Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's fingerstyle and flatpicking skills, as well as his knowledge of traditional American music, were highly regarded. Blind from a young age, he performed publicly both in a dance band and solo, as well as for over 15 years with his son, guitarist Merle Watson, until Merle's death in 1985 in an accident on the family farm.
Clarence "Tom" Ashley was an American musician and singer, who played the clawhammer banjo and the guitar. He began performing at medicine shows in the Southern Appalachian region as early as 1911, and gained initial fame during the late 1920s as both a solo recording artist and as a member of various string bands. After his "rediscovery" during the folk revival of the 1960s, Ashley spent the last years of his life playing at folk music concerts, including appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York and at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.
Will the Circle be Unbroken is the seventh album by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, with collaboration from many famous bluegrass and country-western players, including Roy Acuff, "Mother" Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Merle Travis, Pete "Oswald" Kirby, Norman Blake, Jimmy Martin, and others. It also introduced fiddler Vassar Clements to a wider audience.
The Elementary Doctor Watson! is a studio album by the American country music artists Doc Watson and Merle Watson, released in 1972.
Doc Watson & Son is the self-titled début album by Doc Watson and Merle Watson, released in 1965.
Legacy is the title of a recording by American folk music and country blues artist Doc Watson and David Holt, released in 2002.
Home Again! is the fourth studio album American folk music artist Doc Watson, released in 1966.
Ballads from Deep Gap is the second studio album by American folk music artist Doc Watson and Merle Watson, released in 1967. The title references the town Watson was born in — Deep Gap, North Carolina.
Treasures Untold is the title of a live recording by Doc Watson & Family, recorded at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. It includes four duets with Clarence White. Watson's son, Merle, was 15 years old at the time of the recording. He later performed numerous concerts and on recordings with his father.
Doc Watson on Stage is the title of a live recording by American folk music artist Doc Watson, released in 1971. It was originally released as a double LP and contained many previously unreleased titles.
Tradition is the title of a recording by Doc Watson and Family. It was recorded in 1964 - 1965 and not released until 1977.
Red Rocking Chair is an album by Doc and Merle Watson, released in 1981 on the Flying Fish label.
Down South is the title of a recording by American folk music artists Doc Watson and Merle Watson, released in 1984.
Songs from the Southern Mountains is the title of a recording by American folk music artist Doc Watson and Family, released in 1994. The music is taken from recordings by Eugene Earle and D. K. Wilgus. It contains previously unreleased material from the early 1960s as well as three tracks recorded in 1973. The liner notes are by Watson's daughter Nancy, recalling memories of grandpa Gaither Carlton, the first Watson Family recording session, and the April night that Merle Watson began playing guitar.
Doc & Dawg is a 1997 recording by the American folk music artist Doc Watson and mandolinist David Grisman.
Foundation: Doc Watson Guitar Instrumental Collection, 1964-1998 is the title of a recording by American folk music and country blues artist Doc Watson, released in 2000. It contains instrumental tracks from Watson's 1964 to 1998 recordings.
Doc Watson at Gerde's Folk City is the title of live recordings by American folk music and country blues artist Doc Watson, released in 2001. The recordings are of Watson's first solo public performances, recorded in 1962 and 1963 at Gerde's Folk City. The tracks were never released prior to 2001.
Original Folkways Recordings: 1960–1962 is the title of a recording by Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley, released in 1994.
Black Mountain Rag is the title of a recording by American folk music and country blues artists Doc Watson and Merle Watson, released in 2006. It contains songs taken from albums that Doc and Merle recorded on the Flying Fish label in the 1980s.
Gaither Wiley Carlton was an American Old-time fiddle player and banjo player. He is best known for his appearances accompanying his son-in-law Doc Watson during the folk music revival of the 1960s. While not recorded before the folk revival, Carlton had been playing with some of the region's most well-known musicians— such as Al Hopkins, G. B. Grayson, and Clarence Ashley— since the 1920s.
