Josh Graves
Traditional Bluegrass
Classic Bluegrass
Josh Graves — born Burkett Howard Graves, known variously as “Uncle Josh,” “Buck,” and “Cousin Josh” — was the Dobro player who brought the resophonic guitar into bluegrass. Before Graves joined Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs's Foggy Mountain Boys in 1955, the Dobro was primarily a Hawaiian and blues instrument with no regular bluegrass presence. Graves's application of Scruggs-style three-finger rolls to the Dobro created a new instrumental voice that has since become essential to the bluegrass sound, directly influencing Mike Auldridge, Jerry Douglas, Rob Ickes, and every modern Dobroist.
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- Born Burkett Howard Graves in Tellico Plains, Tennessee. Learned fiddle as a child, then bass, then Dobro. Influenced by Hawaiian steel guitarists and by Cliff Carlisle, a country Dobroist of the 1930s.
- Played bass with Esco Hankins and with Mac Wiseman in the early 1950s. Worked alongside Jake Tullock in Hankins's band — the origins of their later comedy partnership in Flatt and Scruggs.
- Joined Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys in November 1955 — initially as bass player. Quickly transitioned to Dobro when the band realized his facility with the instrument was unique. His arrival gave Flatt and Scruggs an instrumental voice that distinguished them from Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers.
- Adapted Earl Scruggs's three-finger banjo roll to the Dobro — a revolutionary innovation that allowed the instrument to take rapid lead breaks in bluegrass tempos that had previously been impossible. His solos on “Randy Lynn Rag,” “Shuckin' the Corn,” and “Flint Hill Special” set the standard.
- Stayed with Flatt and Scruggs from 1955 to their 1969 dissolution — 14 years, more than any other Foggy Mountain Boy besides Paul Warren. Appeared on virtually all of their Columbia recordings from that period.
- Followed Lester Flatt into the Nashville Grass in 1969. Comedy partnership with Jake Tullock (“Cousin Jake and Uncle Josh”) was a highlight of Flatt's stage show.
- Left the Nashville Grass in 1974. Formed his own group the Shenandoah Cutups; also toured with the Earl Scruggs Revue periodically.
- Released solo albums including Alone at Last (1975), Sultan of Slide (1977), and King of the Dobro — the last title not a boast but a statement of fact.
- Guest on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will the Circle Be Unbroken (1972), which helped introduce the Dobro sound to rock and folk-rock audiences.
- Inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1997.
- Recorded The Great Dobro Sessions (1994, Sugar Hill) with Jerry Douglas, Mike Auldridge, Rob Ickes, Sally Van Meter, and others — a multi-generational Dobro showcase that won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album.
- Died on September 30, 2006 in Nashville at age 79, three days after his birthday.
- The Dobro's complete integration into bluegrass is attributable more to Graves than any other single musician. Every bluegrass Dobroist works in the stylistic language he established between 1955 and 1970.
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Sultan of Slide2000
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King of the Dobro1980 · CMH CD 8015
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Josh “Buck” GravesPlayed on recordings with Josh Graves
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Billy TroyPlayed on recording with Josh Graves
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Tom T. HallPlayed on recording with Josh Graves
