http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/05/29/us/ap-us-obit-doc-watson.html
He was 89. I have a Doc Watson story.
Time: circa 1965.
Place: Claremont California, small college town between Lost Angels & San Boogaloo.
Pinpoint: Charles and Dorothy Chase's FOLK MUSIC CENTER (FMC), then a tiny shingled ivy-covered cottage by the rail tracks, stuffed with instruments and records and sheet music and a backwards clock. Down the alley was the Chases' slightly larger performance space with coffee and donuts, THE GOLDEN RING. Friday nights at the Golden Ring: open-mike hootenanny; me and me dulcimer, argh. Saturday nights: paid performances by wandering folk singers, including Rev Gary Davis, Mike Seeger, Guy Carawan & friends (sometimes including Dylan & Baez & the Farinas)... and Doc Watson.
One Saturday I rode+pushed my 49cc Honda moped up from Chino to the FMC to browse the albums and chat with Pop (Dorothy's father). [Remember Italian Swiss Colony TV adverts with "that little old winemaker, me" ?? That was Pop's clone.] Early PM, in walks Doc Watson, many hours before showtime. He sat down, spent the afternoon tuning autoharps (by ear) and telling stories. Many stories, about farming and traveling and hell-raising and living. Some songs, once an autoharp was tuned. Then more stories. The audience: just me and Pop and a few others who wandered in unawares.
Life doesn't get much more magical than that. So long, Doc.
Last edited by RioRico; 05-30-2012 at 05:11 PM.
Originally posted by Venturi 
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