Doc Watson cover

Doc Watson

Doc Watson

Album · 1964 · Fontana TFL 6045

Doc Watson was Watson’s first solo album, released by Vanguard in 1964 (VRS 9152 mono, VSD 79152 stereo), with Fontana issuing it in Britain as TFL 6045. Ralph Rinzler supervised the record and wrote the liner notes, which are dated March 1964. Rinzler had recorded Watson at the 1960 Union Grove Fiddlers’ Convention in a string band with Clint Howard and Fred Price, and it was on Rinzler’s advice that year that Watson, who was born in Deep Gap, North Carolina, began playing acoustic guitar and banjo exclusively.

Watson sings on all but two of the thirteen tracks and is the only player on most of them. He plays five-string banjo on “Country Blues” and “Georgie Buck,” harmonica as well as guitar on “Six Thousand Years Ago” and “Tom Dooley,” and is joined by John Herald on second guitar on “Nashville Blues” and “Black Mountain Rag.” “Black Mountain Rag” and “Doc’s Guitar,” which Watson wrote, are the instrumentals.

The songs come from several directions: the Delmore Brothers’ “Nashville Blues,” Dock Boggs’s “Country Blues,” Dorsey Dixon’s “Intoxicated Rat,” and the ballads “Omie Wise” and “Tom Dooley.” “Deep River Blues,” “Georgie Buck” and “Omie Wise” are credited as Watson arrangements.

Tracklist

  1. 1 Nashville Blues Source Recording Rabon Delmore, Alton Delmore · key Bb · 122 bpm 1:58
  2. 2 Sitting on Top of the World Source Recording Walter Vinson · key Eb · 90 bpm 2:39
  3. 3 Intoxicated Rat 2:33
  4. 4 Country Blues 3:33
  5. 5 Talk About Suffering alt version 2:49
  6. 6 Born About Six Thousand Years Ago 3:01
  7. 7 Black Mountain Rag alt version 2:40
  8. 8 Omie Wise Source Recording Traditional · key B · 75 bpm 4:28
  9. 9 Georgia Buck 2:19
  10. 10 Doc's Guitar 1:18
  11. 11 Deep River Blues Source Recording Alton Delmore · key F · 93 bpm 3:12
  12. 12 St. James Hospital 3:29
  13. 13 Tom Dooley Source Recording Unknown · key A · 125 bpm 3:15

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