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| Doc Watson |
It was a big day for bluegrass at WHUS because we celebrated Doc Watson's 89th birthday (March 3rd) and interviewed Ben Greene, the world class banjo picker with Carolina Road. We also had an extra hour as we filled-in for the Sunday Night Folk Festival prior to a sports event and gave it a grassy sound.
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| Ben Greene (Photo by Ted Lehmann) |
We played some Charlie Moore tunes with Ben's banjo picking as well as some selections from Carolina Road's latest album and Ben's latest solo album.
Doc Watson was discovered by Ralph Rinzler during the height of the Folk Boom of the early 1960s while Ralph was on a field trip to North Carolina to seek out and record Clarence (Tom) Ashley. Looking for guitar accompaniment, the locals suggested a blind guitar player who had been playing electric guitar in a rockabilly band. After putting an acoustic guitar in his hands, Doc stunned the visitors with the most amazing demonstration of flat picking ever heard. The rest is guitar history. Doc transformed the guitar from a rhythm instrument to a lead instrument. All bluegrassers who love listening to or playing like guitar greats the late Clarence White, Tony Rice, Bryan Sutton, Jim Hurst, Cody Kilby, and Josh Williams (among many others) owe a great debt to Doc Watson.
Besides that, Doc had a profound affect on me personally when I first heard him with his son, Merle, and my involvement with bluegrass music today can be traced directly to Doc & Merle. We played a cross section of Doc and Doc & Merle tunes throughout the show to celebrate Doc's birthday and his lifelong contributions to the advancement and enjoyment of great picking.
Newer music on the show included songs from The Lonesome River Band, Shannon Slaughter, Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie, The Heather Berry and Tony Mabe Show, Merl Johnson, and Freeman & Williams.
Be sure to tune in next Sunday when Amy will make the banjos and fiddles ring.
Jim Beaver
Song/Artist/Album/Label
- Soppin' The Gravy / Patrick McAvinue / Rutland's Reel / Patuxent
- Close The Door Lightly When You Go / Lonesome River Band / Chronology Volume One / Rural Rhythm
- Johnny Gray-Rye Straw / Peter Feldmann & The Pea Patch Quintet / Grey Cat On The Tennessee Farm / Hen Cackle
- The Train That Carried My Girl From Town / Doc Watson / Good Deal! Doc Watson In Nashville / Vanguard
- A Light In The Window, Again / Carolina Road / Back To My Roots / Rural Rhythm
- Caroline / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Day / Raincoe
- Catfish John / The Reunion Band / A Work In Progress... / Self-released
- Old Hickory Cane / Dan Paisley and The Southern Grass / The Tradition Continues / Brandywine
- Crawdad Song / Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley / The Original Folkways Recordings: 1960-1962 / Smithsonian Folkways
- Johnson Mountain Chimes / Johnson Mountain Boys / Walls Of Time / Rounder
- Hooverville / Shannon Slaughter / The Sideman Steps Out / Elite Circuit
- Arkansas / The Heather Berry & Tony Mabe / Self-titled / Mountain Fever
- Lonesome Road Blues / Johnny Warren & Charlie Cushman / A Tribute To Fiddlin' Paul Warren vol. 2 / Self-released
- I'm Ready If You're Willin' / Chris Jones & The Nightdrivers / Lost Souls & Free Spirits / Rebel
- Matterhorn / Eddie & Martha Adcock / Many A Mile / Patuxent
- Little Pink / Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie / The Touch Of Time / Rural Rhythm
- Billy In The Low Ground / Charlie Moore / The Fiddler / Old Homestead
- Crazy Heart / Ben Greene w. James King / Banjo Sideman / Self-released
