The Osborne Brothers

Detroit to Wheeling

Disk 1

Pinecastle Records ‎– PRC 1124

June 3, 2003

Shady Lane/ Helen/ I’m Old Kentucky Bound/ Tahoe/ Down in the

Willow Garden/ Lover’s Farewell/ Big Sandy River/ Mansion on the

Hill/ Pretty Little Indian/ Lonesome Wild Blues/ Billy on the Low

Ground/ Love and Wealth/ Cherokee Shuffle/ Down Where the River

Bends/ Take These Chains from My Heart/ Foggy Mountain

Breakdown
 The Osborne Brothers were Sonny Osborne and Bobby Osborne. Both were

born in Kentucky and later on moved to Ohio. During the Korean War, in 1952, Bobby

got drafted to serve as a Marine. While Bobby was away Sonny worked with Bill

Monroe, who is known as “The Father of Bluegrass Music”. Shortly after Bobby was

discharged from the military he and Sonny partnered with Jimmy Martin to perform on

radio stations. This started their career of being influential and popular bluegrass band

during the 1960’s and 70’s. In 1955 the brothers left Martin and moved to Wheeling,

Virginia (hints at the name of the album). They traveled around and partnered up with a

lot of people, such as Charlie Bailey, Enos Johnson, Red Allen, Art Stamper, Ernie

Newton, Tommy Jackson, and many more. They were the first bluegrass group to play

on a college campus, the White House, and were also inducted as members of the

Grand Ole Opry in 1964.

Detroit to Wheeling is the third recording that is documented for The Osborne

Brothers to record with Pinecastle. This album chronicles musically the period from

1953 to 1962. During this period the brothers were working together to find their unique

voice as a band. This album contains two discs that feature thirty-one songs. I decided

to listen through one disk that contains sixteen songs. Between every song they vary.

Some are just instrumental, others are vocal, and some are gospel. I read a comparison

between the two discs that said the first disc attempts to replicate the sequencing of a

typical radio show at the time. Compared to disc two that starts off with a collection of
both instrumental and vocal gospel tunes and then finishes off with eight historical

recordings from the period.