Before his death at the age of 89, Doc Watson was the true voice of Appalachian music. After being discovered in 1960 by folklorist Ralph Rinzler, the blind guitarist graced thousands of American stages with his down-home wit, deep knowledge of traditional songs, and his blistering flatpicking guitar. Over 52 years in the music business, Doc influenced every musician with a pulse, from Bob Dylan to Jerry Garcia, and from Gillian Welch to Pete Seeger. Inspiration to Robert Plant, Ben Harper and countless other rock, country, pop and bluegrass musicians, Doc Watson started his career in his late 30s, on a small stage in Greenwich Village, New York City. Blind But Now I See delves into the dark corners of Doc Watson’s life, and, of course, the development of his baritone voice and steady guitar licks. This is a full and honest portrayal of a true American hero, and a genius of our times, from the small town of Deep Gap, North Carolina.
Blind But Now I See, winner of a Next Generation Indie Book Award, and finalist in the Foreword Book of the Year Awards, includes never-before-released details about Doc Watson’s life and music career and is chock-full of new and compelling interviews. Among those interviewed are:
Abigail Washburn, Alan O’Bryant, Alice Gerrard, Annie Bird, B. Townes, Bela Fleck, Ben Harper, Beppe Gambetta, Clint Howard, Darol Anger, David Grisman, David Moultrup, Don Rigsby, Donna Hill, Ed Pearl, Edgar Meyer, Ellen Harper-Verdries, George McCeney, Greg Brown, Guy Clark, Guy Davis, Jack Lawrence, James Reams, Jean Ritchie, Jerry Douglas, Joe Crookston, John Cohen, John Pushkin, Jonathan Byrd, Ketch Secor, Larry Long, Maria Muldaur, Mark Moss, Marty Stuart, Michelle Shocked, Mike Marshall, Mike Seeger, Norman Blake, Paddy Moloney, Pat Donohue, Paul Asbell, Paul Chasman, Peggy Seeger, Peter Rowan, Peter Siegel, Rebecca Lovell, Ricky Skaggs, Roland White, Sam Bush, Sarah Bryan, Si Kahn, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, Tom Chapin, Tom Moore, Tom Paxton, Tommy Emmanuel, Tommy Sands, Tony Cartledge, Tony Rice, Tony Trischka, Warren Haynes and Wayne Henderson. New interviews in the Second Edition include Bill Frisell, Dan Crary, Steve Kaufman, Taj Mahal, and more.
I never heard an off night from Doc Watson – ever, ever, ever. – Taj Mahal
When you listen to what Doc is doing on the guitar, it hits you right in the soul. – Warren Haynes
When you hear Doc Watson singing Amazing Grace, something else enters the room. – Ben Harper
Doc takes in the larger universe and makes it come out on the guitar. – Bill Frisell
I recorded Strawberry Jam with Doc at MerleFest. After we played the set, I said, Oh my God, that was as good as sex! – Michelle Shocked
Doc is a force of nature. Without Doc, there would have been no anchor for the last 40 years to keep us remembering the simplicity of the old tunes. – Peter Rowan
There isn’t a musician anywhere who isn’t saying My God, I’ll never even get close to that. – Mike Marshall
You can feel the joy in Doc’s playing and hear it in his voice and the way he talks to the audience. You can just feel the joy. – Sam Bush
Doc is a major link in the chain of American roots music. – David Grisman
Doc has an unwavering authenticity in his playing, in his singing, and in his character. – Tommy Emmanuel
We owe Doc Watson a lot for being such a musical genius, for breaking down barriers, and for giving us a direction to go in. – Jerry Douglas
If the wind and rain could play guitar, they would sound a lot like Doc Watson – Greg Brown