- Education From On High / Ben Greene w. Junior Sisk / Banjo Sideman / Self-released
- Back To My Roots / Carolina Road / Back To My Roots / Rural Rhythm
- Shady Grove / Doc Watson / Songs From Home / Capitol
- Restless Working Man / Blue Highway / Sounds Of Home / Rounder
- Monster Truck / Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper / Fired Up! / Rounder
- Yellow Backed Fly / Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers / Rare Bird Alert / Rounder
- Avery County / Charlie Moore / Avery County / Old Homestead
- Streets Of Baltimore / Charlie Moore / Avery County / Old Homestead
- A Better Man / Merl Johnson / Better Man / Patuxent
- Black Dust Fever / Travers Chandler & Avery County / State Of Depression / Patuxent
- Home Sweet Home (bed) / Doc & Merle Watson / Home Sweet Home / Sugar Hill
- Russian Grass (bed) / Doc & Merle Watson / Home Sweet Home / Sugar Hill
- Gone At Last / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / Drive Time / Mountain Home
- Ramshackle Shack / Doc Watson / Riding The Midnight Train / Sugar Hill
- Wandering Boy / The Isaacs / Bluegrass Preserved / Horizon
- Trolley Days / Thomas Porter & Copper River Band / Trolley Days / Self-released
- Blood And Sweat / Lee Marcus / Grandpa's Pond / Self-released
- Going Back To Dixie / Taylors Grove / Keep On The Sunny Side / Fishtraks
- Something 'bout You / Amy Gallatin and Roger Williams / Somthing 'Bout You / Happy Appy
- Prayer Bells Of Heaven / Arthel 'Doc' Watson / Portrait / Sugar Hill
- Singing As We Rise / The Gibson Brothers / Help My Brother / Compass
- John In The Jordan / Lou Reid & Carolina / Sounds Like Heaven To Me / Rural Rhythm
- Beautiful Home / Billy Boone Smith / Live From The Moose Lodge / Muddy Sunshine
- Before Judgment Day / J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers / Run Mountain - 30 Old Time Favorites / Gusto
- He Will Set Your Fields On Fire / Reno & Smiley / 1959-1963 / Gusto
- Who Will Sing For Me? / Carl Story / Angel Band / Gusto
- That Little Old Country Church House / Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers / Hymns From The Hills / Rebel
- Walking In A Dream / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' And Singin' / Self-released
Sunday Night Folk Festival fill-in follows:
- Jack Of The Wood / Kruger Brothers / Between The Notes / Double Time
- My House / Kathy Kallick Band / Between The Hollow and the High Rise / Live Oak
- Milk Cow Blues / Doc Watson / Live at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival / Munckmix
- Song Up In Her Head / Sarah Jarosz / Song Up In Her Head / Sugar Hill
- Honky Tonk Merry Go Round / Girl Howdy / Honky Tonk Hair / Self-released
- Make It Out West / The Greencards / The Brick Album / Darling Street
- It's You / Abbie Gardner / Hope / Self-released
- I'm Moving On / Rosanne Cash / The List / Manhattan
- Intoxicated Rat / Doc Watson / Self-titled / Vanguard
- Toil & Shame / Ashleigh Caudill / Fruit Of The Vine / Self-released
- John Wilkes Booth / Tony Rice / Night Flyer / Rounder
- Memory Lane / Al Hawkes / Old Time Pickin' & Singin' / Event
- Always A Day Too Late / Tiffany Hurt and Various Artists / Close Kin / Mountain Roads
- Talking To Casey / Doc & Merle Watson / The Guitar Album / Flying Fish
- The Sands Of Mexico / The Chieftains feat. Ry Cooder / San Patricio / Blackrock
- White Freightliner Blues / Steve Earle / Townes / New West
- June Apple / Freeman & Williams / Self-titled / Mountain Roads
- Sixteen Cents / Steve Gulley & Tim Stafford / Dogwood Winter / Rural Rhythm
- When Halley Came To Jackson / Freeman & Williams / Self-titled / Mountain Roads
- Behind Those Big Closed Doors / Connie Leigh / New Cuts Of Bluegrass Vol. 4 / New Cuts
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