Brother Oswald

Amazon.com
It wasn't until this 1972 offering that Brother Oswald Kirby, Roy Acuff's first lieutenant in the Smoky Mountain Boys, recorded a solo album on the Dobro. With Tut Taylor, Norman Blake, and Charlie Collins (another Smoky Mountain Boy) in support, Os demonstrates an easygoing grace and pristine beauty in his Dobro work; speed is not an issue. "Sailing Along the Highway," an original he'd developed in the early '30s, is hypnotic in its gentle sway. On "Farewell Blues," he shows his command of the instrument and a full knowledge of its sonic capabilities. Also here are pop chestnuts; Hawaiian songs learned from a native islander, Rudy Waikiki, whom Os had met at Flint, Michigan, house parties while working for Buick in 1929; and, of course, a number of songs from the Acuff book. "Wabash Cannonball" becomes a mellow Dobro trio with Taylor and Blake, and "Tennessee Waltz," recorded by Acuff and Os years before it was a hit, is simply delightful as Oswald wisely lets the melody do all the work for him. --Marc Greilsamer

Tracks:

End Of The World
Island March
Sailing Along The Highway
Kansas City Kitty
My Blues Eyes Crying In The Rain
Farewell Blues
Echo Chimes
Wabash Cannonball
Prairie Queen
Tennessee Waltz
Song Of The Islands
Dobro Chimes
I'll Be All Smiles Tonight
Two Different Worlds
Carry Me Back To The Mountains

Amazon.com

It wasn't until this 1972 offering that Brother Oswald Kirby, Roy Acuff's first lieutenant in the Smoky Mountain Boys, recorded a solo album on the Dobro. With Tut Taylor, Norman Blake, and Charlie Collins (another Smoky Mountain Boy) in support, Os demonstrates an easygoing grace and pristine beauty in his Dobro work; speed is not an issue. "Sailing Along the Highway," an original he'd developed in the early '30s, is hypnotic in its gentle sway. On "Farewell Blues," he shows his command of the instrument and a full knowledge of its sonic capabilities. Also here are pop chestnuts; Hawaiian songs learned from a native islander, Rudy Waikiki, whom Os had met at Flint, Michigan, house parties while working for Buick in 1929; and, of course, a number of songs from the Acuff book. "Wabash Cannonball" becomes a mellow Dobro trio with Taylor and Blake, and "Tennessee Waltz," recorded by Acuff and Os years before it was a hit, is simply delightful as Oswald wisely lets the melody do all the work for him. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

Made me buy a Dobro at an Ebay auction........2003-10-30

I have several Dobro albums, and all of them are good. I know Jerry Douglas is currently all the rage and he deserves it for the new heights he has taken this instrument--but Brother Oswald is still the one I want to listen to the most. I guess his style just reaches me the best, even as I marvel at what other Resophonic guitar players have done. He is the one with a truly unique sound and style--all the rest seem to be just variations on the same theme, some doing it better than others of course. I have played flat top guitar most of my 62 years, but after listening to this CD, I bought a Gibson authentic Dobro and am trying to learn how to play it. This is a really great CD. Do not let it pass.

60 years old when recorded.......2002-11-13

Oswald recorded this album in January 1972 at the Glaser Brothers Studio in Nashville, Tn. He was born Dec. 26, 1911. He was 60 years old when this album was recorded. I talked to Oswald in Oct. 1970, and he said arthritis in his fingers was bothering him. That makes this album even more spectacular. It certainly isn't noticable on these recordings. As Roy Acuff often said "Oswald did indeed have a special touch on the dobro." Oswald was left-handed and played the dobro as a right-handed player. This may have given him the special touch with the bar in his left hand. He was a real character down on lower Broadway and around the Ryman Auditorium during the Opry's years downtown. I heard Lester Flatt say once "When it comes to those old-timey songs, no one can put the bar to the old Dobro like Brother Oswald." And, That's The Truth If I Ever Told It.

BROTHER OSWALD.......2002-04-04

BEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD. AM 62 YEARS OLD AND NEVER HAD A DOBRO INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM. GLAD I STARTED WITH THIS ONE. YOU MIGHT ADD ABOUT 1-2 MORE STARS ON THE RATING.

If you only had one Dobro recording this would be it!!!!.......1999-09-08

Still the best recording of it's genre. A must have for any music library. I have several just to insure that it will always be there.

The Textbook on Old Time Dobro.......1998-12-12

This collection of 15 tunes is the the best example of traditional acoustic slide dobro. Oswald is a legend and little more can be said other than this is the best. The simple beauty of these instrumentals can not be overstated.

Average customer rating:

Don't Say Aloha
Bashful Brother Oswald
Manufacturer: Rounder Select
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Brother Oswald
Great Dobro Sessions

ASIN: B00000C2NY
Release Date: 1998-10-13

Tracks:

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
Isle Of Golden Dreams
The Girl I Love Don't Pay Me No Mind
You Are The Star In My Blue Heaven
Don't Say Aloha When I Go
Bible In The Barn
Amazing Grace
Cripple Creek
Mansion On The Hill
Rose Of San Antone
French Song
That High Born Gal Of Mine
Should I Tell My Wife I'm Dying?
The Old Rugged Cross

Music Album:

Music Album