Sonny Osborne (October 29, 1937 – October 24, 2021) was an American bluegrass musician and banjo player. He was one half of the Osborne Brothers musical duo, with his brother Bobby Osborne.

Biography

Osborne was born in Roark, Kentucky in October 1937, before moving to Hyden, Kentucky where he was raised.[1] He began playing the banjo at the age of eleven when his father bought him one. With a little help from Larry Richardson, he soon found out how to play. His brother, Bobby, worked with the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers and Sonny had a chance to join in with them during jam sessions. Bobby enlisted in the Marine Corps., and Sonny went on to work with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys for a couple of months between June and September 1952.[1]

The brothers formed Osborne Brothers duo in 1953, and their bluegrass band played for 52 years. They were inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and were granted membership of the prestigious Grand Ole Opry in 1964.[2]

He died from a stroke on October 24, 2021, at the age of 83, five days before his 84th birthday.[3]

References

Sources

• Tony Trischka, Pete Wernick, Masters of the 5-String Banjo, Oak Publications, (1988)

External links

• Sonny Osborne discography at Discogs
• Sonny Osborne at IMDb

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