(Excerpt from the article mentioned above)
Acuff's sidekick leaves own legacy
Beecher Kirby
By PETER COOPER
Staff Writer
Among the best-known, best-loved sidemen in the history of country
music, Grand Ole Opry member Beecher Kirby — better known as
"Bashful Brother Oswald" — died yesterday morning at his
Madison home. He was 90.
A famously gregarious performer whose "Bashful" nickname belied
his onstage personality, Mr. Kirby played a starring role in
Roy Acuff's monumentally popular Smoky Mountain Boys band.
His Dobro work and his supporting vocals were integral parts of
genre-defining Acuff smashes including The Precious Jewel
and Wreck On The Highway.
"Acuff had one of my favorite groups, and Oswald was the backbone
of the whole thing," said Country Music Hall of Famer Earl Scruggs,
who remembers childhood evenings spent listening to Acuff and
the Smoky Mountain Boys on the Grand Ole Opry.
"Beyond any doubt, he was the most important part of that band. He
was one of my first heroes, Oswald was, and he was a friend
from the first time I met him."
Of the instrumentals Mr. Kirby performed, the most requested one
was Oswald Dobro Chimes, also called Steel Guitar Chimes. The song
is based on an old Hawaiian folk song that Kirby rewrote.
Mr. Kirby is survived by his wife, Euneta; son, Billy, four
grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren.
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