«Certificate of Merit for Excellence for Best Research in Recorded Country Music, Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) Awards, 2013. Fred Bartenstein (editor), Bluegrass/Media Person of the Year, International Bluegrass Music Awards (IBMA), 2013.

"Mesmerizing . . . especially for lovers of bluegrass."--Booklist

"One comes away from this interesting read with a keen understanding of a man who influenced country music, dobro playing in particular, in a way few have.  Recommended."--Choice

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"A fascinating look at the musical culture of the South. . . . Thoroughly Southern, spicy, real, and lots of fun." --Library Journal

"The legendary musician provides interesting insight into the ways of his long-time boss, Earl Scruggs." --MountainTimes.com

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"Graves's name won't ring a bell for many outside musicians' circles, but Burkett "Uncle Josh" Graves helped take bluegrass from southern Appalachia to college campuses and beyond, to the world-music status it enjoys today. . . . Bluegrass Bluesman is unfiltered, off-the-cuff oral history."--The Wall Street Journal

"In this welcome memoir, Graves proves himself a born storyteller. . . .   Rarely is a guitarist's memoir such a rich read."--Vintage Guitar

«"Yet another must-read book from the University of Illinois Press."--Bluegrass Unlimited


"An excellent autobiography of a highly creative musician. Graves was a first-rate storyteller with a discerning sense of what was important in his many memorable experiences." --John Wright, author of Traveling the High Way Home: Ralph Stanley and the World of Traditional Bluegrass Music»

"Josh Graves inspired hundreds of musicians to pick up the steel bar and slide it over the strings of the Dobro. . . . It's good and fitting that the story of this talented and influential musician is being preserved in his own words." --from Neil Rosenberg's foreword to the book

 "Because Graves tells his own story in his own voice, readers do truly get a sense for whom Josh Graves was and what he and his dobro contributed to Bluegrass music." --Winchester Sun

"Fred Bartenstein has done a beautiful job in covering the career of one of the great figures in bluegrass. . . . A hard book to put down." --County Sales Newsletter