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Josh Graves Memories of Foggy Mountain

Songs:
False Hearted Lover
Foggy Mountain Special
Flatt Lonesome
Foggy Mountain Chimes
Foggy Mountain Rock
Road to Aspen
Jennifer Waltz
Just Joshin
Maggie Blues
Maiden's Prayer
Pike County Breakdown
Jesus, Saviour, Pilot Me
Shiloh March
Shuckin' The Corn

Review by Brenda Hough

OMS Records
OMS-25100
PO Box 52112
Durham, NC 27717

 

 


If Bill Monroe is the father of bluegrass, then Josh Graves is the father of bluegrass Dobro. Originally hired as a bass player for the Flatt and Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Boys, he switched to playing Dobro. His playing with the Foggy Mountain Boys during their successful touring days put the Dobro back into the spotlight and helped the Dopyera brothers get their company back on its feet. The interplay between Earl Scruggs' banjo and the Dobro helped give the Foggy Mountain Boys a distinctive sound, one that distanced them from the Bill Monroe sound that they had just left. Josh's use of banjo style rolls gave his playing a fast paced sound that matched the banjo sound of Earl Scruggs.

The album features J.D. Crowe on banjo, Bobby Hicks on fiddle, Aubrey Haney on mandolin, Chris Sharpe on guitar and Ernie Sykes on bass, but its Josh's fine lead playing that stands in the spotlight. Earl's "Foggy Mountain Chimes" shows J.D's fine mastery of the Scruggs style banjo playing and Josh's solo echoes the banjo notes roll for roll. Many of the other tunes were written by Josh including a bouncy "Foggy Mountain Rock" and "Just Joshin'" that sounds as if more than one Dobro is playing. Many of the tunes are his "greatest hits" but the recording brings out the marvelous tone and style that Josh Graves put into bluegrass Dobro music.

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