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A Tribute To Old Time Country Music
Established 1998 (As Gary Sez)
Jimmie Osborne
Jimmie Osborne, a native of Winchester, Ky., sang country music over
radio stations in Lexington, Shreveport, Nashville and Louisville during
a career that started when he was 15 years old. He was reported to be
the highest-paid performer in the radio and television field in
Louisville at one time.
As a recording artist, Osborne was best known for two hits--"My Heart
Echoes", his first record and one that hit the best seller list in the
country music field in 1947, and a few years later, "The Death of Kathy
Fiscus", which sold 1,000,000 copies.
Osborne wrote the song while working on radio station WLEX in
Lexington. He gave half the royalties to a memorial fund for the little
California girl who fell in a well and died.
Like many other performers in the country and folk music business,
Osborne played many benefits--for fellow performers down on their luck
and for such causes as the March of Dimes.
Those who worked with him said Osborne's success was based on his
"infectious personality" rather than on his singing voice, which was not
a notable one.
His home town of Winchester never forgot him and once gave him a
home-coming day. The key to the city was handed to Osborne by the Mayor,
Dr. John A. Snowden, who was the physician who brought Osborne into this
world.
He is still remembered in Winchester as the youngster who began
"picking and singin" with a guitar that cost $4 and a "get-up" that
featured the oldest overalls he could find and a floppy black hat.
On Dec 26, 1957, Jimmie Osborne took his own life. He was 34 years
old.
Below are 22 of Jimmie's songs. Listen to the chilling words in "The Death Of Little Kathy Fiscus", the story of the little girl who died after falling into an open well in 1949. And "God Please Protect America" is a song from 1950 that could very well apply to today's events. And "A Tennessee Ocean" is a beautiful tear jerker.
Click on song title to listen to song in the MP3 format
A Tennessee Ocean
An Empty Old Cottage
Blue Days And Lonely Nights
Death Of Little Kathy Fiscus
God Please Protect America
He'll Come Like A Thief In The Night
Helpless Heart
Hills Of Roan County
I Did And I Does And I Do
I'm Scared To Go Home
My Heart Echoes
Standing from left: Eddie Hill, Tommy Sosebee, Carl Smith and
Ernest Tubb.
Seated from Left: DJ Carl Shook, Jimmie Osborne,
Jimmie Logsdon and Pee Wee King
My Tissue Paper Heart
No BitterTears
Not unloved or unclaimed
Son Please meet Me In Heaven
Tears Of St Ann
The Door To My Heart Is Wide Open
The First One To Know
This Evil life Don't Pay
Vacant Sign Upon My Heart
What A Price To Pay For Love
You All Come
From My Guestbook:
As the oldest of Jimmie's two sons, I can attest both Mike and I are pleased and honored to have our father's memory preserved in this manner. He was taken from us far too soon; only a child deeply devoted to and in love with his father can understand the impact of losing a parent at such a young age, a parent with which much time was spent and memories shared.
The fact his death occurred under questionable circumstances served only to compound the issue. Unlike my daughters and neices, I knew my father well, perhaps better than most. The events of December 26, 1957, remain vivid. It is comforting to know there are others who still remember his quality as a person and talent as an entertainer.
Thanks, Doug Osborne, Lexington Kentucky.
Just want to say thank you for posting this and helping to keep my grandfather's memory alive. None of his grandchildren, including me, knew him, but it's so nice to hear the stories from those who did.
Jessica Osborne McKenney, Lexington, Kentucky.
Just wanted to say thanks for posting my grandfather Jimmy Osborne's music on here and letting the whole world hear it.
Amy Osborne, Lexington, Kentucky.
Thanks for posting this site. I'm Jimmie Osborne's granddaughter and don't really know too much about him since my dad was so young when Jimmie took his own life.
It's neat to see he still has fans and be able to listen to his music that I haven't heard in so long!
Erin Osborne.
Loved the web site, My mother-in-law and her ex-husband wrote "EMPTY OLD COTTAGE" and gave it to Jimmie Osborne to play many a years ago, It was nice to here a piece of his history and my Mother-in-laws.
Pat Sanders.
Loved the web site, My mother-in-law and her ex-husband wrote "EMPTY
OLD COTTAGE" and gave it to Jimmie Osborne to play many a years ago, It
was nice to here a piece of his history and my Mother-in-laws
Pat Sanders
When I was about 15 around 1955, I would often walk from my
Louisville home at 22nd and Maple St to see Jimmie Osborne live on the
air at the Jimmie Osborne Record Shop at 8th and Broadway. I loved his
guitar playing when he occasionally sang a song "live" on one of his DJ
shows. And, being a kid, I really appreciated "Jimmie Osborne Nickel
Day" at Fontaine Ferry amusement park. J.O.'s closing saying will
forever be embedded in my mind: "Neighbors, believe half of what you
see, nothing bad you hear, and if you can't say something good about
someone, then brother just don't say it."
