Doc Watson
Doc Watson | |
|---|---|
Watson at MusicFest 'N Sugar Grove, Sugar Grove, North Carolina, 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Arthel Lane Watson |
| Also known as | Doc Watson |
| Born | March 3, 1923 Deep Gap, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | May 29, 2012 (aged 89) Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica |
| Years active | 1953–2012 |
| Labels | Folkways, Vanguard, United Artists, Flying Fish, Sugar Hill |
| Spouse | Rosa Lee Carlton Watson |
Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. He won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His fingerpicking 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.