Gaither Carlton
Musician · Deep Gap, North Carolina
Gaither Carlton was a North Carolina-born old-time fiddler and clawhammer banjo player whose seat in the Folkways "Old-Time Music at Clarence Ashley's" sessions (1960–1963) and decade-plus of festival touring with son-in-law Doc Watson made him one of the foundational tradition-bearers of Blue Ridge mountain music carried into the folk revival.
- Full name Gaither Wiley Carlton; born February 3, 1901 in Wilkes County, North Carolina; died June 24, 1972 at his home in Deep Gap, NC.
- Old-time fiddler and clawhammer banjo player active with regional musicians since the 1920s, including Al Hopkins, G.B. Grayson, and Clarence Ashley.
- Father of Rosa Lee Carlton, who married Doc Watson in 1947 — making Gaither Doc's father-in-law.
- Recorded with Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley on the Folkways sessions "Old-Time Music at Clarence Ashley's" (Vols. 1 & 2, 1961–1963), produced by Ralph Rinzler beginning Labor Day weekend 1960.
- Fiddle style closely tied to G.B. Grayson and Gid Tanner; banjo style in the clawhammer manner of Clarence Ashley.
- Toured during the 1960s folk revival accompanying Doc Watson, helping introduce broader audiences to Blue Ridge old-time repertoire.
- Smithsonian Folkways has issued a posthumous "Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton" compilation drawn from those revival-era recordings.
- Recognized by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area as a key tradition-bearer of western North Carolina mountain music.
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The Old Man at the MillDoc Watson and Clarence Ashley · The Original Folkways Recordings of Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley, 1960-1962 (1994)
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Walking BossDoc Watson and Clarence Ashley · The Original Folkways Recordings of Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley, 1960-1962 (1994)
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The Watson FamilyPlayed on recordings with The Watson Family
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Doc WatsonPlayed on recordings with Doc Watson
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Doc Watson and Clarence AshleyPlayed on recordings with Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley