Bobby Osborne, 84, Launches PledgeMusic Campaign

Bobby Osborne

Bobby Osborne, a bluegrass pioneer with The Osborne Brothers, has launched a campaign with PledgeMusic to record a new album.

At the age of 84, the Opry star is the oldest living artist to utilize PledgeMusic, the premier crowd funding platform for musicians. The campaign concludes Sunday (July 24).

The album will be produced by Alison Brown (Grammy-winning composer and instrumentalist, 2015 IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award winner, and co-founder of Compass Records) and recorded at Compass Sound Studios in Nashville. Special guests will include Brown and Sierra Hull, who both filmed a performance of Osborne’s classic “Pain in My Heart” with him as part of the campaign.

Osborne carries on the bluegrass legacy with his high lonesome tenor vocals, yet plays the tradition forward in his role on the faculty at the Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music in his hometown of Hyden, Kentucky.

Those who pre-order will also receive access to video stories with Osborne backstage at the Opry and live footage from the recording studio with some of the top players and singers in bluegrass. Best known for their recording of “Rocky Top,” the Osborne Brothers joined the Opry cast in 1964.

Rewards include signature picks and strings, a signed Bobby Osborne signature mandolin, a Grand Ole Opry backstage package, and a private concert with Osborne at the donor’s home or office.

Brown said, “One of the things that the bluegrass community does really well is to honor its elders. Bobby Osborne played a pivotal role in shaping the genre in its early days both through the classic songs he brought to the music like ‘Rocky Top’ as well as through the spirit of creativity and innovation that characterized the Osborne Brothers’ sound. Although he’s in his 7th decade as a recording artist, Bobby still has a lot to say musically. I’m delighted to be a part of an effort that will expand his recorded catalog and bring some new Bobby Osborne music to his fans.”

Recording will begin late summer and release date is slated for early 2017 on Compass Records.