HPNomad - Posted - 03/07/2016:  14:53:04

I got it all sorted out Sonny. I'm not even sure I'm allowed to send pictures anyway.

Thanks, though!

TheChief - Posted - 03/08/2016:  05:46:30

OK Good deal.

s

TheChief - Posted - 03/12/2016:  20:42:39

Rainy night in Nashville Tennessee.

s

rbfour5 - Posted - 03/12/2016:  21:12:51

Raining off and on here in Champaign, IL Sonny. Can't wait to move the clocks ahead and lose an hour sleep- better get after it....

chuckv97 - Posted - 03/12/2016:  21:29:30

Raining in Vancouver...Canucks leading Nashville 3-2....  ;)

Edited by - chuckv97 on 03/12/2016 21:35:31

sehatfield - Posted - 03/13/2016:  05:31:44

Raining in Murphy North Carolina

rbfour5 - Posted - 03/13/2016:  07:23:29

Raining in Bloomington, IL at Synergy Center- waiting to hear the Donald

TheChief - Posted - 03/13/2016:  07:59:57

Give us a report on the non banjo playing Donald.

s

rbfour5 - Posted - 03/13/2016:  12:08:33

Well, I thought he might pick a tune; I was prepared to give my rendition of "Siempre" (a fitting song in my opinion) but I was not allowed to carry anything in. But I did have "From Rocky Top to Muddy Bottom" to fill in the wait time......
(and it is still raining here...........)

HPNomad - Posted - 03/14/2016:  00:18:51

Hotter than a sawmill in July here in the Philippines, I wish I had some rain.

Kenneth Logsdon - Posted - 03/14/2016:  19:44:24

Off topic.. butt....... UK is in as a no. 4 seed, of course in the toughest bracket.. SEC was slighted again with only 3 in, Vanderbuilt barely? (unbelievable )... This Continual Bias against the SEC is unbelievable... The toughest league, that beats up on one another, of course they have losses, and the other brackets are filled with teams who have beaten no top teams and padded schedules..) Ka Phooey.

Like to see UK have a good run and win it all!!

TheChief - Posted - 03/16/2016:  07:17:22

UK has a target on their back. They aren't going to get help from a committee of their peers, face it, they have none.

s

HPNomad - Posted - 03/23/2016:  23:58:08

Wow, what a change of climate. I was sweating bullets in Thailand and the Philippines, but now we're back in Japan and I'm getting a chill to the bone.

HPNomad - Posted - 03/26/2016:  22:29:45

Happy Easter, Sonny!

momo - Posted - 03/28/2016:  15:50:34

Hi Sonny I was listening to a Chet Atkins album, one song had Banjo Break and it sounded like you.. it was recorded in the late 60's. Did you ever record with Chet?

TheChief - Posted - 03/29/2016:  09:48:12

I did record with Chet...Quite an experience, to say absolutely the least. He was an amazing Guitar player, and person.

s

chuckv97 - Posted - 03/29/2016:  11:23:57

I had a couple of Chet LP's...always figured it was you, Sonny, on banjo. The album didn't give the credits on the back - too bad. One was a Greatest Hits and the other was a re-issued budget LP. Had "Lonesome Road Blues" , "Wabash Cannonball" and a couple others with banjo. I loved those cuts. (btw, can you remember if you played on his "Foggy Mountain Top"? -I lost those albums years ago).

TheChief - Posted - 04/02/2016:  14:56:25

I did, I believe play on that one too. It's been almost 50 years ago. Memory plays tricks, but I believe I did.

s 

chuckv97 - Posted - 04/02/2016:  15:07:23

Just wondering - BHO member Jack Baker tabbed out some of your solos from those Chet albums. We exchanged some posts about them last year- we weren't sure about "Foggy Mountain Top". BTW Sonny, just curious - do you have a collection of all the albums you ever played on, and do you listen to them sometimes? (I always thought "Sure-Fire" was one of your best - it had a cool chord progression)

Edited by - chuckv97 on 04/02/2016 15:09:00

TheChief - Posted - 04/02/2016:  15:08:22

I wanted to pass this along case you or someone you know might be interested.

Kristin Benson wants to sell her banjo.

It's a 1933 Gibson TB3 conversion. Has an early 30s Gibson tone ring with a Frank Neat neck. Frank did the work on the banjo so you know it's done with great care, by the best.

Bought in August 2000 by Kristin.

