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As a member of Roy Acuff's Grand Ole Opry band, Bashful Brother Oswald played a dumb-hick hillbilly character for the sake of comic relief, his slapstick antics and clown-like apparel making him an audience favorite -- but his dobro playing was no joke. During the Depression, Oswald found work playing Hawaiian-style dobro music at a Flint, Mich., radio station. When he was picked up by Acuff later in the decade, he brought with him the weeping, island-flavored style of playing that is one of the defining characteristics of country music. While Oswald was not solely responsible for this sound, his role as a key player in the modern country vocabulary is indisputable. Although he worked mainly as a sideman, he did record a couple of solo efforts on which he sang as well as played, showcasing a taste for old-time Bluegrass and singing in a friendly, weathered voice.
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