C.J. Lewandowski: Keepin' On

Photo by Jeff f Daugherty

When C.J. Lewandowski was a teenager, he met one of his music idols, veteran bluegrass artist Bobby Osborne. “I got to pick with him, and I was forever hooked,” C.J. says.

C.J. worked hard to master the mandolin and was already playing gigs when he enrolled in the Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music. “I went because Bobby was teaching there,” he says. “After a few months, Bobby asked me why I was there. I told him it was because he taught there and that I wanted to hang out with him. He told me that I didn’t need to enroll in college to do that, and that the best thing I could do was to get out on the road and play.”

When C.J. purchased his 1927 F-5 Fern mandolin, he contacted Bobby. “We compared mine to his 1925 model, and we took photos. That’s what spawned our friendship.”

C.J. began going to Bobby’s house once or twice a month, and the two developed a deep friendship. “Then COVID happened,” says C.J. “I didn’t want to risk bringing outside germs into his home.” During that time, Bobby went into a funk, depressed that he couldn’t play at the Grand Ole Opry or other shows. “He did some mandolin video lessons on YouTube, but it wasn’t the same as having a live audience. He missed the Opry so much.”

When COVID finally passed, C.J. was able to see Bobby again. “I talked to his son, Bobby Jr., at the 2022 IBMA awards, who agreed that I could book Bobby for a few shows.”

A trip to Palm Springs to visit Keith Barnacastle, founder of Turnberry Records, was the spark that ignited an idea C.J. had. “I told Keith I thought it would be cool to get Bobby into the studio. Keith asked if I thought he would do it. I had to get up the nerve to mention it to Bobby.” Bobby was intrigued when he heard a fellow from California was interested in recording him. “We let Bobby pick the studio and the songs.”

In January 2022, recording began at Ben’s Place, a studio in Nashville owned by Bill Surratt. “He engineered the project.” C.J. assembled a band for the project that included himself, Lincoln Hensley, and Bobby Osborne Jr. “It was important to surround Bobby with people he was comfortable with, and people who loved and admired him.” C.J. laughs, saying it wasn’t like ordinary Nashville sessions. “Bobby had the set list, and some days we would record three or four songs, then other days we didn’t do any, because Bobby just wanted to talk. We let him set the pace.”

One day, Bobby came in and said he wanted to do Rocky Top over again – he wasn’t pleased with his vocals. “None of us realized that would be his last time in the studio.” Bobby Osborne passed away on June 27, 2023. “I went to see him in the hospital before he died, and Bobby was talking about the artwork for the album cover. After we told each other, ‘I love you,’ I told Bobby on my way out to ‘keep on keeping on.’ He gave me a thumbs up and said, ‘YOU keep on keeping on.’ Those were his last words to me.”

After Bobby’s death, C.J. could barely manage to listen to recordings of Bobby’s voice. His passing hit C.J. hard. “I spoke at his funeral, and I was a pallbearer. When I got home, I called Keith and said I didn’t know what to do.” At the time, they had eight tracks with Bobby’s vocals and one instrumental Bobby played on.

C.J. says that since Bobby’s passing, he has had an intense way of showing up. “I was sitting on my porch, and in my mind, I heard him say, ‘I gave you something, now do what you want with it.’ I figured that the album wasn’t supposed to be with Bobby, but for him.” At the 2024 IBMA awards show, C.J. was asked to be a part of a tribute to Bobby Osborne. After his performance, he went backstage where Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury, and the Boys were playing “She’s No Angel.”

C.J. spoke with Bobby Jr., who suggested that Del be added as another voice on the album. “My idea had been to finish the album like it was, as an album of Bobby’s last recordings, but that opened up a whole new realm of possibility.”

C.J. called Billy Strings about adding vocals to the album. “Billy said he knew about the project and thought he had missed the boat on it.” Billy sang along with Bobby’s recording of “Cora is Gone.”

Bobby showed up again for C.J. in December. “I make an annual trip to Florida the first week of December, and at that time, I was seriously considering hanging up bluegrass and becoming a realtor. I was listening to Del’s Hand-Picked show on Sirius XM’s Bluegrass Junction. “It was a re-run, recorded before Bobby died, and Del talked a lot about Bobby.” Then came Chris Jones’ show, and he announced he would be celebrating Bobby Osborne on the show because it was Bobby’s birthday.

When C.J. returned home, a box awaited him from the Country Music Hall of Fame. Inside, there was a letter asking if he would like to be included in their upcoming “Unbroken Circle” exhibit, which features stars with their mentors. “They did an exhibit of me and Bobby. We had so many things planned, but this wasn’t one of them.”

Vince Gill was at the opening and asked if he could do “Lonesome Feeling” on the album. Other stars jumped on board, including Sam Bush, Mollie Tuttle, Wyatt Ellis, Jaylee Roberts, The Osborne Boys, and the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. “Everything about this album happened naturally. It was not by design. And it took two years to make, but I had to get it done,” says C.J. “We had people who pre-ordered the album who were waiting for it to be released, and I had to do it for Bobby.” The album, Keep on Keepin’ On, was released on August 22.

“I’m blessed to have all his sons on the album. Getting to know the Osborne family and being close with them has been a great experience for me.”