Shreveport Music Legend Joe Osborn Passes Away at 81

Joe Osborn, a legendary musician passed away on December 14th, at the age of 81 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Joe Osborn a Lousiana native was a part of the list of legendary artists to come out of Shreveport/Bossier like Jared Leto, Kix Brooks, Hank Williams JR,  and James Burton. In August many community members and fans of Joe Osborn sent Osborn Birthday cards for his 81st, it was so great to see so many people respond to Osborne's last birthday wish.

Osborn was 20 years old when he decided to make the move to Las Vegas so he could play back up guitar for country artist Bob Luman. It wasn't long after that when Joe Osborn climbed up the ladder and became known as the first call bassist in Los Angeles. Everyone in the industry wanted Osborn to be on their record. Osborn was a member of the "Wrecking Crew" and the "Golden Trio" a nickname that he and Hal Blaine, and Larry Knechtel earned because of their collaborations on albums and being so sought after in the music industry. Joe Osborn was part of 53 Number 1 hits, perhaps his most underrated talent was finding amazing talent and being encouraging. If you're a fan of The Carpenters you can thank Joe Osborn for his unique discovery.

Just in case you're wondering what other artists Joe Osborn has worked with, here's a small list of artists that were huge Joe Osborn fans and asked Osborn to help with their albums:

• Neil Young
• Brenda Lee
• The Mamas & Papas
• The Monkees
• Billy Joel
• Paul Simon
• Simon and Garfunkel
• Barbra Streisand
• Johnny Cash
• Merle Haggard
• Dean Martin
• The Oak Ridge Boys
• Olivia Newton-John
• Jimmy Buffett
• Waylon Jennings
• The 5th Dimension
• Hank Williams

According to Kat Herrin, Joe Osborn's daughter in law said, "Joe’s son David was there by his side until the very end, when the Lord called him home this weekend. At least we can say that we have so many beautiful things/songs to remember him by." Herrin also went on to thank all the members of our community who sent Joe Osborn birthday cards for his 81st birthday, "I cannot even begin to tell you how much joy the birthday card announcement brought to Joe, and to all of his friends and family."