I know this banjo and will vouch for its authenticity. I got the banjo from Frank and brought it to Kristin. This banjo is the real deal. Unlike 99% of conversions, this one's sound is flathead consistently. She has played it on The Grand Ole Opry, hundreds of road appearances,  and recorded with The Grascals for the past 8 years. and with the Larry Stephenson, and Larry Cordle bands before that.

PRICE IS $55K...$55,000

Reason for selling?

They want to invest the $ in a lake house!

Banjo is in excellent condition.

615 351 3902....OR KRISTIN DIRECTLY!

Edited by - TheChief on 04/02/2016 15:13:02

TheChief - Posted - 04/02/2016:  15:31:05

Really, I stopped playing the banjo in 2003, and stopped completely in 2005. I was so glad to get away from all that phony junk that the music business has turned into, for years I didn't miss it for one second. But recently, maybe a year ago, I heard some of our music on radio and it sounded good to me, so I started listening to some of our old music from earlier times and found that I liked it. Some of it surprised me especially the arrangements, like "where did that come from!" You following this? Might not make sense.

Then the fact that I had the opportunity to record with probably the greatest guitar player ever, I mean EVER..and in my Brother, saw and heard on a nightly basis quite possibly the greatest vocal God put on this earth, kinda blows me away...If you know me at all, you know that I'm not an egotistical, nor conceited type person. I'm from Thousand Sticks Kentucky and always will be.  

This more than answers your question, I know...but sometimes I get carried away. Forgive me for that.

Lordy, in checking back, I didn't answer your question. NO, sadly, I don't have copies of all the records I've played on. I doubt if I would remember them all. I wish I did. Recently, a couple years ago, someone sent me an album of fiddle tunes by WADE RAY, that I played on. Homer Haynes, and Jethro Burns (Homer and Jethro) were on it too. Also a jazz album I participated in by GARY BURTON called Tennessee Firebird. Absolutely amazing.

s

Edited by - TheChief on 04/02/2016 15:46:17

TheChief - Posted - 04/02/2016:  15:43:01

SURE FIRE WAS A GREAT TUNE, WRITTEN BY MY BROTHER BOBBY. He was a lot better mandolin player than he ever got credit for..... Oh well, such is life..

s

TOMCAT - Posted - 04/02/2016:  16:59:14

I met you Sonny back around 1978 backstage at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville NC. I was 14 and treated me like I was your best friend. I always appreciated that.

chuckv97 - Posted - 04/02/2016:  17:26:07

Here's that Gary Burton album - lots of the greats on it - Sonny, Bobby, Chet, Buddy Spicher, Charlie McCoy, Kenneth Buttrey, Buddy Emmons. Jazz/country fusion...cool.

Edited by - chuckv97 on 04/02/2016 17:31:50

chuckv97 - Posted - 04/02/2016:  17:44:05

Here's the excellent album I had with "Sure Fire" on it.

rbfour5 - Posted - 04/02/2016:  17:45:34

"Sure Fire"- one of my absolute favorites. Like your banjo, Bobby's mandolin is very distinctive; and I agree- a voice that will never be equaled. Speaking of Sure Fire, I recall (2) different recordings- "The Essential Osborne Brothers Collection" recording you played one break; the other recording (and I don't remember the album- could be the Bear Family collection?) you played two breaks. Am I missing an album that the version with two banjo breaks can be found?

rbfour5 - Posted - 04/02/2016:  17:50:25

Hey Chuck- Does the version of Sure fire on "Bluegrass Express" have two banjo breaks?

chuckv97 - Posted - 04/02/2016:  18:10:37

quote:

---

Originally posted by rbfour5

 

Hey Chuck- Does the version of Sure fire on "Bluegrass Express" have two banjo breaks?

---

Dean, I'm pretty sure it did, but not positive. I lost/lent out that album years ago. I'd like to re-order it if still available.

HPNomad - Posted - 04/03/2016:  02:00:56

Dean, I'm currently listening to the Bear Family record right now and it has two solos.

Also Sonny, 55k for a banjo. Oh Lordy

Chuck, I did some lookin' around and found this for you. If you've got a record player you can get the record pretty cheap

amazon.com/Bluegrass-Express-O...p;sr=8-15

Edited by - HPNomad on 04/03/2016 02:06:20

chuckv97 - Posted - 04/03/2016:  09:14:02

Thanks Corey, I did see that ad. Don't have a turntable anymore, but I think I'll get one. My brother kept some of my old LP's and I've bought a few classics over the years.

rbfour5 - Posted - 04/03/2016:  12:42:28

Thanks Corey, confirms that I'm not going crazy!

