Rounder has announced January 20, 2009 as the release date for a new project from Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press.

Bluegrass & Beyond will feature 12 new tracks from Bobby and his band (Bobby Osborne Jr. on bass, Dana Cupp on banjo, Richard Bennett on guitar, and David Crow on fiddle), with guest appearances from Marty Stuart and Connie Smith, and Rhonda and Darrin Vincent.

Songs include new compositions and Bobby’s covers of hits like Drivin’ My Life Away and Girl from Yesterday. Rounder says that the sound is still vintage Osborne, sticking to the bluegrass and traditional country sound that has marked his music for nearly 60 years.

Track listing:

1. Let’s Sing Our Song
   
2. What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul
   
3. A Wise Man’s Mind Will Change
   
4. You Can
   
5. Different Definition of Love
   
6. Drivin’ My Life Away
   
7. Girl from Yesterday
   
8. Keystone Coal
   
9. After the Fire Is Gone
   
10. Hyden
    
11. Shenandoah Wind
    
12. Way Up on the Mountain

No audio samples online yet.

West Virginia author B. L. Dotson-Lewis has published her third book on the people and culture of the Appalachian region.

The Sunny Side of Appalachia: Bluegrass from the Grassroots traces the early days of the music through first person oral histories from seminal grassers Everett Lilly, Jesse McReynolds, Bobby Osborne and Aubrey Holt. Their stories are related verbatim, retaining the dialectical quirks of the original conversations.

The focus is on how these early artists told the stories of mountain people through their songs, and how they continued to do so against the odds stacked against them – dismissive record companies, low wages and small town venues.

Lewis also includes a narrative on Bill Monroe based on her research of available resources, and personal testimony from friends and business associates.

The book runs to 184 pages and is printed with large text and many black and white photos. It sells for $15.95 and can be ordered online.

Bobby Osborne and J.D. Crowe are hitting the road, together. The two legends are planning to tour as part of The American Bluegrass Masters concert tour. Organizers are stating this is the first time in 50 years that Crowe and Osborne have toured together. The tour is being promoted as featuring Living Legends & Next Generation Stars.

The Masters band for the tour consists of:

• Bobby Osborne – mandolin
• JD Crowe – banjo
• Dean Osborne – banjo and guitar
• Bobby Osborne Jr. – bass and guitar
• Richard Bennett – guitar
• Curtis Burch – resophonic/steel guitar
• JP Mathes – banjo, guitar, bass

In addition to the Masters band, the Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music Ensemble is on the tour as well. The ensemble consists of:

• Obadiah (Obe) Golding – banjo
• Andrew DeKemper – resophonic/steel guitar
• Katherine Boguss – fiddle

No tour dates have been announced yet. Booking information is available at opus3artists.com.

Once again, The Grand Ole Opry has some bluegrass to offer in this weekend’s broadcasts.

Friday night’s Opry (6/13) will feature performances from Mountain Heart, The Whites and Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press while Saturday (6/14) night has 3 Fox Drive and the Carolina Chocolate Drops on tap.

Kim Fox of 3 Fox Drive tells us that they will also be performing Saturday evening at the Opry Plaza Party, a free event just outside the Opry House that starts at 5:30 p.m.

“We’re really looking forward to the weekend as we’re flying our dad in for Father’s Day. Crossing our fingers that the weather holds out!!”

The Friday Opry is broadcast from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. (EST) and the Saturday show runs from 7:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. Both shows are available over the air in the Nashville market on WSM AM 650, on XM channel 11 (XM Nashville), and simulcast worldwide via online streaming at wsmonline.com.