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Brother Oswald
Brother Oswald
Brother Oswald
Genres: Country, Folk, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (15) - Disc #1

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 M...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Brother Oswald
Title: Brother Oswald
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Rounder Select
Release Date: 5/16/1995
Genres: Country, Folk, Pop
Styles: Bluegrass, Classic Country, Traditional Folk
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 011661001329

Synopsis

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

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CD Reviews

60 years old when recorded
David Hudson | Jackson, Tn. United States | 11/13/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."
Made me buy a Dobro at an Ebay auction.
LtCol Richard L. Jones (USAF-Retire | Warner Robins, GA USA | 10/30/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."
BROTHER OSWALD
LtCol Richard L. Jones (USAF-Retire | 04/04/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."