Doc Watson, the guitarist and folk singer whose flat-picking 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 and that make many people to go and find the Music Critic acoustics list of guitars after listen to him, died on Tuesday in Winston-Salem, N.C. He was 89.
Mr. Watson, who came to national attention during the folk music revival of the early 1960s, injected a note of authenticity into a movement awash in protest songs and bland renditions of traditional tunes. In a sweetly resonant, slightly husky baritone, he sang old hymns, ballads and country blues he had learned growing up in the northwestern corner of North Carolina, which has produced fiddlers, banjo pickers and folk singers for generations.
His mountain music came as a revelation to the folk audience, as did his virtuoso guitar playing. Unlike most country and bluegrass musicians, who thought of the guitar as a secondary instrument for providing rhythmic backup, Mr. Watson executed the kind of flashy, rapid-fire melodies normally played by a fiddle or a banjo. His style influenced a generation of young musicians learning to play the guitar as folk music achieved national popularity.
“He is single-handedly responsible for the extraordinary increase in acoustic flat-picking and fingerpicking guitar performance,” said Ralph Rinzler, the folklorist who discovered Mr. Watson in 1960. “His flat-picking style has no precedent in earlier country music history.”
There’s much more at the link.
USA Today:
Doc Watson played the acoustic guitar with such pure precision that Bob Dylan once compared his picking to “water running.”
The folk-music icon, 89, died Tuesday, after a fall last week at his home in Deep Gap, N.C., and subsequent colon surgery.
Blind from infancy, Watson grew up playing harmonica and a homemade banjo but learned guitar after his father bought him a $12 Stella acoustic when he was 13. Born Arthel Lane Watson, he picked up the nickname “Doc” at the suggestion of an audience member at a radio broadcast when he was in his teens.
Rest in Peace, Doc, and thanks for the music.
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Comments
17 responses to “RIP: Influential Folk Musician Doc Watson Dies at 89”
I’ve only just recently discovered bluegrass music, and I’ve grown to love it. Thank you for this post and the music clips. He was a master. R.I.P. Doc Watson.
I used to play bluegrass mandolin when I was younger. Listening to this music makes me want to play again.
I hope you do pick up the mandolin again!
I have such bad arthritis in my fingers!
Thanks for this post BB, I did not know he had passed.
Hey did you see that Steve Martin and his bluegrass band performed outside Paul Revere’s house yesterday?
No, I didn’t know that. Very cool.
Sorry to hear that, BB. Continued movement is actually good for arthritis, but not if there’s lots of fast or repetitive motions. Maybe there’s another interesting modality for you to make music with?
RIP, Doc. You were a national treasure.
An old folk ballad that can be found in many versions: “St. James Hospital”
My father performed “The Streets of Larado” version of this ballad. Brings back lots of memories.
That should be “Laredo”!
My mom used to sing The Streets of Laredo. We always sang it in the car on long trips.
Doc Watson said in that Black Mtn Rag video:
Heh! For him. What a talent he had.
Doc was known for his picking but he also had an extremely expressive voice. I love to listen to him sing.
“Mighty pretty.”
Love that song! I have such a soft spot for gospel music.