TIM O'BRIEN (See also HOT RIZE)

• From Wheeling, West Virginia. Lives in Nashville.
• Rose to prominence with the Denver, Colorado-based group Hot Rize (1979-1990). Prior to that, performed with a string jazz group called the Ophelia Swing Band (also in Colorado).
• Has also fronted his own group, The O'Boys and has worked as a duo with his sister Mollie.
• First group: The Northern Valley Boys (in high school).
• Mid-seventies, performed solo in a pizza parlor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and also worked with The Hutchison Brothers, an Ohio group.
• Wrote the hit song "Untold Stories" recorded by the CMA's "Female Vocalist of the Year" Kathy Mattea.
• 1990, sang duo with Kathy Mattea on "The Battle Hymn of Love" a #1 record.
• Has also sung and played on albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter.
• 1990, signed by RCA Records but subsequently dropped due to budget cuts by the label before his first album was released.
• O'Brien's description of his musical style: "weird-country, electro-acoustic, folk-beat, walkin-the-line-between-several-genres acoustic music that rocks a bit, but you understand the words."
• 1995, his song "You Love Me, You Love Me Not" was recorded by country singer Hal Ketchum.
• 1997, became the first artist to achieve three #1 albums on the Gavin "Americana" Charts.
• 1997, Garth Brooks recorded a song co-written by Tim called "When There's No One Around."
• 1998, performs occasionally with Jeff White, Charlie Cushman, Mark Schatz and Jerry Douglas in a group called "The Flattheads."
• 1999, formed a group with Darol Anger, Mike Marshall and Alison Brown called New Grange.
• 2000, recorded and toured with guitarist Darrell Scott. Their instrumental "The Second Mouse" was nominated for a Grammy Award.
• 2001, was appointed president of the IBMA. Resigned in 2003.
• 2006, won Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Recording.
• 1993, 2006, won IBMA Award for Male Vocalist of the Year.
• 2006, won IBMA award for Song of the Year ("Look Down that Lonesome Road").

TIM AND MOLLIE O'BRIEN (See also TIM O'BRIEN)

• From Wheeling, West Virginia.
• Brother and sister duo; have sung together since childhood.
• 1967, won a talent contest in Wheeling performing as "Hardship and Perseverance." The following year, they won it again as "The Katzenjammer Kids." Next year, they won it a third time as the "Campbell Soup Kids."
• Mollie studied voice in college and has performed opera and musical theatre.
• 1994, toured South America for the U.S. Information Agency.

ALAN O'BRYANT (See also THE NASHVILLE BLUEGRASS BAND)

• From Reidsville, North Carolina.
• Leader of the Nashville Bluegrass Band (plays banjo).
• 1974, began performing with James Monroe and the Midnight Ramblers.
• Also was a member of The Front Porch String Band.
• Was a studio musician in Nashville before forming the NBB.
• Among his songwriting credits: "Those Memories of You" was recorded by "The Trio" (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris).
• Trademark singing style: holds the head of the banjo up near the microphone while he sings "into" the banjo. According to O'Bryant, he originally did it to get the weight off his diaphragm, thus giving him more vocal control. But he noticed that the "echo" effect also helped him to stay on pitch.
• 1995, received the "Heritage Award" from the Charlotte (NC) Folk Music Society for his role in preserving his home state's traditional music.

