Red Rocking Chair, recorded in 1981 and released on Flying Fish Records, documents Doc and Merle Watson in one of their most relaxed and revealing collaborative sessions. Merle Watson, Doc's son and guitar partner from the late 1960s onward, contributed rhythm and second-lead playing that was both self-effacing and precise, creating the space his father needed to work through a repertoire ranging from Appalachian ballads to ragtime to country blues. 'Mole in the Ground' and the title track represent the old-time material at the core of Doc's identity as a musician. Merle died in a tractor accident in 1985, and the recordings they made together carry a poignancy that subsequent listeners inevitably bring to them.
Tracklist
- 1 Sadie 2:29
- 2 Fisher's Hornpipe / Devil's Dream 1:45
- 3 Along The Road 2:52
- 4 Smoke, Smoke, Smoke 2:48
- 5 Below Freezing 2:23
- 6 California Blues 3:23
- 7 John Hurt 2:31
- 8 Mole in the Ground 2:30
- 9 Any Old Time 2:27
- 10 Red Rocking Chair 2:05
- 11 How Long Blues 2:50
- 12 Down Yonder 2:23