Brother Oswald

Musician. Born Beecher Ray Kirby, he was a Dobro guitar and banjo player best known as Bashful Brother Beecher. In 1934, taking the stage name Pete Kirby, he joined Roy Acuff’s Crazy Tennesseans in 1934, which became the Smoky Mountain Boys. In 1939, the Smoky Mountain Boys joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry and until Acuff’s death in 1992, he remained a member of the band. During the coarse of his career, he also was a solo artist and a session musician, recording with artist Jerry Douglas, Gene Wooten, Josh Graves and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In his honor, the Gibson Guitar Corporation created a “Brother Oswald” signature series Dobro guitar in 1995. He died of natural causes at age 90.