Concert Info: Sat., 15 May 2010, The Cedar, 416 Cedar Av., West Bank, Mpls., Ticketline-612.338.2674, ext. 2, $65 general admission ($80 center section sold out), 8 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m.
Doc Watson has become, however trite, a living legend of Americana. 87 years along, Doc was born in 1923 in Deep Gap, N.C., in the hills west of Winston-Salem. He lost his sight before turning 1, the result of an eye infection. His parents took the time to care for him and teach him to work hard and fend for himself. Young Watson loved music and the first song he ever played was "When Roses Bloom in Dixieland". His proud father took Doc to the store, buying him a $12 Stella, an acoustic guitar also played by the likes of Leadbelly. Doc proved to be a natural, soon performing on street corners with his brother, Linny. By his adult years, Doc had mastered both acoustic and electric guitar, perfecting his own blend of flat-picking and finger-picking.
Watson married the daughter of popular fiddle player, Gaither Carlton. He and Rosa Lee had a son, Eddy Merle (named after Eddy Arnold and Merle Travis) and a daughter, Nancy Ellen. While young Eddy Merle was growing up, Doc taught himself to play fiddle tunes on his Les Paul electric because the band he played in seldom had a fiddle player yet were often asked to play square dances. Doc then transferred that skill to acoustic guitar which became a part of his signature sound. Doc recorded his first solo album in '64. That same year, he began performing with his son. They toured, recorded and performed together for 21 years until the fateful day Merle was killed in a tractor accident. More...
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