The early years of bluegrass music can be traced back to the 1940s in Appalachia. With roots in music styles like English folk and Appalachian music, the genre served as the inspiration and basis for modern country music as we know it today. Without the early pioneers of the genre, the world of traditional American music would look very different nowadays. We can thank one man, in part, for that. And that man is the legendary Josh Graves, born on this very day, way back in 1927.
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Josh Graves was a bluegrass musician, born on September 27, 1927, in Tennessee. Known by nicknames like “Buck” and “Uncle Josh”, Graves had humble beginnings as a musician and has since been recognized by the likes of the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor, which inducted him in 1997.
He was no run-of-the-mill bluegrass artist. Graves is credited with popularizing the use of the resonator guitar in bluegrass music. He may have been the first to introduce the instrument to the genre. Back then, the resonator guitar was known as the “dobro.” And you’ve just got to hear his magic for yourself, via the video below.
The Legacy of Bluegrass Pioneer Josh Graves
Josh Graves’ career as a musician started way back in 1942 when he joined The Pierce Brothers in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. He went on to perform with the likes of Mac Wiseman, Esco Hankins, Wilma Lee, and Stoney Cooper.
Graves is best known for his long tenure as a resonator guitar player in the group known as Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs And The Foggy Mountain Boys from 1955 to 1969. However, he first joined the band as a bass player. A while into his tenure with the group, he began to work with Scruggs to invent a new style of resonator guitar fingerpicking. The new style was based on Scruggs’ particular type of banjo fingerpicking. Josh Graves really was a pioneer of the resonator guitar and bluegrass as a whole. He inspired the likes of Phil Leadbetter, Jerry Douglas, and many other bluegrass icons.
Graves would continue to perform with both Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs for several years. Later, he pursued a solo career in 1974. From 1984 until his death, Graves collaborated with Kenny Baker, Jesse McReynolds, and Eddie Adcock.
Josh Graves passed on back in 2006 at the age of 79, and his legacy in bluegrass will live on forever. I’d like to imagine he’s there, in spirit, whenever a young guitarist picks up a resonator guitar in the modern age.
Photo by Steve Catlin/Redferns
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