There are only a few musicians blessed with 'talent and skill beyond the ken of mere mortals'.

Yet of these, too many possess a tragic flaw of conciet. To them a song is somthing to be dominated and possessed as theirs. To them a song exsists to serve the performer. They take a song into themselves and make it over in thier own image, and only let it out again under their own terms. Their cry is - look how great I make this song! Their love for a song is the love of a multi-millioniare for his trophy wife.

There are very few musicians who, once they realize how gifted and able they are, resist this temptation. Those who do treat a song like a wonder of nature that they are but priveleged to share with the rest of us. They allow the song to consume them, and become servants to it. They are the musicians that elavate music to its greatest heights, and Doc Watson is one of them. To hear him play is to bask in the glow of true love, the love of fathers and daughters, of old married couples, and grandchildren.

And as if that weren't enough, he is also one of the most forthright, genuinely human individuals I have ever heard speak.

The psychologists have a word, 'self-actualization'. It refers to the completion of the human maturational process, an achievement of your full potential in wisdom, emotional balance, and personal development. They claim it is exceedingly rare, but if Doc's not an example I don't know who is.