Josh Graves
| Josh Graves | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Burkett Howard Graves |
| Born | September 27, 1927 |
| Origin | Tennessee, USA |
| Died | September 30, 2006 (aged 79) |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Associated acts | Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys |
Josh Graves (September 27, 1927 Tellico Plains, Monroe County, Tennessee – September 30, 2006), born Burkett Howard Graves, was an American bluegrass musician. Also known by the nicknames "Buck," and "Uncle Josh," he is credited with introducing the resonator guitar (commonly known under the trade name of Dobro) into bluegrass music shortly after joining Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1955. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1977.
He joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry for the In the Heat of the Night cast CD “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” performing "Christmas Time's A Comin'" with the cast on the CD released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.
Career
- 1942 Joined the Pierce Brothers playing in Gatlinburg
- Played with Esco Hankins and Mac Wiseman
- Joined Wheeling, West Virginia's WWVA Jamboree with Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper
- 1955-1969 Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys
- 1969-1971 Lester Flatt's Nashville Grass.
- 1971-1974 Earl Scruggs Revue.
- 1974 started solo career.
- 1984-2006 performed and recorded with Kenny Baker and also with the Masters including Baker, Jesse McReynolds and Eddie Adcock.
Musical style
Graves originally joined the Foggy Mountain Boys as a bass player but he got together with Earl Scruggs to develop a new style of dobro-picking based on Earl's three-finger syncopated banjo style. After only one month on bass, Graves switched to the dobro and it soon became a defining feature of the bluegrass sound. Graves played fast and loud but also created extremely sensitive melodic backing to bluesy ballads and slower gospel numbers. Josh Graves is credited as being a major influence on many leading resophonic guitar players, including Jerry Douglas, Mike Auldridge, and Phil Leadbetter among them.