Strangely enough Doc was the first person I heard play the guitar live. My mom bought me to his house in Deep Gap when I was about 7 or 8 and I sat on his couch eating cookies and drinking lemonade while he played "Wildwood flower " for my mom and "If the ocean was whiskey " for me and then went on to play another 30 or 45 minutes, just because there was company. He was really a gentle, gracious soul and that remains one of my most precious memories.
This is not only one of the best guitar-picking concert I ever say but also a true "Document" and I hope Smithsonian and the Library of Congress will be among those who continue to preserve it. I'll add a couple of Doc stories. The first time I saw him was almost sixty years ago, at the Newport Folk Festival. There were open-air concerts, low stages around which the audience would gather and stand or sit on the grass. So you could get five or ten feet from the performer if you got there first. And some of the musicians who we now view as the movers and shakers of folk and bluegrass music over most of a century, often were there. I was privileged to see some legends, and Doc already was a legend even then. Years later, At the Walnut Valley Festival one year, after dark, he was playing on the main stage there; and we were at the Cowley County Fairgrounds, and half a mile of so away, over in the town of Winfield, Kansas,, there's a rail line, and a train was blowing its horns and Doc had to stop playing and wait for the train to go by. It was better than if it had been a written play. I always have thought Doc's music was as perfect as it could be. I don't think I ever heard a mistake. And every guitarist, when I was growing up and probably still, had to learn or try to learn "Deep River Blues".I first tried to play the guitar part for that song in about 1967, and still can't play it right. But their performance of "Deep River Blues" here is also about as perfect as I've ever heard and a joy to listen to.
If you like this kind of music you can't get much better than these three men. Thanks so much I grew up around this music as a young lad and now in my 80's never get tired of it.
0:43 Way Downtown 4:45 Shady Grove 11:30 Give me back my money 14:09 The progression of Billy’s face is pricelss ( ty @BDahlem) 14:46 Streamline Cannonball Intro 16:05 Streamline Cannonball 19:57 A little bit of Doc Gospel 22:56 Deep River Blues 27:28 Tom Dooley Intro 29:07 Tom Dooley 33:07 The Train That Carried My Girl From Town 36:30 Tennessee Stud 40:44 Black Mountain Rag 46:01 Troubled 50:23 The Cocaine Blues
@@richardperkins5046 I know. Billy Strings plays Thompson guitars 80% of the time. I bet Bryan Sutton has a huge collection too. I've seen him playing many different guitars over the years. I bet they could have got their hands on them. Hard to beat a good old Martin though.
Back in 2013 I took some online lessons that Bryan gave and to be honest he was so far ahead of literally all his students I wonder why i signed up. He was an excellent teacher and gave us tons of help but quite simply he would dangle a compliment to the best students. My opinion is he improvises better than any other flatpicker .
Came for Billy and Bryan, and love that clawhammer of Joe’s. I was lucky enough to see the great Doc several times. Once was one of the first dates I had with my classically oriented wife over 45 years ago.
Tom Dulla Thomas Dulley, was a resident and a veteran of the Conferate Army located in the Warrior Mountains region of Caldwell County, North Carolina. Around White Mountain to be exact, I know the was hung and buried presumably off my road. His grave is 3 miles from my ranch. I can't wait till my horses eat his grass.
I consider this video to be essential listening for Billy, Bryan, and Doc fans. Great performance, excellent recording. I have been listening to this type of music for a long time, and how I have gone this long without being aware of Joe Newberry is a head scratcher.
May God have mercy on Doc Watson and make him dwell in your spacious gardens, one of the greatest singers and guitarists in the world. My sincere greetings to him from Algeria.
I love the civil rivalry going on on the stage between these fellers. Bunch of smartasses having a good time and challenging one another. THAT'S how you go from great to excellent. Wonderful performance.
OMG I just found this. Billy and Bryan doing 53 mins of Doc? I can say with 43 years of unblemished STAUNCH heterosexuality.......that it moved zzzzzzzZING
@@gatoryak7332 Unfortunately this was before Billy got super woke and played onstage with pink hair and a dress. And isn't the term bisexuality considered hate speech because at last count I think they're up to what, 76 genders? lol
as long as its unblemished and there weren't no Bud Light involved let 'r move ! Shit even if there was, there's a lotta other Bullshit trying to steal our hearts and fill our souls with evil, and I would rather not be exposed to that poison 10-4 ?
As a musician myself, I can attest to the fact that the large majority of performing musicians, live to entertain and please their fans. And also view their fans as personal friends. Without their fans, their careers don't progress and their music does not get shared with those that have never before been entertained by them
Well, yes and no… Doc is in a class all his own and was an amazing solo performer, but over the years certainly made good use of the assistance of Merle, Jack Lawrence, and Michael T. Coleman.
If We had practice 50,000 hours or so you might be this good? If I’d had practiced every minute I sat around even during Covid lockdowns I’d be pretty damned good by now too. They say 10,000 hours and you’ll be damn good. I’m far from 10,000 hours. Professional Musicians usually have started at a very young age and did nothing except practice.
@@coryCuc maybe so, but they didn't practice properly or efficiently then! If you've played for 50,000 hours and done it properly you can play a set with these guys. That's a lot of hours. I'm probably not even on 5000 😭
@@Jay-lr3me my point is that there are guys who've practiced more than 50,000 hours. There are guys who've practiced and trained with some of the best guitarists for well over 50k hours, yet are still nowhere near the level of these guys. It's not just about the amount of practice or the quality of practice. If that was the case there would be thousands of Billy Strings, Tommy Emmanuels, Doc Watsons, Chet Atkins, etc.. But there aren't. There's a reason for that. And it has nothing to do with practice or the quality of practice.
@@coryCuc you really think it has nothing to do with practice or the quality of practice? 😂 I don't really have much to say to ya then, and I'm yet to meet a musician who has spent 50,000 hours and isn't playing to this level. But I'm sure you know what you're talking about, buddy!
@@petefeltman I always thought banjos cut through the mix very well, making it hard for guitars to keep up. Perhaps it's because there are multiple coming through, like to said.
@@stevelacombe5291 I hadn't considered they might be open backed. I know the dreadnaught was designed to cut through, but hasn't considered this. Thanks.
@@DannyLlewallyn I believe Bryan Sutton has also owned or does own a '37 a '40 and a '42 probably amongst others. Can't help you specifically with that one. Sounds amazing though!
Some of the greatest of the great players, yes, tho Stings look a bit bored, like he'd rather inject some Jeff Beck into this stuff. Agree with the comment re Martins on the mic. There's a reason the Ds are the Holy Grail of flat-top sound, and it just isn't there with an internal pickup.
Really? Bored? Not even close. I was there. I'm in the video. I've seen him do Doc sets elsewhere too. It's in his DNA should you haven't been paying attention.
@@thaddeusk4230 Right, Billy Strings is a real fan of the singular talent that was Doc Watson. Shoot, Billy's actually traveling the country re-popularizing Doc on his shows....which is great! Just goes to show how deep Billy's interest and admiration goes!