Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: GUEST,Frug Date: 30 Jul 05 - 03:02 PM I'm so jealous.........saw the Doc at Cambridge Folk Festival years ago and could never forget him..........would love to see him again but I doubt that he'll tour UK again at his age. A definite must see for all folkies and I guess all lovers of real home spun music............and yes don't forget a full review !!!!!!!! Frank |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: bbc Date: 31 Jul 05 - 10:39 PM Oh, Joe, I'm sorry. Guess you can't die yet. After all your input, I'm planning to go about an hour early & see what the situation is. I live in a kind of unusual area--rural, but tourist, as well. I really don't know how many people will come. I will do my best to review--no fear. Zhenya, that's great that there's an NYC concert in Sept. Thanks for reporting that! barbara |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: Roger in Baltimore Date: 01 Aug 05 - 02:39 PM bbc, It's great to hear you are going. Doc Watson is nothing short of a national treasure. He clearly loves what he's doing and his humility comes through. I was him outdoors about four years ago. I went then for fear it would be my last opportunity as he had previously announced "no more touring". His voice melts in the air. I don't remember you playing the guitar bbc, but I marveled at the economy of his motion (as mentioned above by Bill D.). Both his fretting hand and his picking hand move so little that it is amazing how many notes come out. I've seen other great flatpickers and none make it look so easy. Something no one has mentioned is his way with a song. His approach is straight-forward, but very heart felt. And the older songs are part of his life and culture. Enjoy! Roger in Baltimore |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: Barbara Shaw Date: 01 Aug 05 - 04:29 PM Doc will be at the Podunk Festival in East Hartford, CT this coming Saturday, August 6 along with Richard Watson (grandson) and Jack Lawrence, the guy who's been playing with him for years and plays Doc's style beautifully as well as being a great artist in his own right. I've seen Doc before and it's never enough. He's really a joy to hear and I look forward to another chance this coming weekend. In fact, he's one of the main reasons we're going to East Hartford, CT rather than our usual trip up to the Pemi Festival in New Hampshire the same weekend. Doc is everything they say about him, a legend, an institution and a great artist, and he's still amazing. For those who might be interested in the CT area: http://podunkbluegrass.net/ Have fun bbc. It's a pretty friendly, folksy crowd that turns out for Doc Watson, so you should enjoy yourself. |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: bbc Date: 01 Aug 05 - 05:03 PM Very nice write-up about Doc on that site, Barbara. The doors open at 7 pm for an 8 pm concert. Now, I'm not sure how early I should go. Roger, nice to hear from you! Barbara |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: Don Firth Date: 01 Aug 05 - 06:41 PM Doc Watson was one of the featured performers at the 1964 Berkeley Folk Festival where I had the priviledge and pleasure of seeing him live in concert, and of attending a workshop he gave. I'm very much into classic guitar. But ignoring the arbitrary boundaries between various styles of guitar playing, I would say that Doc Watson is one of the half-dozen finest guitarists in the world, of any style. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that Doc Watson is American folk music. Go! Crawl over broken glass on your hands and knees if you have to, but GO!! Don Firth |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: GUEST,Terry Allan Hall Date: 01 Aug 05 - 06:47 PM If ya don't, you'll kick yourself later! |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: Seamus Kennedy Date: 01 Aug 05 - 09:54 PM bbc, go see the master. I've seen him several times, and was fortunate enough to meet him once. If you don't think he's the greatest, I'll refund your money. Seamus |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: bbc Date: 01 Aug 05 - 10:41 PM Seamus, what a nice offer. From all of the above, I suspect it won't be necessary. :) Barbara |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: bbc Date: 07 Aug 05 - 11:52 PM Well, I'm just home from the concert & it was great, as you all said it would be. 8:30-11:30 pm was good value & I'm off to bed. Details tomorrow. Thanks for your input; I'm really glad I went! Barbara |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: bbc Date: 08 Aug 05 - 09:34 AM Good morning, all! As you all said it would be, the concert was wonderful. It was held at the brand-new performing arts center at the local regional high school--a beautiful (air-conditioned) room w/ great acoustics. Doc complimented the sound people 4 times during the evening, I think. I arrived 1/2 hour before the doors were scheduled to open, which was 1 1/2 hours before the concert started. That put me 7th in line for the "cheap" ($35) seats. I sat front row center section center seat in the 2nd section back from the stage. The 1st section center was $45 seats. That concert took in a lot of money! That 1st section had approx. 