Let’s hear it for the over-70 generation! On this rare solo recording, dobro master Josh Graves, along with fellow septuagenarians Kenny Baker (longtime fiddler with Bill Monroe) and Curly Seckler (former mandolinist and vocalist with Graves in the Foggy Mountain Boys), show that the old folks still know how to boogie.
Graves is the man who introduced the resophonic guitar into bluegrass in the 1950s with Flatt & Scruggs. Like Earl Scruggs on banjo and Bill Monroe on mandolin, he forever changed the role of his instrument in bluegrass and country music. In Graves’ hands, the dobro was no longer just a sweet-sounding Hawaiian guitar. He adapted banjo-style finger rolls and bluesy lead lines for the instrument, and his breakneck dobro solos could rival those of any banjo or fiddle player.
On this album of mostly traditional bluegrass, split evenly between instrumental and vocal numbers (nicely handled by Terry Eldredge of the Osborne Brothers), Graves proves he’s still a distinctive player in total command of his instrument. The set includes familiar tunes from the catalogs of Monroe, the Carter Family, the Delmore Brothers, and Flatt & Scruggs, plus a handful of Graves originals.
Occasionally, Graves, Baker and Seckler (with help from an assortment of talented relative youngsters) push things into overdrive, embarking on some blazing runs that would challenge players of any age. Who says old dudes can’t rock?