wages; Walker, Cas; White, Smokey (Artist)

Subjects: Automobiles.; Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical performance

Partial Transcript: Uh, when I was a freshman at Jefferson High School I made the football team.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne talks about his experiences playing football in high school, including a story of getting revenge on another player who had knocked him out.

Keywords: Banjo players; Banjos; Colleges; Football teams; High schools; Knocked out; Mean; Revenge; School principals

Subjects: Bluegrass musicians; Education; Football players.; Football.; Music--Instruction and study.; Musical ability.

Partial Transcript: Well let's get back to the Opry.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne talks about the reasons he and Bobby added electric instruments to their band and began to incorporate a country sound into their music due to the popularity of country at that time, as well as their inclusion on the country package shows that Carlton Haney was arranging. He describes the first night they added electric instruments to their lineup.

Keywords: Bobby Osborne (Artist); Carlton Haney; Concerts; Country Music Association awards (CMA awards); Country music; Country package shows; Country sound; Country style; Crowds; Dobro players; Dobros; Dreams; Drums; Electric instruments; Flame Club (Venue); Gigs; Grand Ole Opry; Haney, Carlton; Loud; Minneapolis (Minn.); Musical styles; Osborne Brothers (Artist); Osborne, Bobby (Artist); Pickups; Popularity; Radio stations; Records; Shows; Singing; Songs; Steel guitars; Strategy; Success; Teddy Wilburn; Trios; Vocals; Wilburn, Teddy

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music audiences; Music fans.; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical instruments.; Musical performance

Partial Transcript: Uh, there were some interesting things happened during that time.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne discusses his friendship with Johnny Paycheck and tells a story about Paycheck saving him from a fall. He talks about his visit with Paycheck in the hospital near the end of his life.

Keywords: Accidents; Alcohol; Breaks; Close; Donald Eugene Lytle ("Johnny Paycheck") (Artist); Drinking; Falling; Friendships; George Jones (Artist); Greenville (S.C.); Hospitals; Johnny Russell (Artist); Jones, George (Artist); Lytle, Donald Eugene ("Johnny Paycheck") (Artist); Relationships; Russell, Johnny (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Performance.; Music--Social aspects.; Musical groups.; Musical performance

Partial Transcript: You had illustrious--I'd say illustrious--group of side men over the years.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne describes one of the side men in his band, Dale Sledd. He talks about why he began taking speed (amphetamine) and its effects on his music and his life in general.

Keywords: 1968; Banjo players; Banjos; Cigarettes; Dale Sledd (Artist); Drinking; Driving; Drug use; Drugs; Effects; Guitar players; Guitars; Osborne Brothers (Artist); Pills; Quitting; Relationships; Side men; Sledd, Dale (Artist); Speed (Amphetamines)

Subjects: Alcohol; Amphetamine abuse.; Amphetamines; Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Drug abuse; Music--Performance.; Music--Social aspects.; Musical groups.; Musical performance

Partial Transcript: Uh, Ronnie Blackwell.

Segment Synopsis: Osborne describes some of the other members of his band throughout the years and discusses their musical abilities. He tells a story about dobro player Gene Wooten. He talks about David Crow's education and career as a lawyer.

Keywords: Bass players; Bassists; Bennie Birchfield (Artist); Birchfield, Bennie (Artist); Blackwell, Ronnie (Artist); Brewster, Paul (Artist); Cobb, Shad (Artist); Crow, David (Artist); Daryl Mosbey (Artist); David Crow (Artist); Death; Dennis Digby (Artist); Digby, Dennis (Artist); Dobro players; Education; Eldridge, Terry (Artist); Fired; Gene Wooten (Artist); Graves, Tim (Artist); Illness; Jimmy Martin (Artist); Lawyers; Martin, Jimmy (Artist); Mosbey, Daryl (Artist); Musical styles; Osborne Brothers (Artist); Paul Brewster (Artist); Reno, Ronnie (Artist); Rocky Top (Song); Ronnie Blackwell (Artist); Ronnie Reno (Artist); Shad Cobb (Artist); Sickness; Side men; Singing; Smith, Terry (Artist); Terry Eldridge (Artist); Terry Smith (Artist); Tim Graves (Artist); Vocalists (singers); Voices; Wooten, Gene (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Performance.; Music--Social aspects.; Musical ability.; Musical groups.; Musical performance

Partial Transcript: What do you want to be remembered as?

Segment Synopsis: Osborne discusses how he would like to be remembered. He talks about the rotator cuff injury and subsequent surgery in 2003 that led to his inability to play banjo. He talks about building Osborne Chief banjos. He discusses why he does not miss the music industry. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: 2003; 2007; Banjo players; Banjos; Concerts; Cupp, Dana (Artist); Dana Cupp (Artist); Fairness; Gigs; Good person; Grandsons; Honesty; Injuries; Legacy; Muscles; Myrtle Beach (S.C.); Osborne Brothers (Artist); Osborne Chief Banjos; Quitting; Remembered; Retirement; Rotator cuff; Shows; Singing; Strokes; Surgery

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Health; Medical care; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical instrument makers.; Musical instruments.; Musical performance