10 Great Live Bluegrass Performances -- No. 9 "Rocky Top"
Last edited Sat Nov 5, 2022, 07:33 PM - Edit history (1)
The Osborne Brothers put this song in the legendary bluegrass canon back in 1967. Bobby Osborne’s high tenor voice did as much as anyone to give traditional bluegrass that “high and lonesome” sound. The brothers worked with some of the early greats including Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin, and Red Allen.
This piece became so popular that the University of Kentucky band plays it every time the football team makes a touchdown.
Even though it sounds like straight-ahead barn-burner bluegrass, it has a little “Irish” twist to it in the chorus—it drops out of the expected G—C—D chord pattern and uses an F. This is characteristic of an Irish tune such as “Drunken Sailor.” Doc Watson’s “Salt Creek” has a distinctive sound using the F chord in the key of G as well.
Here they are some fifteen years after its release playing “Rocky Top” on some variety show at the time, with Sonny Osborne introducing the song.
= new reply since forum marked as read
