Tennessean Burkett Howard “Uncle Josh” Graves, 79, whose soulful Dobro appeared on hundreds of bluegrass recordings, passed away on September 30 from a lengthy illness in Nashville. Graves was also respected as a songwriter and comedian, and when he joined Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Boys in the 1950s, “Uncle Josh” was one of only a handful of professional Dobro players. His Dobro is prominent on some of Flatt & Scruggs’ well-known recordings, including “Petticoat Junction,” the theme song for the 1960s TV show of the same name, and on the bluegrass standard “Salty Dog Blues.”
