Doc and Merle Watson
Band · Active 1971–present · Deep Gap, North Carolina
Old-Time (Traditional)
Doc and Merle Watson were the celebrated father-son duo that anchored American flatpicking and acoustic music for over two decades. Doc's extraordinary guitar virtuosity and deep well of traditional Appalachian repertoire combined with Merle's complementary guitar and banjo playing — plus his role as driver, manager, and musical partner — to form one of the most beloved collaborations in folk and bluegrass history.
- Doc Watson (Arthel Lane Watson, 1923–2012), the blind North Carolina guitarist, and his son Eddy Merle Watson (February 8, 1949 – October 23, 1985), named after Eddy Arnold and Merle Travis.
- Merle learned his first guitar chords from his mother Rosa Lee; at 15 he joined his father onstage, making his debut at the Berkeley Folk Festival in 1964.
- Their first album Doc Watson and Son appeared in 1965 on Vanguard, launching a partnership that would last 21 years and produce dozens of recordings.
- Toured the United States, Europe, Japan, and Africa during the late 1960s through mid-1980s, often joined by bassist T. Michael Coleman (who began playing with them in 1974 and became a full-time member of the trio).
- Also recorded and performed briefly as Frosty Morn with Bob Hill and Joe Smothers in the mid-1970s.
- Appeared on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's landmark 1972 album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, bringing their music to a rock-and-folk audience and helping spark the traditional music revival.
- Key albums together include Doc Watson and Son (1965), Ballads from Deep Gap, Then and Now, Two Days in November, Memories, and the Grammy-winning Red Rocking Chair (1981).
- Won Grammy Awards for Then and Now (1973), Two Days in November (1974), and Big Sandy/Leather Britches (1979), among others.
- Merle was a skilled slide guitarist and banjo player in his own right, introducing his father to new material and gradually taking on more lead roles as the partnership developed.
- Merle died on October 23, 1985, in a tractor accident on the family farm in Caldwell County, North Carolina.
- Doc considered quitting music after Merle's death but said Merle came to him in a dream urging him to continue; he founded the annual MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in 1988 in honor of his son.
- Archival recordings continue to appear, including Never the Same Way Once: Live at the Boarding House, May 1974 (recorded by Owsley "Bear" Stanley), documenting the trio with T. Michael Coleman at their peak.
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John HenryHome Sweet Home (1998)
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Mole in the GroundRed Rocking Chair (1981)
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New River TrainRemembering Merle (1992)
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Red Rocking ChairRed Rocking Chair (1981)
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The CuckooBallads From Deep Gap (1971)
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Old Joe ClarkHome Sweet Home (1998)
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Doc WatsonPlayed on recordings with Doc and Merle Watson
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Merle WatsonPlayed on recordings with Doc and Merle Watson
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T. Michael ColemanPlayed on recordings with Doc and Merle Watson
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Marty StuartPlayed on recordings with Doc and Merle Watson
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Alan O'BryantPlayed on recordings with Doc and Merle Watson
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Eric WeissbergPlayed on recordings with Doc and Merle Watson
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Sam BushPlayed on recordings with Doc and Merle Watson
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Joe AllenPlayed on recordings with Doc and Merle Watson
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Alison KraussPlayed on recording with Doc and Merle Watson
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Bobby SeymorPlayed on recording with Doc and Merle Watson
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Buddy DavisPlayed on recording with Doc and Merle Watson
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Earl ScruggsPlayed on recording with Doc and Merle Watson
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Joe SmothersPlayed on recording with Doc and Merle Watson
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Ricky SkaggsPlayed on recording with Doc and Merle Watson
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Vassar ClementsPlayed on recording with Doc and Merle Watson