10 rows of 15 seats each. Most all were full. The concert was not sold out, but most seats were full & it was obviously an audience who knew Doc. On one side of me sat a couple from NYC who weekend in Massachusetts, somewhat older than me, who had heard Doc many times. I told them all about Mudcat. The man was familiar w/ it as a lyrics site, but didn't know about the forum; we may be seeing him in the future. On my other side was a woman my age & a young man about my son's age, both from Troy--approx. 45 minutes away. They both play guitar & were familiar w/ Doc's music, having seen him in the past. The first half hour of the concert was warm-up with the Hunger Mountain Boys playing old-time music. Then, Doc came onstage with his grandson, Richard, a fantastic blues guitar player! I believe there were 5 sets during the evening--2 w/ Richard accompanying Doc on blues guitar, 2 w/ Jack Lawrence playing guitar & singing while Doc mostly played, & a short set that Doc performed alone. All were great, but I particularly enjoyed Richard's playing. The concert lasted from 8:30-11:30 pm with one short intermission. I had almost nothing to compare it with, but found Doc's playing & singing to be very clean & impressive. I sat there, amazed, all evening, thinking that he, at 82, is just one year younger than my dad, who is confined to a wheelchair & can hardly do anything. What a great man! After the first song, I started keeping a list of what was performed, writing in the dark between listening & clapping. Doc performed 30 songs for us during the evening, certainly full value for our money! I only knew a few of them, but I enjoyed them all. I appreciated the variety of his selections. He performed well--no stumbling in his playing or the lyrics, unlike some younger folks I've heard. : ) The atmosphere was relaxed, friendly, conversational; he really seemed to be enjoying what he was doing. That always lets me enjoy a performance all the more. In the last set, a few audience members shouted out requests. The first was "Deep River Blues" & it was the only one Doc played. From audience response, I believe it was the favorite of the evening. Unfortunately, during the last set, various people started getting up & leaving. I was surprised & somewhat distressed by that, but I suspect it was because it was a Sunday night (work the next morning) & people had come from a distance. Finally, Jack leaned over to Doc & suggested that it was time to end. After that song, the two of them just stood up & said goodnight. Naturally, they knew they couldn't leave without an encore. The audience immediately stood up, applauding wildly. Doc & Jack sat down & played "Black Mountain Rag" as the last song of the evening. Great! Here is the list of songs I heard last night, with apologies for any errors in spelling, etc.: 1st song was by Jimmy Rogers & involved some great yodeling Summertime Don't monkey 'round my widder In the pines Going to Chicago blues Stand by me I'll never see my home again Corey is gone Eight more miles to Louisville Stony Creek Frankie & Johnny Rising sun blues (House of the Rising Sun) CC Rider St. James Hospital Precious Lord Eastbound freight train You're no longer a sweetheart of mine Deep river blues If I should wander back through Little Sadie Sleep baby sleep (with yodeling) Shady grove Blue-eyed Jane Nuthin' to it Ready for the times to get better Greenville Trestle A Sweet hello For the good times Corrina, Corrina Black Mountain Rag Thank you all for your input to this thread. Now that I've heard Doc in person, it would be nice to own some of his music. What recordings would you recommend that I purchase? best, bbc |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: Big Mick Date: 08 Aug 05 - 09:47 AM Superb review, m'dear. Felt like I was there. Mick |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: Barbara Shaw Date: 08 Aug 05 - 10:43 AM I saw Doc Saturday night at the Podunk bluegrass festival in East Hartford, CT. We were there camping for the weekend, but day tickets were $40 and included several bands (Mountain Heart, one of the very best live shows I've ever seen, Dale Ann Bradley w/Coon Creek, many others) with Doc as the headliner, playing from about 9 to 11:00 pm. He did a set with Richard and then a set with Jack Lawrence. The concert was wonderful, as it has been every time I've seen him. His voice is still mellow and expressive, his fingers still make magic on the strings regardless of age. And we sat with friends in our comfortable lawn chairs under the stars eating ice cream and loving the whole experience. What could be better? |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: MissouriMud Date: 08 Aug 05 - 12:35 PM Doc has so many albums - over 45 or 50 - many of which are slightly overlapping in content or are compilations of prior recordings. Doc recorded too many good tunes and too many tunes of radically different styles to have one cd of greatest hits that everyone agrees on. I picked the ones I bought simply because they have some of the specific tunes I wanted on them - Tennesse Stud, Salt Creek, Blue Railroad Train, Shady Grove, and Fishers Hornpipe just to name a few. But everyone has their own favorites You may want to go to some of the dscography sites and look over the choices - docsguitar.com is a pretty good one. Some good choices might be Vanguard's 4 cd set Doc watson The Vanguard Years, or the Best of Doc Watson 1964-1968 or The Essential Doc Watson