Bluegrass legend Bobby Osborne dies at 91

Bobby Osborne — a bluegrass luminary who inspired generations as one-half of groundbreaking duo Osborne Brothers — has died at age 91.

The Grand Ole Opry, where Osborne was a member since 1964, confirmed his death Tuesday afternoon.

“Bobby Osborne was among the last of his generation of bluegrass pioneers," Opry executive producer Dan Rogers said in a statement Tuesday. "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.”

Osborne may be best known for cutting "Rocky Top" with his longtime brother-bandmate Sonny Osborne, but his mandolin playing and familiar tenor vocal stretched far beyond the licks of a Tennessee state song. Osborne inspired generations with his picking, adding songs such as "Pain In My Heart," "Big Spike Hammer" and "I'll Be All Right Tomorrow" to the bluegrass canon.

When asked about his longevity in 2021, Osborne told Kentucky news channel WYMT: “I was born to do it, and I ain’t going to quit."

Hailing from Leslie County, Kentucky, Osborne and younger brother-banjo player Sonny Osborne formed Osborne Brothers in 1953, when Bobby Osborne returned from serving in the Korean War. Over the next five decades — until Sonny Osborne retired in 2005 — the brothers built a legacy that led to a White House performance and CMA Award win. At the height of popularity, they bridged a space between country and bluegrass music, receiving radio play and adopting amplified instruments on concert bills — a rarity among string bands at the time.

In the early years of Osborne Brothers, the band often accompanied other singers, including mentor Jimmy Martin. They released more than a dozen singles on MGM Records, often with bluegrass singer Red Allen.

The duo hit a new stride in 1963, when they debuted on the Grand Ole Opry. That same year, they signed a contract with Decca Records. Along with "Rocky Top," Osborne Brothers found success with singles such as "Ruby Are You Mad" and "Tennessee Hound Dog."

In 1967, the duo introduced "Rocky Top" to the world. Written, recorded and released in the same year, the song became a sports anthem for the University of Tennessee, and became one of Tennessee's state songs in 1982.

"Rocky Top" was written by legendary songwriter couple Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, who were Sonny Osborne's friends and neighbors. The success of "Rocky Top" propelled the brothers to international stardom — playing gigs in Sweden, Japan and Germany, to name a few. The song reached such popularity that at one point the brothers opened and closed shows with "Rocky Top."

On stage and in the studio, the brothers utilized electric guitars, drums and piano drums, captivating audiences beyond bluegrass music by charting 13 Billboard country hits, according to label Compass Records. In 1971, the duo won a CMA Award for Vocal Group of the Year; in 1973, they became the first bluegrass act to perform at the White House.

And throughout decades of recording, most can identify Bobby Osborne's music by his one-a-kind tenor melodies.

"When I was about 16 I think, my voice all the sudden, it just changed overnight," Bobby Osborne told NPR in 2017. "I wanted to stay low like Ernest Tubb, but it just changed and went up to the pitch it's at now."

After Sonny Osborne retired, his brother performed as Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-press, often whipping Opry audiences into a frenzy with the familiar howls of "Good ol' Rocky Top, Rocky Top, Tennessee."

He continued to record and collaborate late into his career, including 2017's Grammy Award-nominated album "Original," Bobby Osborne's last full-length release prior to death. Featuring Molly Tuttle, Vince Gill and Sierra Hull, the album showcased Bobby Osborne's withstanding influence in Nashville and beyond.

Bobby Osborne took his final Opry bow on May 19, 2023 — nearly 60 years after being asked to join the indelible circle of artists who keep the long-running radio tradition unbroken.

In 2021, as he neared 89 years old, 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."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Bluegrass legend Bobby Osborne, known for 'Rocky Top,' dies at 91