Steel guitar skills translate to dobro?

[David Doggett]

Well, maybe Josh never played banjo professionally. but around 1973 all the amateur and semi-pro bluegrass pickers in Nashville hung out at a little cafe/beer-bar just across the river. Don't remember the name - maybe "Mothers." There was no cover and nobody got paid. It was just a free jam. Some of those pickers (Red and Birdie) later started the Station Inn, which at first was over by Centennial Park, a couple of blocks from where I lived. People like Vasser Clements and Josh Graves would stop in to the jam when they were in town. When the bar closed, the jam would move to somebody's house, and they would jam until the sun came up. I was struggling to learn Dobro and was talking about it with Josh at one of those after hours jams. He picked up a banjo and started playing the hell out of it and said, "You know, I played banjo before Dobro. If you learn that fast finger picking and rolls, and that G neck, you'll be way ahead in learning Dobro." That did make sense, especially for his Dobro style. Playing a Dobro is sort of like playing a G-tuned 5-string banjo with one finger. So maybe his banjo playing was in the distant past, but it did seem to strongly influence his Dobro style. Nevertheless, b0b will be relieved to know I never took up banjo myself - so I can blame my poor Dobro playing on that.

[Mark Eaton]

Great story, David.

This is the kinda stuff I live for when signing on to The Forum!

Somehow, it wouldn't surprise me that Uncle Josh could play just about anything with strings, if he put his mind to it.

He was one great musician!

[Charley Wilder]

Great srory,David! Josh also told me about the same thing in 1963. I bought a Dobro from him and got a chance to sit around and chat with him at his home in Madison. He told me he learned the banjo as a kid but "Not like Earl plays". He laughed and said that Earl actually showed him how to do the rolls on the Dobro (in the late 40's) and then he (Josh) adapted them back to the banjo! He was a pretty good mandolin player also. He played mandolin a bit with Mac Wiseman which I know and for Wilma and Stoney I think. The story goes that Earl wanted to ease him into the band on Dobro because Lester was leery of a Dobro in the band so they agreed to start him on bass. I don't know that this is true but I've heard it several times. Don't get me going on Josh!!