Doc Watson ist gestorben

Der 1923 in Deep Gap, North Carolina, geborene US-amerikanische Gitarrist und Sänger von Country-, Bluegrass-, Gospel-, Blues- und Folksongs Doc Watson (Bild) ist am 29. Mai 2012 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (USA), gestorben. Unvergesslich bleiben hierzulande gerade auch seine Schweizer Konzerte, die der überaus bescheidene Meister zum Teil noch im Duo mit seinem schon 1985 verstorbenen Sohn Merle gab.

Foto oben: Archiv

«Von Maybelle Carter von der Carter Family übernahm Watson zunächst die in der traditionellen ‚Old Time Music‘ übliche Daumenpick-Technik (to pick: [Gitarre] ‚zupfen‘). Beeinflusst von Jimmie Rodgers wechselte er dann zum Straight Pick und entwickelte in weiterer Folge das Flatpickingspiel zu einer konzertanten Perfektion. Neben dem grossen Vorbild Django Reinhardt übten auch noch andere Musiker wie die Delmore Brothers, Merle Travis, Chet Atkins u. a. einen massgeblichen Einfluss auf Doc Watson aus. Bestimmend blieb für ihn jedoch zeitlebens die Musik seiner Heimat in den Appalachen. Diese Gebirgsregion gilt als die Wiege der weissen, amerikanischen Bluegrass-, Hillbilly- und Countrymusik.»

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doc_Watson

Knorriger Befreier

Wolfgang Görlin in der «Süddeutschen Zeitung»:

«Er spielte Stücke auf der Gitarre, an die sich kein anderer herantraute. Der Bluegrass-Gitarrist Doc Watson revolutionierte seinen Beruf und stellte seine herausragende Technik stets in den Dienst der Musik.»

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/zum-tod-von-doc-watson-knorriger-befreier-1.1370324

«Achtmal wurde er mit einem Grammy geehrt und er gehörte zu den einflussreichsten Folk- und Countrymusikern – nun ist Arthel Lane ‚Doc‘ Watson gestorben. Der früh erblindete Gitarrist wirkte mit seiner perfekten Flatpicking-Spieltechnik stilbildend.»

http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/musik/folk-musiker-und-legende-doc-watson-ist-tot-a-835859.html

«Er spielte häufig mit seinem Sohn Merle, der dann aber 1985 bei einen Traktorunfall tödlich verletzt wurde. Watson nahm über 50 Platten auf. Seinen letzten Grammy gewann er 2002 für das Album ‚Legacy‘ gemeinsam mit dem Banjospieler David Holt.»

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/achtmaliger-grammy-gewinner-doc-watson-ist-tot-11767823.html

«Doc Watson widmete sein Leben dem Country, Folk, Blues und Gospel und wurde vor allem für sein einzigartiges Flatpicking-Gitarrenspiel berühmt, das er, trotz seiner Erblindung in früher Kindheit, perfekt beherrschte. Er wurde unter anderem mit acht Grammys geehrt und erhielt von Bill Clinton die ‚National Medal of Arts‘.»

http://www.rollingstone.de/news/meldungen/article298196/arthel-lane-doc-watson-ist-tot.html

«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, 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.»

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/arts/music/doc-watson-folk-musician-dies-at-89.html

«’Doc Watson sort of defined in many ways what Americana has become,‘ Jed Hilly, executive director of the Americana Music Assn., told The Times. ‚He played different styles of American roots music. He played traditional country, he played what would be traditional folk, he played what was traditional bluegrass, he played gospel. All those elements sort of interwoven, that’s what Buddy Miller does today…. Nothing is more definitive than Doc Watson’s appreciation for a broad spectrum of music in the Americana world.‘

Watson received a National Medal of Arts in 1997 and a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2004.»

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/30/local/la-me-doc-watson-20120530

«For almost 50 years, Doc Watson, who has died aged 89, was the most illustrious name in traditional American folk music. A superb, original guitarist and a singer of warmth and simplicity, he set countless musicians on the road to careers in folk music. Probably no folk performer of his time has inspired greater admiration and affection.»

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/may/30/doc-watson

Doc Watson portrait taken in 1986 – Photo courtesy of Peter Figen

«Doc Watson has had a profound influence in traditional, folk and bluegrass music ever since coming to national attention in the early 1960’s. His recordings and performances have inspired generations of aspiring guitarists to explore the mysteries of his phenomenal playing.

Here at Doc’s Guitar you will find biographical information about Doc, along with a listing of the honors and awards he has received.

We also feature a complete discography of Doc’s recordings, as well as a bibliography of instruction materials and performance videos.

We also have a search engine that allows you to look up a tune and see a list of Doc’s recordings, instruction books and videos where it appears.

If you’re interested in free tablature of tunes performed by Doc Watson, be sure to visit our tab page.

