Bobby plays mandolin; Sonny plays banjo.
Bobby is six years older than Sonny.
Sonny's given name is Roland.
1949, Bobby began musical career with banjo player Larry Richardson and the Cline Brothers (Ray and Charlie) in The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers.
1950, Sonny joined the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers at age 13.
1951, Sonny was hired by Bill Monroe to play banjo with the Blue Grass Boys.
1953, Bobby and Sonny teamed up with Jimmy Martin and performed on a radio station in Detroit as as "Jimmy Martin and the Osborne Brothers." They were invited to come to Nashville to do a radio program, but turned it down because the pay wasn't good enough. The sponsors hired Flatt and Scruggs instead. The show was "The Martha White Show" on WSM.
1955, parted company with Martin and worked with Charlie Bailey in Wheeling, West Virginia on WWVA.
1956, formed their own band with Red Allen singing lead. Signed by MGM Records.
1964, joined the Grand Ole Opry.
1969, went electric, infuriating many of their fans. At one concert, someone snuck up on stage and snipped the electric chord to Sonny's banjo.
1970, Sonny invented a six-string banjo which had one extra bass string. Played it for several years but eventually abandoned the idea.
1973, were the first bluegrass group to perform at the White House (for Richard Nixon).
1974, stopped using electric instruments, except for an electric bass.
1991, dropped the electric bass in favor of the acoustic string bass.
1994, were inducted into the IBMA's Hall of Fame.
2005, Bobby formed his own band called Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-press.
2014, Pinecastle released a previously unreleased album of 1970's era recordings by the Osborne Brothers called Nashville .
The Osborne Brothers: Once More Volumes I & II (Sugar Hill) Two outstanding Sugar Hill albums combined into one.
Bluegrass 1956-1968 (Bear Family). This is a box-set which includes pretty much everything the Osborne Brothers recorded.
Country Bluegrass (Universal) A good collection of the greatest hits.