MARK O'CONNOR

• From Seattle, Washington. Since 1999, lives in Bonsall, California (near San Diego).
• According to Chet Atkins, "Mark O'Connor and Itzhak Perlman are two of the greatest musicians alive on the planet today."
• A child prodigy: he could identify specific classical composers at age 3.
• Began playing guitar at age 6. Began violin lessons at age 11. Seven months later, won second place at the National Old-Time Fiddle Championships in Weiser, Idaho.
• Appeared on the Grand Ole Opry when he was 12 years old. He was introduced by Roy Acuff.
• By age 14, had won two National Junior Fiddle Championships, One Grand Masters Fiddle Championship, and the National Guitar Flatpicking Championship (Winfield, Kansas). After his victory at Winfield the rules were changed—making contestants wait at least five years before they could win the championship a second time. (He did.)
• 1979, toured Japan with Dan Crary.
• 1980, joined The David Grisman Quintet, but left after breaking his arm in a skiing accident. 1981, joined an electric band called The Dregs—formerly The Dixie Dregs.
• Has performed at Carnegie Hall with Stephane Grappelli, David Grisman and cellist Yoyo Ma.
• 1983, embarked on a solo career, performing and recording with a wide variety of artists in just about every musical category.
• 1991, won the CMA award for "Vocal Event of the Year" for his album "The New Nashville Cats."
• 1991-1996, won the CMA award six consecutive years for "Musician of the Year."
• 1991, wrote his first violin concerto.
• 1993, toured with Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt for their "No Hats Tour." This tour marked his farewell to country music. He has focused on classical music ever since.
• Most important musical influence: Texas-style fiddler Benny Thomasson.
• 1999, moved to California and is performing primarily as a classical violinist.
• 2004, released "Thirty Year Retrospective" with Chris Thile (mandolin), Bryan Sutton (guitar), Byron House (bass).

TOM OHMSEN

• From Salem, Virginia.
• A recording engineer/producer by occupation (Flat Five Studios). Also an accomplished mandolin player.
• Has worked on albums by the Dave Matthews Band, Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley.
• Has written a popular book called "Music Theory for Modern Mandolin."
• Plays "jazz-swing-latin-bluegrass-blues" music.
• 2001, released first of several solo mandolin albums.

OLD AND IN THE WAY

• A 1973 band from San Francisco featuring Jerry Garcia (of the Grateful Dead) on banjo, David Grisman on mandolin, Peter Rowan on guitar, Vassar Clements on fiddle, and John Kahn on bass.
• Made several appearances over the course of about a year, playing venues like Paul's Saloon and The Boarding House in San Francisco.
• According to Grisman, the group never really got very tight because "Garcia hated to practice."
• 1996, re-united for a concert at Telluride, with Herb Pederson filling in for Jerry Garcia and in 2002, released an album called "Old and In the Gray."

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW

• From various parts of the country, but organized in New York. Later moved to Nashville.
• Started out as "buskers," or street musicians.
• While performing on a street corner in Boone, NC, they were heard by Doc Watson and invited to play Merlefest. That led to an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry and other high profile gigs.
• They play pre-war jug band music.
• First CD was produced by David Rawlings.

OLD HICKORY (See VIC JORDAN)

OLD SCHOOL FREIGHT TRAIN

• From Richmond, Virginia.
• Formed in 2001 at the College of William and Mary (Williamsburg).
• Play bluegrass, "dawg," bluegrass-flavored latin music.
• 2001, placed second at the band contest in Telluride.
• Original members include Pete Frostic (mandolin), Jesse Harper (guitar), Ben Krakauer (banjo), Darrell Muller (bass), Ann Marie Simpson (fiddle).

OPEN ROAD

• From Longmont, Colorado.
• Call themselves "young traditionalists."
• Formed in 1999 by guitarist Brad Folk and mandolinist Caleb Roberts. Banjo player Jim Rummels joined in 2000.
• Band name comes from a particular kind of Stetson Hat.
• Lead singer Brad Folk is a "real" cowboy.
• 2000, released first album produced by Sally Van Meter.
• 2002, signed with Rounder.

KEN ORRICK (See LOST HIGHWAY)

THE OSBORNE BROTHERS

• From Hyden, Kentucky (Live in Nashville.)
• 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.
• 1968, recorded biggest hit: "Rocky Top." 1984, the song was designated the state song of Tennessee. (The Osborne Brothers performed it live before the Tennessee State Legislature.)
• Other hits: "Tennessee Hound Dog" (1970) and "Georgia Pineywoods" (1971).
• 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.
• 1971, voted "Vocal Group of the Year" by the CMA.
• 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 Honor.
• 2000, a section of Route 421 in Kentucky was named "Osborne Brothers Way."
• 2005, Sonny retired due to a shoulder operation which impacted his ability to play up to his standards. He continues to build and sell banjos with his Sonny Osborne Banjo Company, specializing in a banjo called "The Osborne Chief."
• 2005, Bobby formed "Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-press," and signed wth Rounder Records.