Gruhn has a Pre-War RB-7 original 5-string, priced at a modest $90k (...lol...) if you like top tension banjos :-)

chuckv97 - Posted - 04/03/2016:  12:53:47

I think I'll stick with my RK77 and ODE Style C.....🤑. ...why wasn't I born rich? lol.  But sometimes I think - hey, how many cars have I bought the past 40 years totaling mega bucks, and I only have the one I own right now to show for it?  With a prewar banjo, you'd at least have it for a lifetime.

Edited by - chuckv97 on 04/03/2016 12:58:01

TheChief - Posted - 04/04/2016:  12:02:24

Top tension at 90k is.......

If I were playing I wouldn't want one, but some folks like them. Awfully heavy. Solid wood resonator.

I heard of a Granada going for $385k ....someone has a lot of money.

s

TheChief - Posted - 04/04/2016:  12:23:20

Dean...we recorded Sure Fire twice and I played the banjo breaks a little different from the original Decca recording.. I liked that tune.

I understand that Carlos Brock is in very poor health. Sorry to hear.Carlos played the guitar on the first records I made...1952. On the Gateway record label. Also played football for Centerville High School in Centerville Ohio.

Good guy.

s 

.

chuckv97 - Posted - 04/04/2016:  15:17:52

Sorry to hear about Carlos Brock's ill health - hope he gets well soon. Here's some info about him,from the "allmusic" website; article by Eugene Chadbourne.  Sonny, I read where he was from near Hyden. Did you know him before you all moved to Ohio?

Guitarist and vocalist Carlos Brock is best known for helping to assemble the Country Pardners group, a dynamic early bluegrass band out of the Cincinnati area that scored an RCA recording contract and enjoyed an extensive local following. Brock was one of the most attractive bluegrass frontmen on the scene, inspiring his bandmate Bill Price, normally not one to soft-soap, to compare Brock to heroic frontier lawmen characters such as Matt Dillon. The group's recordings were wonderful, and some have been reissued by Rounder as part of its fine The Early Days of Bluegrass series. Brock has other admirable credits on the historic bluegrass scene, including stints with Sonny Osborne, at a point when this artist was barely 15 years old, and Red Allen, who in contrast actually was the legal age to get drunk on-stage, at least in this era of American history. He enjoyed a fairly long period of employment as a guitarist and frontman singer in Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys, at least by the standards of this group's revolving door of pickers, young and old.



Brock met Price and a banjo player named Bobby Simpson at the Cincinnati record store of Jimmy Skinner, a famous bluegrass hang-out whose owner eventually invested in broadcast equipment and began live radio shows from the rows of record racks. The place was something of a launching pad for the Country Pardners, who were quickly courted by both RCA records and the publishing firm of Grand Ole Opry star Roy Acuff, but perhaps not as important as the home of Brock's mother, where the new group rehearsed for a month. "She wouldn't charge us no board," Bill Price recalled later in interviews, and, "It's good she didn't, we didn't have any money much." George Jones, at that point a completely unknown entity, came at the group with a silly ditty entitled "Why Baby Why," but by the time the Country Pardners told producer Chet Atkins that the group wanted to record it, he had to tell one and all the unfortunate news that the group had been beaten to the question by both Red Sovine and Webb Pierce both of whom had versions of "Why Baby Why" ready to be released. Brock went into the army before the group had a chance to do more than one recording session, which produced four sides. Meanwhile, the popularity of bluegrass waned in the wake of the oncoming of rock & roll and its artists such as Elvis Presley. The situation forced Brock out of the music business, and he eventually wound up based in Jacksonville, FL, where he raises cattle and has a weekend band with his brothers Lonnie and Bobby Brock. Price died before realizing his dream of reuniting all the old members of the Country Pardners for a bluegrass festival.

Edited by - chuckv97 on 04/04/2016 15:26:49

bhrb75 - Posted - 04/04/2016:  17:48:42

Here's a link to the Gary Burton record listed above: youtube.com/watch?v=SNyVPAP6GF...Qz71mfyU4

I'm convinced you can find about anything you want on the internet, be it bad or good ha ha.

Brandon

RayD - Posted - 04/04/2016:  20:19:00

Sonny,

What were recording studios like when you started out, then later in your heydays with Bobby, and then when you left the business? I only know what they may have been like based on some movies and old pictures. And compared to what I see in some recent pictures and videos it seems like every musician now has his/her own little recording booth. How do you get a "group" sound feel with that kind of setup? Looks real impersonal. Almost like the group's not in control. 

