The University of North Carolina Press has released a new biography on one of that state’s most influential native sons, Doc Watson.
Doc Watson: A Life in Music, by Eddie Huffman, relates the history and career of the blind guitarist whose playing and singing helped revitalize interest in authentic mountain music from the 1960s onward. Watson was embraced by the folk festival scene, particularly following his breakout performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963, and his debut, self-titled solo album which released the following year.
Huffman is a native North Carolinian, living in Greensboro, whose previous work includes a similarly detailed biography of John Prine.
With Doc, Huffman has carefully researched Watson’s life and music, and from the selected bibliography included in the book, seems to have read most of what has been published about the flatpicking hero. He describes Doc’s time here on earth from his earliest days growing up in the mountains of western North Carolina, through the folk music era, raising and eventually bringing his son, Merle, into the act, and the good times when Doc & Merle were headlining bluegrass festivals and selling tons of records.
It then covers Merle’s tragic death in 1985 and the ensuing memorial festival, MerleFest, which has become one of the largest celebrations of Americana music in the world. Huffman finishes with the passing of both Doc and his wife, Rosa Lee, and several of the tribute projects assembled in their wake.
Huffman’s is a concise book, running to 288 pages, with a number of historical photos scattered throughout. It’s hard to imagine why any Doc Watson fan wouldn’t want this one in their collection.
Doc Watson: A Life in Music is available directly from the publisher in hard cover, and will be arrive at popular online resellers on January 28 in print and digital editions.
