Watson played guitar in both flatpicking and fingerpicking style, but is best known for his flatpick work. By the time Watson reached adulthood, he had become a proficient acoustic and electric guitar player.[12]. [8] That move ignited Watson's career when he played on his first recording, Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's. Doc Watson; Read Our 2012 Interview", "Doc Watson, Blind Guitar Wizard Who Influenced Generations, Dies at 89", "INTERVIEW- Doc's orders: No heavy metal at MerleFest", "Doc Watson, folk music legend, dies at 89", "Doc Watson Bluegrass Legend Dies at 89 in Winston-Salem", "Folk Pioneer Doc Watson Dead at 89 | Music News", "Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (1923–2012) – Find A Grave Memorial", "24-February-2013 Kent Gustavson interview on Outsight Radio Hours", "Interview: Author Dr. Kent Gustavson Discusses His Doc Watson Biography "Blind But Now I See, "Doc Watson's daughter, ETSU professor create box set of legendary guitar player", Collection of Doc Watson performances from the Florida Folklife Collection, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Doc_Watson&oldid=996645622, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, United States National Medal of Arts recipients, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 27 December 2020, at 21:22. [22] He is buried in the Merle and Doc Watson Memorial Cemetery, Deep Gap, Watauga County, North Carolina, with his wife and son. [6] He attended North Carolina's school for the visually impaired, the Governor Morehead School, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was 89. [34], Article on Doc Watson and other western NC guitar players Wayback Machine, American guitarist, songwriter and singer, This article is about the musician. A cause of death has not been released. Doc Watson, a master storyteller, was one of the pioneering artists of roots-conscious Americana. His first Gallagher, which Watson refers to as "Old Hoss", is on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. Doc Watson was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Bluegrass guitarist Eddy Merle Watson, son of country music star Doc Watson, was killed Wednesday when a tractor he was riding slipped down an embankment, overturned and … presumably in reference to the literary character Sherlock Holmes's sidekick Doctor Watson. Discover what happened on this day. Watson pioneered a fast and flashy bluegrass lead guitar style including fiddle tunes and crosspicking techniques which were adopted and extended by Clarence White, Tony Rice and many others. Doc Watson was 89 years old at the time of his death. The collection was created by Watson's daughter Nancy and is being produced by ETSU Bluegrass and ETSU professor Roy Andrade. [14] He subsequently began to tour as a solo performer and appeared at universities and clubs like the Ash Grove in Los Angeles. Two years later Merle Fest was inaugurated in remembrance of him.[15]. Watson would eventually get his big break and rave reviews for his performance at the renowned Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island in 1963. Watson did not excel only on guitar mastery. Eddy Merle Watson (February 8, 1949 – October 23, 1985) was an American folk and bluegrass guitarist. Watson did not break any bones, but an underlying condition prompted the surgery. Richard Watson was 48. 71 in 1973) and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (No. Counting collaborations and compilations, Watson released more than 60 albums and influenced other noted guitarists, including Norman Blake, Tony Rice, Dan Crary and Randy Scruggs. The trio toured the globe during the late seventies and early eighties, recording nearly fifteen albums between 1973 and 1985, and bringing Doc and Merle's unique blend of acoustic music to millions of new fans. Born June 29, 1935, he was a son of the late James H. Watson and Elva Elizabeth Watson Stover. Watson and Rosa Lee had two children — Eddy Merle (named after country music legends Eddy Arnold and Merle Travis) in 1949 and Nancy Ellen in 1951. Watson was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2010. When Ashley was sidelined by laryngitis, Watson stepped in as lead vocalist, demonstrating he had both the skills and charisma to work as a solo act. [30], In 1986, Watson received the North Carolina Award and in 1994 he received a North Carolina Folk Heritage Award. He was 89. In 1947, Doc married Rosa Lee Carlton, the daughter of popular fiddle player Gaither Carlton. Watson was instrumental in developing the canon for 1960s folk musicians with his recordings of traditional tunes like Deep River Blues and Shady Grove; he didn't play just the music of the Appalachian Mountains. [25], In 2010, Blooming Twig Books published a comprehensive biography of Doc Watson, written by Kent Gustavson. Arthel Lane Watson was born in Deep Gap, N.C., on March 2, 1923. Watson was also an accomplished banjo player and sometimes accompanied himself on harmonica as well. This generation experienced much of their youth during the Great Depression and rapid t… Doc Watson died on May 29th, 2012 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, following complications from abdominal surgery. [24] The collection won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album. [26] An updated edition was released by Sumach-Red Books in March 2012. Here are all of Doc Watson… [6] Watson recorded his first solo album in 1964 and began performing with his son Merle, the same year. By the time he reached his teens, however, he had settled on the guitar as his preferred musical vehicle. 88, 1978). [33], A portion of the U.S. Route 421 near Deep Gap (Watson's birthplace) bears a sign reading, "Doc and Merle Watson Highway", dedicating it to Watson and his son. Merle and "Doc" played music and recorded together for fifteen years before his untimely death in a tractor accident on his family farm. Richard Watson, the grandson of musical icon, Doc Watson, and son of another great musician, the late Merle Watson, passed away on Monday evening at the age of 48. April 29, 2012 - Merlefest. Blind from a young age, he performed with his son, guitarist Merle Watson, for over 15 years until Merle’s death in 1985 in an accident on the family farm. With the Nashville Bluegrass Band. In 1963, Watson played the fabled Newport Folk Festival, and his son Merle joined his act the following year. It always featured Doc Watson as its host and principal performer. Gene Watson’s induction into the Hall of Fame of Texas Country Music took place in 2002, and in 2013, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Houston Music. The name stuck. 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