Anders Osborne is a singer-songwriter-guitar rocker who sailed into New Orleans from his native Sweden, lit the town on fire, and never looked back. Some 40 years later, with an international reputation and following, an impressive catalog, and several shelf-loads of awards and honors, Osborne remains a serious force on the American blues-rock scene. His recent album, Picasso’s Villa, is his 17th studio recording and includes impeccable tunes like “Bewildered” and “Dark Decatur Love.”
Osborne is a stellar guitarist and vocalist. A prolific performer, he has toured relentlessly, with his own band and with numerous co-conspirators, including the North Mississippi All-Stars, The Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, Toots and The Maytals, Stanton Moore, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Keb Mo, Phil Lesh, Jackie Greene and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe. He's produced and played on critically acclaimed albums by Tab Benoit, Johnny Sansone, Monk Boudreaux, the Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, Cyril Neville, and Mike Zito.
Osborne is also a gifted and prolific composer – indeed, Guitar Player calls him "the poet laureate of Louisiana's fertile roots music scene.” Starting with his 1989 debut recording, Osborne Orchestra, he has written virtually all of his own material and contributed memorable songs to a wide variety of artists. His breakthrough album, the 1995 Which Way to Here, contained two breakout hits, including “Pleasin’ You,” which was covered by Jonny Lang and got Osborne noticed by the Nashville songwriting community. Country superstar Tim McGraw scored a #1 hit with “Watch The Wind Blow By,” while two tunes co-written by Osborne appear on Keb Mo's Grammy-winning 1999 release Slow Down. Osborne's compositions have been covered by artists as diverse as Brad Paisley, Tab Benoit, Edwin McCain, Sam Bush, Trombone Shorty and Aaron Neville and Kim Carnes, and have appeared in multiple feature films. He spent several years in the Music City writing for labels, but eventually wound his way back to New Orleans and his own creative projects.
Osborne has toured the world, and has played at a long list of major venues and festivals. He’s won an equally long list of awards, including Big Easy and Offbeat’s Best of the Beat honors for songwriting, guitar playing, and recording. He can also be seen performing in an episode of HBO's New Orleans-based drama, Treme.
Osborne struggled with substance abuse issues over the years and in sobriety has worked closely to support sober lifestyle efforts, particularly the “Send Me a Friend” project.
