Doc Watson

Doc's accompanists as well as his songs here are an eclectic group ranging from his 1950s musical partner pianist Jack Williams to his son Merle (seen playing exquisite slide guitar) to Rocky Skaggs (singing and playing mandolin in a Monroe Brothers style set) to a stellar stringband featuring Mark O'Connor Tony Rice Bela Fleck David Grisman and Jerry Douglas. This collection ends with a solo set from Doc which brings his music full circle to the straightforward simplicity with which it was first presented during the 1960s folk revival.

Doc Watson was a legendary performer who blended his traditional Appalachian musical roots with bluegrass country gospel and blues to create a unique style and an expansive repertoire. His flatpicking style elevated the acoustic guitar to solo status in bluegrass and country music and whose interpretations of traditional American music profoundly influenced generations of folk and rock guitarists.Doc was born in Deep Gap North Carolina on March 3 1923 into a family already rich in musical tradition. His mother Annie Watson sang traditional secular and religious songs and his father General Watson played the banjo which was Doc's first instrument as well.In 1953 Doc met Jack Williams a local piano player and played rockabilly/swing music for seven years a period and a style that he later revisited in the album Docabilly. But he also continued to play acoustic traditional music with his family and with his banjo playing neighbor Clarence Tom Ashley. In 1960 spurred by the growing folk revival folklorists Ralph Rinzler and Eugene Earle came south to record Ashley and heard Doc Watson in the process. These sessions resulted in Doc's first recordings Old-Time Music at Clarence Ashley's.In 1961 the Friends of Old-Time Music invited Doc Ashley Clint Howard and Fred Price to perform at a now-legendary concert in New York City and one year later Doc gave his first solo performance at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village. From then on he was a full-time professional playing a wide range of concerts clubs colleges and festivals including the Newport Folk Festival and Carnegie Hall.In the late 1960s Doc was joined on the road by his son Merle who provided both musical and emotional companionship; with Merle playing guitar and banjo and serving as partner and driver the father-son team expanded their audience nationwide. Sadly Merle died in 1985 from a tractor accident.A series of over 50 remarkable recordings including collaborations with Flatt & Scruggs Chet Atkins and

La musique folk américaine a été considérablement enrichie par Doc Watson. Dans les années 60, il fait partie de ceux qui remettent sur le devant de la scéne à musique folk traditionnelle toute en lui insufflant créativité et imagination. Cet ensemble d'enregistremens illustre le talent et l'évolution de Doc Watson. Des morceaix instrumentaux de guitare, des solos d'harmonica, du gospel a cappella, banjo, fingerstyle guitar... vous aurez une large vue des performances de Doc Watson. 60 minutes, livret de 20 page en anglais. / Guitare

The first authorized compilation of Doc Watson's life and music is meant to serve not only as a biography but also as a unique instructional book. A running dialogue with Doc reveals the story behind each tune while SteveKaufman provides additional performance tips. Here's your opportunity to learn from the best! The obvious rapport between the author and his subject produced a formula that fittingly captures the 50-year legacy of a remarkablemusician. Written in notation and tablature for the intermediate level flatpicking guitarist with a few nods to fingerstyle technique. Includes an insightful illustrated essay by Dan Miller of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine.

Doc & Merle reaches deep into the relationship between Doc and Merle Watson. It gives an historical overview of their evolution as musicians and explores the special bond between them and the North Carolina mountains they call home. It presents an entertaining and enlightening look at their lives and their music. During their 21-year career the Watsons' mastery of guitar and their unique blend of traditional bluegrass country and western blues and gospel music won them aninternational audience and numerous awardsThis documentary is a rich mixture of music informal interviews old photographs and rare film footage. The wide range of musical influences the Watsons' embraced is clearly shown through concert footage and less formal at-home picking sessions.Sixteen songs are presented ranging from Black Mountain Rag and Wabash Cannonball to Blue Suede Shoes and Freight Train Blues. Doc is reunited musically with Jack Williams his partner from the early 1950s for a rare rockabilly performance of Step It Up And Go. He also performs with Clint Howard and Fred Price playing Fire On The Mountain and Daniel Prayed and with his wife Rosa Lee for a moving rendition of Wandering Boy.This DVD is dedicated to the memory of Merle Watson who died in a tractor accident on October 23rd 1985.