For those of us who live and breathe bluegrass music day after day, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that our genre is still in its infancy, relative to other longstanding musical traditions. Orchestral music has been around for hundreds of years, and the folk traditions of most every ethnic group in the world have been evolving even longer.
We are reminded of this fact when we celebrate various anniversaries with our first and second generation artists. There will be just such next year as Bobby Osborne celebrates 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Sure, 50 years is quite an achievement for any individual, but it pales next to the longevity of the Appalachian and British music cultures that informed our beloved bluegrass.
But let’s not take anything from Bobby, who deserves a hip-hip-hooray! for his achievement, one he will mark with a Celebration Tour throughout 2014.
“The Opry has been such a big part of my life. It didn’t seem right to let the year go by without doing something special for it. I know the rest of the guys in the band are excited to be a part of it as well.”
Osborne will mark the first date of his Celebration Tour on December 7 in his home town of Clay City, KY.
Bobby and his brother Sonny joined The Opry as The Osborne Brothers on August 8, 1964, performing their monster hit, Ruby, at The Ryman Auditorium the night they were inducted. It’s a song that’s featured to this day on live shows by Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-Press.
Even though brother Sonny retired in 2004, it’s still a family affair for Osborne these days. His sons Wynn on banjo and Bobby Jr. (BoJ) on bass join him on the road, along with Joe Miller on guitar, and Buddy Griffin on fiddle.
More details about Bobby and the Rocky Top X-Press’s Celebration Tour can be obtained by contacting his agency in Nashville (615-815-8898, rtxagency@icloud.com).