Search - Doc and Merle Watson in Concert on DVD

Father And Son Make Beautiful Music Together

Chris Luallen | Nashville, Tennessee | 12/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Doc Watson is one of the true treasures of American folk music. He is known for his virtuoso guitar playing and distinctive vocals. But what I especially love about Doc is his choice of songs, bringing to the public some of the all time great classics and overlooked gems in the canon of American traditional music.

This concert is from 1980 and Doc is joined by his son, Merle Watson, on guitar and Michael Coleman on bass. They play a wide range of traditional tunes, including "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Wild Bill Jones" and "I Miss The Mississippi And You", closing with a harmonica medley of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Dixie".

The concert is interspersed with an interview from Doc's home in Deep Gap, North Carolina and, following the show, there is an additional "bonus" interview with Doc from 1999. This is terrific stuff from one of the greats of American music. Highly recommended!"

Two Great American Musicians

Chris Luallen | Nashville, Tennessee | 01/20/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Flat picking guitar legend Doc Watson is joined on stage by mandolin player David Grisman. It seems like a odd combination at first, as Watson is an old timer from the mountains of North Carolina and Grisman a hippie from New York perhaps best known for his Grateful Dawg sessions with Jerry Garcia. But actually these two go way back to the NYC folk scene of the early 60's. In fact, Doc first invited David to play on stage with him when Grisman was just a 17 year old kid.

In this concert footage they play a slew of classic American songs such as "Summertime" and "Sweet Georgia Brown". I especially enjoyed their version of the Bill Monroe favorite "In The Pines". The two seem compatiable on both a musical and personal level, dishing out some hot instrumental licks as Doc coaxes David to "play it pretty."

Interviews with both musicians are also interspersed between songs. Doc discusses how he first learned to play guitar and his wide range of musical influenes while David talks about his early efforts to imitate Bill Monroe before finding his own identity as a player. This is some terrific music from two great musicians and comes highly recommended.
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