Veteran Dobro musician Burkett Howard Graves, known as country music's "Uncle Josh," has died at 79, his family said Monday.

Josh Graves

A member of the International Bluegrass Music Association's Hall of Honor, Graves played with the Earl Scruggs Revue in the 1970s and contributed to albums by Kris Kristofferson, John Hiatt, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

He died Saturday at his Nashville home and had been in ill health in recent years, his family said.

The Dobro, a guitar with a resonator which gives it mechanical amplification, was showcased to bluegrass fans during the Scruggs shows. The instrument was developed by the Dopyera brothers, Slovakian immigrants, in the 1920s.