Doc Watson | |
|---|---|
 Watson at MusicFest 'N Sugar Grove,Sugar Grove, North Carolina, 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Doc Watson |
| Born | Arthel Lane Watson (1923-03-03)March 3, 1923 Deep Gap, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | May 29, 2012(2012-05-29) (aged 89) |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar,banjo, harmonica |
| Years active | 1953–2012 |
| Labels | Folkways,Vanguard,United Artists,Flying Fish,Sugar Hill |
Spouse | Rosa Lee Carlton Watson |
Arthel Lane "Doc"Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer ofbluegrass,folk,country,blues, andgospel music.[1] He won sevenGrammy awards as well as aGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Hisfingerpicking andflatpicking skills, as well as his knowledge of traditional American music, were highly regarded.[2] Blind from a young age, he performed publicly both in a dance band and solo, as well as for over 15 years with his son, guitaristMerle Watson, until Merle's death in 1985 in an accident on the family farm.[3][4][5]
Watson was born inDeep Gap, North Carolina.[6] According to Watson on his three-CD biographical recordingLegacy, he got the nickname "Doc" during a live radio broadcast when the announcer remarked that his given name Arthel was odd and he needed an easy nickname. A fan in the crowd shouted "Call him Doc!", presumably in reference to the literary characterSherlock Holmes's companion,Doctor Watson. The name stuck.[7]
An eye infection caused Watson to lose his vision before his second birthday.[6] He attended North Carolina's school for the blind, theGovernor Morehead School, inRaleigh, North Carolina.[8]
In a 1989 radio interview withTerry Gross on theFresh Air show onNational Public Radio, Watson spoke about how he got his first guitar. His father told him if he and his brother David chopped down all the small deadchestnut trees along the edge of their field, they could sell the wood to atannery. Watson bought a Sears Silvertone fromSears Roebuck with his earnings,[9] while his brother bought a new suit.[10] Later in the same interview, Watson mentioned that his first high-quality guitar was aMartin D-18.[11]
Watson's earliest influences were country roots musicians and groups such as theCarter Family andJimmie Rodgers. The first song he learned to play on the guitar was "When Roses Bloom in Dixieland", first recorded by theCarter Family in 1930. Watson said in an interview withAmerican Songwriter that "Jimmie Rodgers was the first man that I started to claim as my favorite."[12] Watson proved to be a natural musical talent and within months was performing on local street corners playing songs from theDelmore Brothers,Louvin Brothers, andMonroe Brothers alongside his brother Linny. By the time Watson reached adulthood, he had become a proficient acoustic and electric guitar player.[13]
In 1953, Watson joined theJohnson City, Tennessee–based Jack Williams'scountry and westernswing band onelectric guitar. The band seldom had afiddle player, but was often asked to play atsquare dances. Following the example of country guitaristsGrady Martin andHank Garland, Watson taught himself to play fiddle tunes on hisGibson Les Paul electric guitar. He later transferred the technique to acoustic guitar, and playing fiddle tunes became part of his signature sound.[3][14] During his time with Jack Williams, Watson also supported his family as apiano tuner.
In 1960, as theAmerican folk music revival grew, Watson took the advice of folkmusicologist andSmithsoniancuratorRalph Rinzler and began playing acoustic guitar andbanjo exclusively.[8] That move ignited Watson's career when he played on his first recording,Old Time Music atClarence Ashley's. Also of pivotal importance for his career was his February 11, 1961, appearance atP.S. 41 inGreenwich Village.[15] He then began to tour as a solo performer and appeared at universities and clubs like theAsh Grove inLos Angeles. Watson eventually got his big break and rave reviews for his performance at theNewport Folk Festival inNewport, Rhode Island in 1963.[6] Watson recorded hisfirst solo album in 1964 and began performing with his sonMerle in the same year.[6]
After the folk revival waned during the late 1960s, Doc Watson's career was sustained by his performance of theJimmy Driftwood song "Tennessee Stud" on the 1972 live album recordingWill the Circle Be Unbroken. As popular as ever, Doc and Merle began playing as a trio withT. Michael Coleman on bass guitar in 1974. The trio toured the globe during the late seventies and early eighties, recording eleven albums between 1973 and 1985, and bringing Doc and Merle's unique blend of acoustic music to millions of new fans.[14] In 1985, Merle died in a tractor accident on his family farm. Two years laterMerle Fest was inaugurated in remembrance of him.[16]
Arlen Roth writes, "...we can attribute an entirely new style and a whole generation of pickers to [Watson's] inspiration. He was the first rural acoustic player to truly 'amaze' urban audiences in the early 1960s with his dazzling, fast technique, and he has continued to be a driving, creative force on the acoustic music scene."[17]
Doc Watson played guitar in bothflatpicking andfingerpicking style, but is best known for his flatpick work. His guitar playing skills, combined with his authenticity as a mountain musician, made him a highly influential figure during the folk music revival. He pioneered a fast and flashybluegrass lead guitar style including fiddle tunes andcrosspicking techniques which were adopted and extended byClarence White,Tony Rice and many others. Watson was also an accomplished banjo player and sometimes accompanied himself on harmonica as well. Known also for his distinctive and richbaritone voice, Watson over the years developed a vast repertoire of mountainballads, which he learned via theoral tradition of his home area inDeep Gap, North Carolina.
