The Osborne Brothers – Early Years Complete Releases 1951-62 – 2CD

The Osborne Brothers were a duo from Kentucky who played blue grass music and blue grass-flavoured country music, renowned both for their virtuoso instrumental skill and for the immaculate tight harmony vocals, and remaining active into the new millennium. This 54-track 2-CD comprises recordings from the early years of their career, starting with their first releases in 1951 on the Kitty label with sister Louise, and then with singer Jimmy Martin for RCA in 1954-55, before they signed to MGM, and the collection includes all their A and B sides for MGM through to 1962. It also includes the titles from their albums “Country Pickin' And Hillside Singin'” and “Bluegrass Music” which were not otherwise on singles, plus all the titles from their 1962 album “Blue Grass Instrumentals”.
Featured alongside them on some of the MGM titles is singer and guitarist Red Allen. It includes their 1958 country No. 13 with “Once More” and their original version of “Ruby Are You Mad” which they re-recorded to have a hit in 1970. It’s great introduction to their music for those unfamiliar with their early work, and an excellent showcase for their distinctive and finely-honed brand of blue grass.

Track Listing:

CD1:
Lou Osborne & The Osborne Family: 1. Now You Have My Name -   2. Television Saturday Night -   Lou & Sonny Osborne and the Stoney Mountain Boys: 3. Let Me Be Your Darling In Heaven -   4. New Freedom Bell -   Jimmy Martin and The Osborne Brothers: 5. Save It! Save It! -   6. 20-20 Vision -   7. I Pulled A Boo Boo – 8. Chalk Up Another One -   9. They Didn’t Know The Difference -   10. That’s How I Can Count On You -   The Osborne Brothers and Red Allen: 11. Ruby Are You Mad -   12. My Aching Heart -   13. Who Done It? -   14. Teardrops In My Eyes -   15. Ho, Honey, Ho -   16. Down In The Willow Garden -   17. Della Mae -   18. Wild Mountain Honey -   19. Once More -   20. She’s No Angel -   21. (Is This) My Destiny -   22. If You Don’s, Someone Else Will -   23. Love Pains -   24. It Hurts To Know -   The Osborne Brothers: 25. Give This Message To Your Heart -   26. I Love You Only -   The Osborne Brothers and Red Allen: 27. Lost Highway -  

CD2:
The Osborne Brothers: 1. You’ll Never Know (How Much It Hurts) -   2. Sweethearts Again -   3. There’s A Woman Behind Every Man -   4. Blame Me -   5. Lonely, Lonely Me -   6. Fair And Tender Ladies -   7. At The First Fall Of Snow -   8. The Black Sheep Returned To The Fold -   9. Each Season Changes You -   10. Five Days Of Heaven -   11. It Ain’t Gonna Rain No Mo’ -   12.Poor Old Cora -   13. The Banjo Boys -   14. Two Lonely Hearts -   15. It’s Just The Idea -   16. Jessie James -   17. Old Hickory -   18. Seeing Nellie Home -   19. John Henry Blues -   20. Red Wing -   21. Old Joe Clark -   22. Walking Cane -   23. Big Ben -   24. Banjo Boy Chimes -   25. Lost Indian -   26. Billy In The Low Ground -   27. Cumberland Gap -