Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is a legendary songwriter and guitarist whose music spans the genres of Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Blues and Gospel. Known for his innovative flat-picking style and adherence to traditional American musical forms, Watson is a seven-time Grammy award winner and a National Medal of the Arts recipient.
MerleFest
After Watson's son Merle died in a farming accident in 1985, Doc began hosting a music festival each year in his honor called MerleFest. Held in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the annual four-day festival celebrates traditional American roots music and attracts some of the top names in Bluegrass, Folk and Jazz each year.
Selected Discography
- 1964: Doc Watson
- 1965: Doc Watson and Son
- 1966: Southbound
- 1966: Home Again!
- 1967: Ballads From Deep Gap
- 1972: The Elementary Doctor Watson!
- 1973: Then and Now
- 1977: Lonesome Road
- 1978: Look Away!
- 1981: Red Rocking Chair
- 1984: Down South
- 1985: Pickin' the Blues
- 1986: Riding the Midnight Train
- 1990: On Praying Ground
- 1992: Remembering Merle
- 1994: Docabilly
- 1999: Third Generation Blues
- 2002: Legacy
Similar Artists
References
Fast Facts
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Name
Arthel Lane Watson
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Born
March 3, 1923
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Genres
Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Blues, Gospel
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Origin
Deep Gap, North Carolina
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Active
1953 - Present
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Labels
Folkways, Vanguard, United Artists, Flying Fish, Sugar Hill
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Grammy Awards
7 (as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award)
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Fact:
Lost his sight before the age of one due to an eye infection
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Fact:
The nickname "Doc" is a reference to Sherlock Holmes' fictional sidekick Doctor Watson