Watson played aMartin model D-18 guitar on his earliest recordings. In 1968, Watson began a relationship with Gallagher Guitars when he started playing their G-50 model. His first Gallagher, which Watson referred to as "Ol' Hoss", was on display at theCountry Music Hall of Fame inNashville before residing at the Gallagher shop until 2012, when it was auctioned throughChristie's on November 27, 2012.[18] In 1974, Gallagher created a customized G-50 line to meet Watson's preferred specifications, which bears the Doc Watson name. In 1991, Gallagher customized a personalcutaway guitar for Watson that he played until his death and which he referred to as "Donald" in honor of Gallagher guitar's second-generation proprietor and builder, Don Gallagher.[19] During his last years, Watson played aDana Bourgeoisdreadnought given to him byRicky Skaggs for his 80th birthday. Another of Watson's favorites was his Arnold guitar, "The Jimmie", built by luthier John Arnold as a tribute to the famous 1926 Martin 00-18 played byJimmie Rodgers.
In 1994, Watson teamed with musiciansRandy Scruggs andEarl Scruggs to contribute the classic song "Keep on the Sunny Side" to the AIDS benefit albumRed Hot + Country produced by theRed Hot Organization.
In his later life, Watson scaled back his touring schedule. He was generally joined onstage by his grandson (Merle's son) Richard, as well as longtime musical partnersDavid Holt orJack Lawrence. On June 19, 2007, Watson was accompanied by Australian guitar playerTommy Emmanuel at a concert at theBass Performance Hall inFort Worth, Texas. Watson also performed, accompanied by Holt and Richard, at theHardly Strictly Bluegrass festival inSan Francisco in 2009, as he had done for several previous festivals.
Watson hosted the annualMerleFest music festival held every April atWilkes Community College inWilkesboro, North Carolina. The festival features a vast array of acoustic style music focusing on the folk, bluegrass,blues and old-time music genres. It was named in honor of Merle Watson and is one of the most popular acoustic music festivals in the world, drawing over 70,000 music fans each year.[20] The festival has continued after his death.
Watson was inducted into theNorth Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2010.[21]
In 1947, Watson married Rosa Lee Carlton, the daughter of popular fiddle playerGaither Carlton. The couple had two children,Eddy Merle (named after country music legendsEddy Arnold andMerle Travis) in 1949 and Nancy Ellen in 1951.[8]
On April 29, 2012, Watson performed with theNashville Bluegrass Band on the Creekside Stage at MerleFest. It was an annual tradition for Watson to join the Nashville Bluegrass Band for a gospel set on the festival's Sunday morning. It would be his final performance.
On May 21, 2012, Watson fell at his home. He was not seriously injured in the fall, but an underlying medical condition prompted surgery on his colon.[22] Watson died on May 29, 2012, atWake Forest Baptist Medical Center[23] of complications following the surgery at the age of 89.[24] He is buried in the Merle and Doc Watson Memorial Cemetery, Deep Gap with his wife and son.[25][26]
In 2002, High Windy Audio released a multi-CD biographical album of Watson's work, titledLegacy. The collection features audio interviews with Watson interspersed with music, as well as a complete recording of a live performance at the Diana Wortham Theatre inAsheville, North Carolina.[27] The collection won the 2002Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album.[28]
In 2010, Blooming Twig Books published a comprehensive biography of Watson, written byKent Gustavson. The book, titledBlind But Now I See: The Biography of Music Legend Doc Watson, features never before published content regarding Watson's life and career, gleaned from interviews with Watson's friends and collaborators includingNorman Blake,Sam Bush, members of theSeeger family,Michelle Shocked, and many others. The book also covers the life, supporting role, and untimely death ofMerle Watson.[29] An updated edition was released by Sumach-Red Books in March 2012.[30][31][32]
In April 2013, Open Records released a multi-disc collection of unreleased recordings by Watson. The collection, titledMilestones, features 94 songs as well as stories, remembrances, and over 500 photographs. The collection was created by Watson's daughter, Nancy, and is being produced byETSU Bluegrass and ETSU professor Roy Andrade.[33]
The popularity of theflat picking style of guitar playing has been partially credited to Doc Watson, and bluegrass bands have incorporated it widely, including artists such asBilly Strings.[34]
In 1986, Watson received theNorth Carolina Award and in 1994 he received aNorth Carolina Folk Heritage Award. He is a recipient of a 1988National Heritage Fellowship awarded by theNational Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[35] In 2000, Watson was inducted into theInternational Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor inOwensboro, Kentucky. In 1997, Watson received theNational Medal of Arts from U.S. PresidentBill Clinton.[36] In 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctor of music degree fromBerklee College of Music inBoston, Massachusetts.[37]
There is a sign onU.S. Route 421 near Deep Gap (Watson's birthplace) with the inscription, "Doc and Merle Watson Highway", where that part of the highway is named for both Doc Watson and his son.[38]
