Sonny
Osborne
Sonny began
playing banjo at age 11, when he was in the sixth grade.
Sonny began playing music with some local musicians, Claude
Stewart, Jerry Williams, and Carl Eldridge. When school was
out in June of 1952, Jimmy Martin and Sonny went to
Beanblossom, Indiana to see Bill Monroe. Bill hired Jimmy,
and with Jimmy's insistence, also hired 14 year old Sonny. A
week later they were off to Nashville. On Sonny's first
Grand Ole Opry appearance with the Bluegrass Boys, he
performed "Rawhide". It was during this time period when
Sonny recorded nine tunes with Monroe. This was quite an
experience for 14 year old Sonny, and he continued as a
Bluegrass Boy through the summer until school started in
September. That following April, Bill Monroe came through
Dayton. Sonny persuaded his father to allow him to go with
Bill to Toledo, Ohio and "play a date or two" with him. By
now, Sonny knew this was what he wanted to do with his life.
When they returned, Bill asked Sonny's father if he could go
to work with him on a permanent basis. Sonny's father agreed
on the condition that Bill would "look out for him". Sonny
said that was the last he ever heard of that conversation,
and at age 15, he found himself naive and out on his own,
with Jimmy Martin, Charlie Cline and Bill Monroe to learn
from. Sonny stayed with Bill until Bobby's release from the
Marine Corp. Sonny and his brother Bobby began their
career performing together on November 6, 1953, at WROL
Radio in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Products by
Sonny Osborne
Bluegrass Banjo Method - Book
