Bashful Brother Oswald

Beecher Ray "Pete" Kirby (December 26, 1911 – October 17, 2002), better known as Bashful Brother Oswald, was an American country musician who popularized the use of the resonator guitar and Dobro. He played with Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Though he released only a few recordings as a solo artist, he played as a session musician on numerous records, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 1972 album Will the Circle be Unbroken.

Birth and Death Data: Born Sevier County, Died October 17, 2002 (Madison)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1939 - 1951

Roles Represented in DAHR: steel guitar, harmony vocal, guitar, lead vocal

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 54 records)

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Columbia	MEM40	10-in.	7/5/1939	Smoky Mountain moon	Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	HCO807	10-in.	5/28/1942	Wreck on the highway	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	vocalist, harmony vocal, instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	HCO808	10-in.	5/28/1942	Fire ball mail	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	HCO809	10-in.	5/28/1942	I'll reap my harvest in heaven	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar, vocalist, harmony vocal
Columbia	HCO810	10-in.	5/28/1942	Night train to Memphis	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	H811	10-in.	6/1/1942	Prodigal son	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	HCO812	10-in.	6/1/1942	Low and lonely	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	H813	10-in.	6/1/1942	Write me sweetheart	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal duet	instrumentalist, steel guitar, vocalist, harmony vocal
Columbia	HCO818	10-in.	6/1/1942	They can only fill one grave	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar, vocalist, harmony vocal
Columbia	H820	10-in.	6/4/1942	Don't make me go to bed and I'll be good	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	H822	10-in.	6/4/1942	Not a word from home	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal duet	instrumentalist, steel guitar, vocalist, harmony vocal
Columbia	H823	10-in.	6/4/1942	Do you wonder why	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	H824	10-in.	6/4/1942	I'll forgive you but I can't forget	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	DAL944	10-in.	4/11/1940	Come back little pal	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	DAL948	10-in.	4/11/1940	Beneath that lonely mound of clay	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	DAL949	10-in.	4/11/1940	The streamlined Cannon Ball	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, guitar
Columbia	DAL951	10-in.	4/12/1940	Farther along	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	vocalist, harmony vocal
Columbia	DAL952	10-in.	4/12/1940	Blue eyed darling	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	DAL953	10-in.	4/12/1940	The precious jewel	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar, vocalist, harmony vocal
Columbia	DAL956	10-in.	4/12/1940	Lonesome old river blues	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar, vocalist, harmony vocal
Columbia	DAL958	10-in.	4/12/1940	Mule skinner blues (Blue yodel #8)	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	DAL967	10-in.	4/11/1940	Just to ease my worried mind	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	vocalist, harmony vocal, instrumentalist, guitar
Columbia	HCO2205	10-in.	1/28/1947	(Our own) Jole Blon	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	HCO2206	10-in.	1/28/1947	Tennessee Central (Number 9)	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar
Columbia	HCO2208	10-in.	1/28/1947	There's a big rock in the road	Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, steel guitar

(Results 1-25 of 54 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bashful Brother Oswald," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/371479.

Bashful Brother Oswald. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/371479.

"Bashful Brother Oswald." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.

Wikidata: Bashful Brother Oswald - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q809965

VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/51875756

MusicBrainz: Bashful Brother Oswald - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/be5bcd6d-f8f7-4a9f-9f4d-89838958923c

Fast: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/359367 - http://id.worldcat.org/fast/359367

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