Sonny Osborne passes – a giant in bluegrass music

"The banjo playing of Osborne, who passed away this afternoon around 1:30 p.m. at the age of 84, has perhaps been heard more than any other bluegrass picker (save possibly Earl Scruggs), thanks to the worldwide fame and enduring presence of the Osborne Brothers’ hit, Rocky Top. However, there was certainly much more to Osborne than what was basically a novelty song at the time. Born in 1937 in the mountains of southeastern Kentucky’s Leslie County, Osborne first picked up the banjo around the age of 11 and began pursuing music professionally just a few years later at 14 while living in Dayton, Ohio. He was hired by Bill Monroe in the summer of 1952, at the end of his freshman year of high school, and went on to both record and perform on the Grand Ole Opry with Monroe over the summer. Though he returned to Ohio to begin 10th grade, he quickly returned to Monroe and stayed on as a Blue Grass Boy until his brother Bobby returned home from the service in 1953. Bluegrass history was certainly made when the Osborne Brothers premiered on WROL in Knoxville, TN, on November 8, 1953."

Sonny Osborne passes - a giant in bluegrass music - Bluegrass Today