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Five essential Doc Watson albums
“Doc Watson” (Vanguard/1964): Where it all started, the speed and youthfulness that inspired thousands of musicians is clearly apparent on tracks like “Nashville Blues” and “Black Mountain Rag”
“Doc Watson and Son” (Vanguard/1965): The first recording Merle played on, incredible that Merle had only been playing for eight months when this album was made.
“Live & Pickin’” (United Artists/1979): The original concert album, long out-ofprint, remains a classic and has been noted as one of the best live performances captured of father and son.
“Legacy” (Legacy/2002): Mixed with stories, interviews, songs, Doc Watson and David Holt blaze through many Watson classics.
Rosa Lee Watson with Doc and Merle, 1982.
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JIM MORTON PHOTO
ways gracious, Doc would proudly tell everyone that his son was the most talented picker in the family. Their first show together was the Berkeley Folk Festival in 1964, which was during the popular folk-revival era. During the 1970s and 80s, Doc would tour with various players, but Merle would always be there with him until the ultimate misfortune that could ever be felt by any parent. October 1985, Merle was thrown from his tractor as he drove on a steep incline on his farm in Lenoir, N.C. The tractor flipped over on top of Merle, killing him instantly. Merle’s death came as a blow to Doc. He found it extremely hard to go back out on the road without his most trusted friend and playing partner. Eventually, Doc continued touring and was joined by acoustic guitarist Jack Lawrence, who would go on to play with Doc for many years. David Holt, Southern Appalachian Mountains storyteller and musician, became his accompaniment in his final years. Although his lighting speed licks slowed with age and his beautiful baritone voice wavered and fumbled with words at times, his will to play for audiences never waned. He recorded more than fifty albums in his career and won countless awards including eight Grammys (a Lifetime Achievement as well), a National Medal of Arts awarded by President Bill Clinton, and President Jimmy Carter’s declaration of being a “national treasure.” However, Doc Watson remained exactly what the inscription says on the life-size statue placed in downtown Boone, N.C., where he used to play for tips to support his family: “Just One of the People.” 16
“Will the Circle Be Unbroken” (Capitol/1972): An allstar cast of players including Roy Acuff, Earle Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, and Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc’s career and popularity exploded after this piece of essential listening was released.
From tragedy, a celebration is born MerleFest was founded in 1988 in Memory of Eddy Merle Watson as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College and to celebrate “traditional plus” music. Doc Watson himself described it best: “When Merle and I started out we called our music ‘traditional plus,’ meaning the traditional music of the Appalachian region plus whatever
other styles we were in the mood to play. Since the beginning, the people of the college and I have agreed that the music of MerleFest is ‘traditional plus’.” Merlefeset will be held April 25-28, 2013. The festival includes instrument and songwriting contests, jam sessions and more in a family-friendly environment on the Wilkes Community College campus in Wilkesboro, N.C. For more information, visit merlefest.org or call 800.343.7857.
SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 4
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