Brother Oswald

It wasn't until this 1972 offering that Brother Oswald Kirby, Roy Acuff's first lieutenant in the Smoky Mountain Boys, recorded a solo album on the Dobro. With Tut Taylor, Norman Blake, and Charlie Collins (another Smoky Mountain Boy) in support, Os demonstrates an easygoing grace and pristine beauty in his Dobro work; speed is not an issue. "Sailing Along the Highway," an original he'd developed in the early '30s, is hypnotic in its gentle sway. On "Farewell Blues," he shows his command of the instrument and a full knowledge of its sonic capabilities. Also here are pop chestnuts; Hawaiian songs learned from a native islander, Rudy Waikiki, whom Os had met at Flint, Michigan, house parties while working for Buick in 1929; and, of course, a number of songs from the Acuff book. "Wabash Cannonball" becomes a mellow Dobro trio with Taylor and Blake, and "Tennessee Waltz," recorded by Acuff and Os years before it was a hit, is simply delightful as Oswald wisely lets the melody do all the work for him. --Marc Greilsamer