Josh Graves, a pioneering bluegrass musician and member of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Boys band, died on 30 September 2006 at the age of 79. Graves transformed bluegrass music by establishing the Dobro (resonator guitar) as a central instrument to the genre's sound. His innovative work with the instrument inspired other bands to incorporate it into their music, fundamentally shaping the bluegrass sound that persists today.

Born Burkett Howard Graves in Tennessee in 1927, he adopted the "Uncle Josh" persona whilst working as a radio announcer before joining Flatt and Scruggs in 1949. Working under Earl Scruggs' mentorship, Graves adapted three-finger banjo techniques to the Dobro, creating an entirely new musical vocabulary for the instrument. He played on iconic tracks including "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" during his 20 years with the band, and continued performing with both Flatt and Scruggs individually after their 1969 split, even after losing both legs to circulatory problems.