Sammy Osmond: Making Music Through His Roots

Abbi Clark, Staff Writer to The Powderhorn

Trying new things is scary, but when the world is locked down there is no better time to learn. When the COVID-19 virus caused everyone to go into quarantine, Sammy Osmond, former Watauga student, took the opportunity to pick up a new instrument and since then, he’s been performing banjo with groups or performing solo all over Western North Carolina. He loves sharing his passion through performance and learning through experience with other talented musicians. 

“I've been making music in one form or another since high school, but I didn't start playing banjo until I was midway through college during the height of COVID lockdown. I was home in Boone living with my parents,” said Osmond, “We had a banjo in the basement that we'd been kicking around for as long as I could remember. It was my mom's, but she'd never really learned so it was just sitting around, along with a practice book. I can't remember what possessed me, but one day I picked it up, opened the book, and got down to learning.”

He was far from perfect when he first started but that only encouraged him further. He kept practicing and got lessons which helped him realize his love for the banjo.

“I remember very vividly this moment where I was sitting on the front porch playing a tune called Cuckoo Bird that I had first heard on a Doc Watson record,” said Osmond, “The sun was setting and the birds were out. I had this beautiful realization come over me that I was from this place and playing music from this place. It just felt very cosmically right. It's a gift to be from somewhere.”

Growing up in Boone was a major inspiration to Osmond and helped shape the kind of music he creates. He attended Watauga High School and Appalachian State for graduate school, where he further studied Appalachian Studies that focused on regional music which helped Osmond bring himself into the music scene. 

“I wouldn’t be the musician I am today without the old time community in Boone. I’ve learned so much from playing at local jams. I’d say my love of this place is baked into my music,” said Osmond.

Since then, Osmond has had amazing opportunities to play and perform all over the high country. Even though performing scares him, he is always ready to face new challenges.

“I've played all kinds of rooms and shows, from a club in Greenwich Village to Lily's here in Boone. I just recently played by myself at the local Farmer's Market to mix it up,” said Osmond. “Each performance has different stakes, different audiences, different energies and that's wonderful.”

Osmond doesn’t always play alone either. He is able to collaborate with other musicians to further enhance the sweet tunes.

“I've been so lucky in my life to be surrounded by really exceptional musicians, certainly more skilled than me,” said Osmond. “Being in a band is always about gratitude. It's a gift to play music with people I consider my close friends. These are people I trust. I always feel confident getting on stage with them because I know they have my back. It's a team.”

Sammy Osmond is truly an inspiration when it comes to sharing love through musical art and never being afraid of new challenges. He wouldn’t be who he is without the community of Boone and the High Country.