THORPE, OSBURN “OZZIE” (c.1934-2000)

A native of Kentucky, Osburn Thorpe was a Deputy Sheriff in Montgomery County in the late 1960s when he began writing songs. He became friendly with Jack Lynch of Jalyn Records in Dayton and William Jones of Pine Tree Records in Hamilton. As a result, he was able to place songs on those labels with Ralph Stanley and Larry Sparks. He wrote five of the songs on Ralph’s second Jalyn album, including “Carter’s Songs,” a tribute to Carter Stanley. He placed at least eight songs with Larry, including “Too Late To Walk the Floor” and “Green Pastures In the Sky,” and produced Larry’s first album on Pine Tree. An early death cut short a promising songwriting career.