Tom Greenup, Brooks, KY
My brother and I have long searched for the song "Tears of St.
Anne". He found it on this website and sent it to me along with the web
page. We really appreciate being able to hear that song as it is one
that we used to sing in the car while travelling in the car with our
parents and brothers and sisters - there was nine of us kids. I also
remember hearing about the song "The Death of Little Kathy Fiscus". My
mom talked about that song. Thanks for the web page and the songs.
Linda
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
With explosions going off everywhere in the world what a pleasure to
come to this sight and listen to Tears of Saint Anne.I first heard this
song around 1956. I never forgot it but it took me almost fifty years to
verify the artist. There is a rare picture of Jimmie Osborne with Hank
Williams at WCKY in the following book on page 85. Title: Hank Williams'
Snapshots From The Lost Highway publisher is Dacapo Press. Book can be
found on Amazon.com.It doesn't surprise me that their roads crossed.
I'll be back for more visits. Thanks for a class act!!!
Jim Brock
Santa Monica, CA
I just wanted to say that I have enjoyed Jimmie Osborne since
viewing your site. I now have copies of some of his songs thanks to my
boss. I play them over and over. I have been asked about this artist and
have been trying to find out some information on Mr. Osborne. I just
found out that his sister-in-law passed away this year. I was told that
his widow passed away this year also. How accurate that statement is, I
cannot verify. I never found out what his widow's name was. I visit his
grave from time to time when I visit my grandmother's. On his tombstone,
it says "Kentucky's Folk Singer".
Joy Curtis
Kentucky
Hello gary! My name is Dennis Schut. Just by accident I came upon your
very interesting pages. I was very glad to see info on Jimmie Osborne. I
am a big fan of his music. I have 3 LPīs or so on KING Records and also
prepared an LP myself from 78īs I have collected through the years and
researched details about his life, as little was know from the KING LP
sleeves and my books on the history of Country Music. Do you know this
LP, it came out on Strictly Country Records in The Netherlands. Even
bought two good pictures from the Country Music Library in Nashville.
I was in Louisville two years ago for about a week and was thinking
about looking at places where he might have lived and worked, but really
had no clue where to look. Very nice city!
Best wishes from Europe,
Dennis
I lived in Ky so of Louisville,and in Louisville from 1950 til'1953,
at which time I joined the Marines. I loved Jimme Osborne, and still do.
I have a few tapes of his. (great site) Please continue this wonderful
site!
Sherman Glover
Yucca Valley Ca
I have been a fan of Jimmie Osborne since a child and have all his
recordings in my collection. I was fortunate to met him once while in
Louisville and he was was a very friendly person. At the time he was
doing DJ work at some Louisville location where, as a previous letter
stated, he would sing a few songs on each program. Incidently, it was
WKLO where he worked while in Louisville. I was impressed that he was
much nicer looking in person than in his pictures. For a short time,
WKLO had a tv station on channel 21 in Louisville but since tv's didn't
have UHF tuners built in until later, the station couldn't make it.
Jimmie had a program on the station, I believe it was daily, and once a
week he had his "Osborne Opry". We lived about 125 miles from Louisville
and UHF stations only reached out about 35 miles in those days. In fact,
we had difficulty with channel 3 and 11, PeeWee King being on channel 3
and Randy Atcher was on 11 (WAVE and WHAS). I was told by Walter Bailes
that Jimmie got his start working with them (The Bailes Brothers) and
they played behind him on some of his "King" recordings.
Jerry Langley
Nashville
TN.
Gary, I worked as Staff Announcer at WKLO, Louisville from 1949
through 1953. One of my assignments was to introduce Jimmie Osborne and
his group of about four, every morning after signing on the station.
Most mornings they arrived at the station (about 6:30 a.m.) directly
from a job they had worked the previous night. The gig they were on was
usually in a small town 100 or more miles from Louisville. They'd finish
the job, hang around for a while to visit with the locals, have "dinner"
(with a few drinks), pile in the car and drive back to Louisville. There
were times when they barely made it back to station in time for their
show.
I also had the pleasure of working with Asher Sizemore (and other
Country groups) at WHTN, Huntington, W. Va., around 1948-49. I was known
then as "Slim Farron" and had a record show every morning featuring such
outstanding records as "Tramp On the Street" by Molly O'Day, "Walking
the Floor..." by Ernest Tubb, and a really great track done by several
artists: "Sweeter Than the Flowers". I used to have conversations on the
air every morning with my little "bird" Elmo, and got many letters
asking about him. Huntington to Louisville to Chicago...until 1959. Wish
there was more I could contribute.
Ed
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Please note: I in no way profit from the music on these pages. All songs are from my personal collection and are placed here for your private enjoyment and educational purposes only. Enjoy!
Jimmie Osborne tribute page created by Gary Carico using Yahoo's advanced HTML editor.