The blind guitarist and singer Doc Watson was born in North Carolina in 1923. He grew up listening to a diverse range of figures, from Jimmie Rodgers and Riley Puckett to Merle Travis and blues guitarists such as Blind Lemon Jefferson. Watson played banjo and guitar, absorbing folk and bluegrass from the local musical landscape, and played fiddle tunes on guitar using a flatpick. He was discovered in the early 1960s and encouraged to join the folk revival. On his first record, The Doc Watson Family (1963), he plays country and folk material. His lively, dancing style, mixing single lines and strumming, can be heard on tracks such as "Every Day Dirt.”Watson's appearances at the Newport Folk Festivals in 1963 and 1964 stunned guitarists, who were surprised to hear someone from the backwoods with such technical virtuosity. He revolutionized acoustic flatpicking and helped to set the stage for modern bluegrass guitar.

During the 1960s, Watson produced many exceptional recordings with his son Merle Watson and various important figures, such as Bill Monroe and, later on, Chet Atkins. He has set the standard for acoustic country playing since the 1960s, recording a large body of traditional work with musical depth, and has bridged disparate strands in country, developing them on the guitar without losing their authenticity.

MARTIN D-28

Doc Watson sometimes refers to his guitar as "the old flog box." Early on he often used a Gibson J-3S, until about 1964, when he adopted a dreadnought-shaped Martin D-28, and later other makes. The Martin D-28 came out in 1931 and has been one of the most popular and widely-used instruments in country and other genres.

Doc Watson (1964)

Doc Watson emerges fully on the album Doc Watson - a fascinating mixture of folk, country and bluegrass. The record had a tremendous impact at the time and the guitar playing was widely admired. Watson approaches the blues with depth and sophistication. "Sitting On top Of the World" has a graceful rolling bass and inventive decorative arpeggiation, and manages to convey a haunting beauty with a resonant tone. Another number, "Deep River Blues," opens with a chord melody played with a relaxed command and Watson adds a measured accompaniment with occasional fast fills. On the country instrumental "Black Mountain Rag," he turns the traditional fiddle tune into an infectious piece, showcasing his expressive flatpicking. Another instrumental, "Doc's Guitar", is inspired by Merle Travis. On this fast, intricate instrumental, Watson makes his guitar sound like a duo with interweaving parts and fingerstyle played with a bright urgency. Watson shifts into folk on the moving "Omie Wise," where he plays picked chords with a gentle undulating gracefulness before stating the tune as a short chord-melody break. In "St. James Hospital," Watson plays with great sensitivity and dynamic control; he moves through the harmonies, conveying movement with swelling dynamics and scurrying arpeggios.