HPNomad - Posted - 04/06/2016:  23:48:39

I think I've almost got your version of 'John Henry Blues' down Sonny. Got any tips?

Sonny Osborne's 'John Henry Blues'

 

El Dobro - Posted - 04/07/2016:  16:10:07

quote:

---

Originally posted by rbfour5

 

Gruhn has a Pre-War RB-7 original 5-string, priced at a modest $90k (...lol...) if you like top tension banjos :-)

---

Top Tension. Mmmmmmmmm......

TheChief - Posted - 04/10/2016:  12:39:41

I don't have time to get to your questions but will shortly.

The Carlos Brock story is somewhat true. He was a good guy.

s

TheChief - Posted - 04/20/2016:  15:18:35

We recorded most of our better stuff, Bradley's Barn, RCA studio, etc...they call it live now. Meaning that the studio was full of musicians and everyone played at once. Not much overdubbing in those days. On back further,the bass was on a mic and Bobby Jimmy Martin, Red Taylor, and I were ganged around one mic. They would test our levels and put a piece of tape on the floor for background, and another piece of tape for taking a break. another telling you where to stand when you sang. In effect, you mixed it as you recorded it.

A far cry from todays methods. Almost everyone does his or her part separately and leave the mixing to the sophisticated equipment and an engineer who is supposed to know what you are supposed to sound like. And only a few are good enough, especially with Bluegrass music. Two who are excellent in my mind are Ben Surratt and Steve Chandler.

I guess they figure that economically it's probably cheaper but I honestly don't see how. If you rehearse and know what you're doing, the old way makes more sense...mainly because with the band all playing at once each guy plays off the other and the finished product has a warmer sound, to me anyhow. In My Opinion.

However, keep in mind I go back to the day when there was no tape. They recorded directly onto a disc. No stereo. With Bill Monroe, who was on Decca Records at the time, Bill, Jimmy Martin, Charlie Cline, Ernie Newton and I stood around 1 mic. So my preferences would be much different than a much younger person. That was 1952. They call it the good old days and in many ways, that was true.Some not so true.

s 

Edited by - TheChief on 04/20/2016 15:22:20

BanjoTom47 - Posted - 04/20/2016:  15:51:01

Absolutely fascinating, Sonny, to read your words and memories of recording . . . .  Thanks, Chief!  

Joe Connor - Posted - 04/20/2016:  16:29:50

If you rehearse and know what you're doing, the old way makes more sense...mainly because with the band all playing at once each guy plays off the other and the finished product has a warmer sound, to me anyhow. In My Opinion.

And the proof is in the grooves, Sonny. Those old records speak for themselves, and nothing can beat the sound you folks achieved. Maybe the recording techniques would be considered primitive today, but, damn, those old records had a heartbeat!

RayD - Posted - 04/20/2016:  16:56:26

Sonny, thanks so much for the details of how you recorded "back in the day". It just seemed to me that a group would want to record like they played to the crowd. Guess they still do today - everyone seems to have their own mike for voice and instrument as well as an ear piece. Then they rely on someone running a mixer to make it sound "tight". So, it stands to to reason they record that way. As you say, my opinion. Maybe it's because the groups want the crowd to be able to see them all? I don't know.

Again, thanks for taking the time to give an in depth reply!

chief3 - Posted - 04/21/2016:  05:07:49

When it comes to bluegrass, I like to think that a band would want their recording to sound as if it was their best live performance and not the other way around. Keeping it sounding like the real deal.

TheChief - Posted - 04/24/2016:  11:34:15

Unfortunately, and in my opinion, bands do not play together with one focus. They play for themselves and try too hard to show off their skills so the audience will think they can really play.

The whole business is so different and a poor copy of the real deal, although I know some, perhaps many, will just shake their collective heads and put this in file 13. But if that's the case why are there only a few bands making a living from just entertaining bluegrass crowds and how many will be able to retire with a $$"SATISFIED MIND?"

Just playing witchi!!!!!

s

WHEN IN DOUBT, PLAY ROCKY TOP. 

Ebanjo - Posted - 04/24/2016:  11:52:42

I agree with you Sonny. A lot of them do not play with the one focus you are speaking of. And I think it shows in the music too. Too much attention on perfection rather than a good feel or groove (with the picking and singing). JMHO
Eric Ellis

TheChief - Posted - 04/26/2016:  15:25:15

We ain't got much, but Lord,  AIN'T WE HAVING A GOOD TIME!!!!

s

rbfour5 - Posted - 04/26/2016:  16:17:38

Amen! Less is more...