also by Vanguard. Tennessee Stud put out by Music Mill and Watson Country by Flying Fish also have some good represenative sample of his work, but you really cant go wrong by just randomly picking something |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: Big Jim from Jackson Date: 08 Aug 05 - 01:01 PM Seamus, ya big phoney! You KNEW your money was as safe as if it were in a bank! :-) Everybody raves about Doc, and there is a reason for that---damn, he's good! And not just on the guitar. His personality comes across the stage lights as clearly as his playing. Not bad sidemen, either. I hope the summer is going well for you. Jim Hickam |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: bbc Date: 08 Aug 05 - 01:08 PM Thanks, Mick; always nice to hear from you. Barbara, I'm glad you had a good time, too! Thanks, MOMud. My folks are in Nixa; where are you? I was considering the Third Generation Blues cd, since I liked Richard so well. I sure liked the songs I saw listed on the Black Mt. Rag cd (#66 on Amazon's results for Doc), but I guess it is unavailable. I also wondered about "On praying ground"--#30, since I like gospel. bbc |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: Wesley S Date: 08 Aug 05 - 01:21 PM Another vote for the Vanguard Years - the 4 CD set. It has most of his best known material. |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: dick greenhaus Date: 08 Aug 05 - 01:57 PM There are 67 Doc Watson CDs currently in print (that I know of offhand). They're all available from CAMSCO, along with recommendations. 800/548-FOLK (3655) |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: bbc Date: 08 Aug 05 - 02:57 PM Oh, my, Dick! Barbara |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: Big Mick Date: 08 Aug 05 - 03:04 PM HHHHHHEEEYYYYYYYYYYY 'SPAW!You gonna say it or am I??????????Mick, ducking and running for cover ...... again. |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: Peace Date: 08 Aug 05 - 03:29 PM "Oh, my, Dick! Barbara" Uh, aHEM! |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: bbc Date: 08 Aug 05 - 04:45 PM Shame on you both! Guess Pat's not online at the moment. You made me blush! Barbara |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: bbc Date: 08 Aug 05 - 04:53 PM Perfectly nice music thread...two grown men w/ nothing better to do than pick on a children's librarian. At least one of you knows better. Grumble, grumble. Get back on topic--ok? |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: Big Mick Date: 08 Aug 05 - 05:01 PM Mick pokes his head up from behind a stack of Dr. Seuss books and yells: Oh Yeah!!Just you wait until 'Spaw gets here. He'll show your dumb girl self a thing or two.........Mick ducks behind the stack of books as an assortment of fruit, paperclips, lampshades, and turtle wax goes flyin' by, barely missing him......... |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: bbc Date: 08 Aug 05 - 05:33 PM Oh, my, Mick (Does that sound familiar?!)! Being away from your family doesn't agree w/ you. Better watch it; you're in the tri-state area; that's where *I* live!!! By the way, you're safe behind the books; I don't throw things at books. Won't you feel silly if Pat has reformed (What am I saying?!). So much for the music thread. Sorry, Joe & Art. Barbara |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: Seamus Kennedy Date: 08 Aug 05 - 10:56 PM Big Jim - of course I knew my money was safe. Do ya think I'm crazy? Anybody who's ever heard Doc would know that. When I met him and shook his hand a year or so ago, he had a grip like iron; and in the show with Jack Lawrence his singing was steady and bang on the money, and his picking was as crisp and brilliant as ever. jack was no slouch either. I'll be glad to be on this side of the grass when I'm his age. Bbc, great review and I'm happy you enjoyed his performance. Another convert. Seamus |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: bbc Date: 09 Aug 05 - 08:47 AM Just another quick comment about the concert-- I was reading over the other Doc Watson threads & remembered other things I particularly liked. Right at the beginning, Doc announced that this would be an informal concert--that he'd prefer if we could have all joined him in his livingroom, if it were big enough. He seemed very relaxed. I think he, Jack, & Richard just decided what songs to play as they went along; it was great. Many times, between songs, they spent a couple of minutes tuning. That may sound silly for me to say, but Doc seemed particularly sensitive to that. He said he has close to perfect pitch--that he worked as a piano tuner in the past--& that when things are out of tune, they make him nervous! I just get a kick out of getting to know musicians. The feeling onstage was very friendly; Richard & Jack obviously really enjoy playing w/ Doc. For me, as an audience member, it really adds to my pleasure if I can like the people I'm hearing. No problem, that night! From the responsiveness of the audience, my feelings were shared. bbc |
Subject: RE: Doc Watson--What do you know? From: GUEST,Sleepless Dad Date: 09 Aug 05 - 11:33 PM I've always had the feeling that Doc would be a heck of a dinner guest. It seems like he has stories oozing out of his pores. Of course then I'd ask him to sing for his supper. |
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