Musician. Best known as the co-founder of the seminal Bluegrass group, The Osborne Brothers, which he formed alongside his brother, Sonny. Drawn to music at an early age, he would listen to early broadcasts of the Grand Ole Opry on his radio set. It was here that the musical stylings of legendary banjo player, Earl Scruggs caught his attention. Determined to follow in his hero's footsteps, Osborne dropped out of high school in order to form his first band with younger brother, Sonny. In 1949, Bobby was welcomed as vocalist in The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, an early Bluegrass group based out of Bluefield, West Virginia. Two years later, Sonny joined the group as a banjo player. Their tenure together in the band was brief however, as Bobby found himself drafted into the United States Marine Corps later that year. As Bobby prepared for his impending deployment to Korea, Bobby left the band to join Bluegrass legend, Bill Monroe in his outfit. While serving in the Korean War, Bobby was wounded in action, receiving the Purple Heart. Following his discharge from the Armed Forces in 1953, Osborne returned his focus to his fledgling Bluegrass career. Early on, he appeared with famed "Texas Troubadour" Ernest Tubb, who advised Osborne to pick up the mandolin, the instrument with which he would forge the rest of his lengthy career. In 1953 he and brother, Sonny reunited once more when they formed the eponymous Osborne Brothers Band. The group quickly became noted for their instrumentational precision and vocals, prominently featuring Bobby's high lonesome tenor alongside bandmates' tight harmonies. A thirty year span of releases was marked by a number of hits such as "Ruby Are You Mad," "Once More," "Making Plans," "Tennessee Hound Dog," and perhaps their most recognizable hit, "Rocky Top." The piece has been dubbed by some music critics as the, "National Anthem of Bluegrass." In 1960 the Osborne Brothers broke ground when they became the first Bluegrass band to perform at a college venue. Four years later, Osborne and bandmates were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. Nine years later, the group again made history as the first Bluegrass band to perform at the White House at the invitation of President Richard Nixon. In 1971 the band was named as the Country Music Association's Vocal Group of the Year honorees. Other distinctions bestowed upon Osborne included: Induction into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame (1994) and the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame (2002). In 2009, Osborne was present when the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers were inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame at the historical Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. On January 10, 2022, Osborne was named as a recipient of the Governor's Award for the Arts presented by Kentucky Governor, Andy Beshear. Befitting the musical legacy of the Osborne Brothers, two of their releases, "Rocky Top," and "Kentucky," were selected as official state songs of Tennessee and Kentucky respectively.