BOBBY OSBORNE (AND THE ROCKY TOP XPRESS) (See also THE OSBORNE BROTHERS)

• From Hyden, Kentucky (Lives in Portland, Tennessee)
• The elder of the Osborne Brothers, he formed his own band "The Rocky Top Xpress," after brother Sonny retired in 2004.
• 2005, signed with Rounder Records.
• 2006, was appointed to a professorship at Hazard Community & Technical College in Hyden, Kentucky (his home town), teaching music.

DEAN OSBORNE

• From Lexington, Kentucky.
• Sonny and Bobby Osborne are cousins. His grandfather is their uncle.
• Besides music, his passion is training and showing Tennessee walking horses, a family tradition.
• 1980, formed first band "Thousandsticks Express."
• 1986, formed his current band, "Eastbound."
• 1988, went full-time with his band.
• 2006, appointed head of the Bluegrass and Traditional Music program at Hazard Community & Technical College.

WYNN OSBORNE

• From Nashville, Tennessee. Lives in Ocala, Florida.
• The son of Bobby Osborne (of the Osborne Brothers).
• Learned banjo from Earl Scruggs and Sonny Osborne.
• 1980, formed his own band and released a solo album.
• 1981, played banjo with the Osborne Brothers when Sonny suffered a severe finger injury.
• 1982, disbanded his own group to attend technical college.
• 1984, worked with the Boys from Indiana.
• 1986, moved to the Orlando, Florida area where he works in the computer industry.
• Has recorded several widely-distributed albums for CMH Records in their "Pickin On ..." series, and an album called "The Banjos That Destroyed the World."

OUT OF THE BLUE (See FRONTLINE)

THE OVERALL BROTHERS

• From Nashville.
• Formed in 2004 by Danny Barnes, Elmer Burchett, Jr., Kevin Harper, Wesley Probst and Kim Gardner.
• Barnes (mandolin) is from Kentucky and has performed with the Barnes Family Band, Charlie Sizemore, David Parmley and Continental Divide, Pine Mountain Railroad.
• Burchett (banjo) is from Kentucky and has worked with Lou Reid and Carolina, David Parmley and Continental Divide, Wyatt Rice and Santa Cruz, Ronnie Bowman, Brooks and Dunn.
• Harper (fiddle) is from Louisiana and has worked in numerous country bands including the Tracy Lawrence band.
• Probst (guitar) is from Missouri and worked with Harold Morrison and other artists before becoming a full-time songwriter.
• Gardner (Dobro™) is from North Carolina and has worked with the Lonesome River Band, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Larry Cordle and many others.
• First release: a novelty song called "Christmastime in Texas."

OVER THE EDGE (See JOHN CARLINI)

ANDY OWENS (THE ANDY OWENS PROJECT)

• From Dallas, Texas. Has roots in Kentucky.
• Has an MBA from SMU.
• Formed The Andy Owens Project" in 1991.
• Active on the Texas bluegrass scene since 1975.
• Was a founding member of Danger in the Air (1983-1991). Also worked with The Fredonia Rebellion (1976-1981) and "Les Fauves" (1981-1983), a "punk-grass" band.
• The "Project" is to develop bluegrass players and songwriters around Dallas and to widen the appeal of bluegrass to the general public.Calls his music "Real Music."
• Also performs with a Texas group called "Killbilly." In 1993, this band toured China.
• 1993, was elected to the board of the IBMA. In 1998, was elected chairman of the board.
• Owns and operates a recording studio in Dallas, and a record label: 1-800-BLUEGRASS.
• Travels extensively all over the world as a "bluegrass ambassador."