Brothers and 53rd American Country Music award nominees TJ and John Osborne, have more than music in common. The two also share a passion for boots, from brands such as Frye and Lucchese.
This spring, the two are featured in Frye’s online campaign, an association that came about after they chose the boots to wear for a music award appearance, as well as to red carpet events.
Their work with Frye has extended to an upcoming appearance at a concert at Zappos headquarters in Las Vegas on April 13, where they will be performing live as part of the FRYEDAYS music series that features established and emerging artists.
They are scheduled to launch their first headline U.K. tour in May, then join Dierks Bentley on his “Mountain High” tour this summer.
Here, the brothers share their favorite fashion looks head-to-toe, most admired country performers and the lure of the music genre.
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T.J. OSBORNE
Favorite shoe looks: “I have 20 to 30 pairs. I wear it all — cowboy boots [to] sneakers. If I’m performing, I’m either in a Lucchese Western boot, or if it’s a lace-up, it will be Frye. [I also] have Frye cowboy boots. If I’m working out or running, I wear Nike. I have the Goat sneaker app that’s become an obsession for buying and selling sneakers. I’m always looking at what’s coming out. If there’s something really cool I will buy it or get on the waiting list.”
Best red carpet look: “I’ve worn Fryes. The last [time] I was on TV, I was wearing Frye motorcycle lace-up boots.”
My personal style: “When I’m performing, I wear a lot of classic styles that are rugged, masculine-vintage. I wear a lot of black, vintage T-shirts, and belts with cool vintage buckles. I also wear a lot of Native American or Southwestern jewelry with some country undertones. It’s not because we’re in country music, I have to gratuitously wear a cowboy hat. I love wearing that stuff. But, I’m not a cowboy. I dress how I would normally dress if I were to go out to a bar.”
Favorite country music stars: “Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Merle Hagard. Today, it’s Chris Stapleton. We were on tour with him last year. And, Kacey Musgraves and Maren Morris, on the popular side of things.
Pinnacle career moment: “The biggest moment was in one week we accepted an award for song of the year [at the 2016 ASCAP awards], and then two days later our first award for vocal duo of the year at the [2016 CMA Awards]. We’ve have gone from being the underdogs to being the band people will have expectations of. It was a game changer for us.”
Best part about being an entertainer: “When you walk in front of a crowd, play your songs, and they are singing it back to you. There’s nothing greater than that.”
Most important advice I ever received: “It was from a very famous harmonica player Mickey Raphael who’s played with Willie Nelson. It was — sleep when you can.”
JOHN OSBORNE
Favorite shoe looks: “I’m a big boot fan. I love cowboy boots or lace-up boots from Frye and Lucchese. I wear rustic outfits — denim jacket and old T-shirt, or a pearl snap shirt under my jacket. I was just in Australia, and our bags didn’t show up with my boots. I had to buy another pair of boots there from Windsor Smith. It was the only company near our hotel and I really like them.”
My personal style: “Rustic American vintage wear. My on-stage style’s not too dissimilar from my off-stage. I [also] wear T-shirts and pearl snap shirts, vintage leather and denim. We travel a lot and I try to hit as many vintage stores as possible. When you’re out of a city, you can find cool obscure pieces for hardly any money. There are also a few stores in Nashville.”
The popularity of country music: “I think it speaks to a broad audience about real life. It represents everyday living and everyday people, and it applies to everyone. Sonically, it’s become such a broad genre.”
Favorite singers: “My all-time favorite is Hank Williams Sr. If you look back in history, the definition of rock ‘n roll is not a sound, but an attitude. Hank Sr. wore a cowboy hat and played traditional country songs inspired by blues music, but his personality and philosophy was very rock ‘n roll. He embodied everything that’s cool about music.”
Next step: “Putting more people in [concert] seats is the end goal for everybody. Filling bigger rooms, bigger clubs, then theaters, then arenas. You try to gain a bigger audience than you had the day before.”
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