So sit a spell, have a look around and enjoy yourself!»

http://www.docsguitar.com/

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Videos:

Banks of the Ohio – Bill Monroe & Doc Watson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C3r9PnoNTw 

Doc Watson & Earl Scruggs Play At Doc’s Home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUzVUNJKiDc&feature=fvst

Southbound ~ Doc & Merle Watson.wmv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5IXeBlxaUE

Doc Watson – Leo Kottke – T. Michael Coleman – Guitar Jam Session.flv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB2wmgs8btc

Doc Watson – 1991 – Deep River Blues (Solo)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyQOCJ4SUSk

-> Three Pickers/Doc Watson/Earl Skruggs/Ricky Skaggs/Alison Krauss: The Banks Of The Ohio HD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs2OnIohZDA <-

Legends of Flatpicking Guitar – Doc Watson – Black Mountain Rag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFGAq20vT0g

-> Doc Watson – You Must Come in at the Door

April 29, 2012 – Merlefest. With the Nashville Bluegrass Band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO1l9ZQgNKU&feature=endscreen&NR=1 <-

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Mehr:

http://www.docsguitar.com/

http://www.flatpick.com/Pages/Featured_Artist/Doc.html

http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/230442/217/Bluegrass-Legend-Doc-Watson-Dies

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1914571

http://web.archive.org/web/20090212102758/http://merlefest.org/DocsIntro.htm

Foto: 2009, http://de.wikipedia.org

«Just One of the People»

Arthel Lane «Doc» Watson, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, a National Heritage Fellowship, and eight Grammy Awards (including one for Lifetime Achievement) died on Tuesday, May 29 at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC following abdominal surgery last week. He was 89.

Doc Watson was born in Deep Gap, North Carolina on March 3, 1923, into a family already rich in musical tradition. His mother, Annie Watson, sang traditional secular and religious songs, and his father, General Watson, played the banjo, which was Doc’s first instrument as well.

At age thirteen he taught himself the chords to «When the Roses Bloom in Dixieland» on a borrowed guitar, and his delighted father bought him a $12 Stella. He later picked up some chords from a fellow student at the Raleigh (NC) School for the Blind, and began to incorporate material that he heard on records and the radio with the music of his heritage.

Back home he played mostly with neighbors and family, among them fiddler Gaither Carlton, who became his father-in-law when Doc married Rosa Lee Carlton in 1947. They had two children, Eddy Merle (named for two of Doc’s idols, country stars Eddy Arnold and Merle Travis) and Nancy Ellen.

In 1953 Doc met Jack Williams, a local piano player, and began to play gigs for money. Doc stayed with Williams‘ rockabilly/swing band for seven years, a period and a style that he later revisited in the album Docabilly. But he also continued to play acoustic traditional music with his family and with his banjo playing neighbor, Clarence «Tom» Ashley. In 1960, spurred by the growing folk revival, folklorists Ralph Rinzler and Eugene Earle came south to record Ashley, and heard Doc Watson in the process. These sessions resulted in Doc’s first recordings, Old-Time Music at Clarence Ashley’s.

In 1961 the Friends of Old-Time Music invited Doc, Ashley, Clint Howard and Fred Price to perform at a now-legendary concert in New York City, and one year later Doc gave his first solo performance at Gerde’s Folk City in Greenwich Village. From then on, he was a full-time professional, playing a wide range of concerts, clubs, colleges and festivals, including the Newport Folk Festival and Carnegie Hall.

By 1964 he had recorded his eponymous first solo album, and was represented by Folklore Productions, a relationship that continued until his death.

In the late 1960s, Doc was joined on the road by his son Merle, who provided both musical and emotional companionship; with Merle playing guitar and banjo and serving as partner and driver, the father-son team expanded their audience nationwide. After working for a while with the band Frosty Morn, they continued to tour with bassist T. Michael Coleman, and brought their music to Europe, Japan and Africa. A series of remarkable recordings, including collaborations with Flatt & Scruggs, Chet Atkins and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, helped make Watson the gold standard among traditional pickers.

Although he briefly stopped performing after Merle died in a 1985 tractor accident, Doc (accompanied by his grandson Richard Watson and guitarist Jack Lawrence soon resumed a full-time recording and touring schedule. He later teamed with banjoist David Holt, and the two shared a Grammy in 2002 for Legacy. In 2003 Doc reunited with Earl Scruggs and mandolinist Ricky Skaggs to film The Three Pickers, telecast on PBS. During his long career he recorded over fifty albums, many of which are still in print today.

Doc was a legendary performer who blended his traditional Appalachian musical roots with bluegrass, country, gospel and blues to create a unique style and an expansive repertoire. He was a powerful singer and a tremendously influential picker who virtually invented the art of playing mountain fiddle tunes on the flattop guitar. In 2011 a life-size statue was unveiled in Boone, NC, on the same spot where decades earlier the young Doc Watson had played for tips to support his family. At his own request the inscription reads «Just One of the People.»

Although not a prolific songwriter, Doc and his wife Rosa Lee co-wrote «Your Long Journey,» which was featured on the Grammy-winning album «Raising Sand» by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. It begins:

«God’s given us years of happiness here

Now we must part

And as the angels come and call for you

The pains of grief tug at my heart

Oh my darling

Oh my darling

My heart breaks as you take your long journey.»

He is survived by his wife of nearly sixty-six years, Rosa Lee Carlton Watson, and their daughter Nancy Ellen, as well as his grandchildren Richard Watson and Karen Watson Norris, several great-grandchildren, and his brother David Watson, not to mention thousands of guitarists worldwide who fell under his spell. As President Bill Clinton said, in awarding the National Medal of Arts, «There may not be a serious, committed baby boomer alive who didn’t at some point in his or her youth try to spend a few minutes at least trying to learn to pick a guitar like Doc Watson.»

Folklore Productions

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Nachtrag vom 04.06.12:

Doc Watson: Nachruf auf den blinden Meister der akustischen Gitarre

Mit Doc Watson verlor die Bluegrass-, Folk- und Country-Welt einen ihrer stilprägendsten Musiker.

Radio DRS 1:

http://www.drs.ch/www/de/drs/sendungen/on-the-road-again/2720.sh10226556.html