Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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WATSON, Doc

(b Arthel Lane Watson, 2 March 1923, Stoney Fork or Deep Gap NC; d 29 May 2012) Guitarist: one of the best flat-pickers of all. His father was a farmer who sang in a Baptist church, taught his blind son that he could pull his own weight around the farm despite his handicap. He learned harmonica as a child, later banjo, then guitar; played 'Mule Skinner Blues' at a fiddlers' convention, continued learning from the Skillet Lickers (see Riley Puckett), the Carter Family, the Delmore Brothers, Bill Monroe. He played at local functions, joined a group at age 18 which occasionally played on the radio. From '54 he played electric guitar in a small band for dances, a mixture of rock'n'roll, country, square dance tunes and pop standards, the music described by one chronicler as Western Swing, influenced by Grady Martin and Hank Garland.

Ralph Rinzler came to the area to record Clarence 'Tom' Ashley for Folkways and wanted to record Watson; he did not own an acoustic guitar and had to borrow one, and from then on played only acoustic. Old-Time Music At Clarence Ashley's (two volumes) were Watson's record debut at nearly 40 years of age, displaying a foundation in every kind of Americana. Further LPs on Folkways were The Doc Watson Family (two vols), Jean And Doc At Folk City with Jean Ritchie and Progressive Bluegrass And Other Instrumentals. He moved to the Vanguard label for Doc Watson '64; Doc Watson And Son '65 included Merle Watson (b 8 February 1949; d 23 October 1985 in a tractor accident), whose speciality was slide guitar but who learned to flat-pick almost as well as Doc. LPs Southbound '66, Home Again '67, and several others followed, including collections of various folk artists; concert recordings included two-disc sets Old Timey Music '67 and Doc Watson On Stage, Featuring Merle Watson.

He switched to the Poppy label for Then And Now and Two Days In November, which won Grammys '73-4 for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording (later combined on a Sugar Hill CD); Elementary Doctor Watson was also on Poppy (later on Sugar Hill). Doc played on CBS LPs Strictly Instrumental with Flatt and Scruggs, Earl Scruggs, Family And Friends; Doc and Merle played on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will The Circle Be Unbroken; then into '80s on UA, including Doc Watson/Memories, Lonesome Road, Look Away!, other material later on Liberty USA, some of these reissued on Sugar Hill CDs. Doc made bluegrass LP Ridin' The Midnight Train '86 on Sugar Hill; Doc and Merle also made Down South on Sugar Hill; Guitar Album (with other artists), Pickin' The Blues and Red Rocking Chair on Flying Fish. There were more Grammys for Riding The Midnight Train '86 and On Praying Ground '90.

From the late '80s Doc hosted an annual Merle Watson Country and Bluegrass Festival, called MerleFest. More albums included Doc Watson Sings Songs For Little Pickers '90, My Dear Old Southern Home '91, Remembering Merle '92, Docabilly '95 (with guests like Duane Eddy), all on Sugar Hill. Songs From The Southern Mountains on Sugar Hill was a previously unreleased set from the early '60s by the Doc Watson Family.