Tim O'Brien remembers the late Doc Watson (Kennedy Center, Washington, DC, October 13, 2012) 

Tim O'Brien. There is no substitute.

I had the privilege of seeing Doc Watson on his Doc & Dawg tour. It will always be one of the best shows I've ever attended :) With that said, I have tickets to see Tim and Jan in April 2024!

I saw Doc and Merle back in the 70's at UCLA. That led me down the path of folk and bluegrass and I still love the music. George in Montana

Mighty fine, Tim. . . .Thanks!

Great story thanks

Oh brother Tim, I love this song and your rendition! You are a talented story teller.

My best friend in high school and I played deep river blues... I finger picked and he played rhythm... Doc flat picked all of it... I have been playing... since I turned 11.. got a guitar for Christmas..... I am headed towards 70... I still finger pick the same diddly... it's good enough for me

A number of years back, I was privileged to stand at the side of the stage at the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival when Doc, accompanied by Jack Lawrence, appeared. I was standing about 15 feet away from Doc's chair. I stood there watching in my opinion, the greatest guitar player in the world perform. Even Jack seemed in awe when Doc took off on certain selections. The time passed quickly, and Doc, in his very own style, stood, bowed to the audience, and was gone on Jack's arm. But, I can assure, he remains to this day, in my memory.

Great flatpicking AND fingersyle from Mr. O’Brien, just like his hero Doc Watson.

Fantastic 13 minutes wow...First found Tim on transatlantic sessions...Great.

I was fortunate enough to see Tim O'Brien along with his sister, Mollie, at the Merle Watson Memorial Festival (Merlefest) in North Carolina many years ago. So, I also got to see and hear Doc Watson, too. He was, in many views, the best flat-picking guitarist in the world, and I won't refute that opinion because I agree with it, too. There was always a "Midnight Jam" at Merlefest, and I just have to say that I never in my life heard anyone play a mandola as well as Tim did that night. He was so great that he upstaged Tony Rice, and I thought that was impossible. Tim and Mollie are also two of the nicest people you will ever meet, and when I talked to Mollie at the artists' tent, I told them that my father was one of their biggest fans, too. He liked a song which he called "The Picture Song" which was actually titled "Just Someone I Used To Know." Mollie said they would sing that song for my dad if we saw them at their workshop tent a few hours later, and, of course, she kept her promise. Tim's voice is just so pure and natural. Judging from his attitude, he may not even know just how good he is himself.

Smooooth ❤️

My favorite song from Doc whom I met at the airport in Charlotte as he was flying out with Jack Lawrence back in the late 1990's. One of the highlights in my life was chatting with the man who had such an influence on me since seeing him preform at the Main Point outside of Philadelphia in 1964 or 1965. Great job, Tim.

Wonderful, wonderful video! My dad remembers seeing Doc play on the street corner in Boone, NC when he was a boy. He had a little cup attached to his guitar that people would put change in. I have been privileged to have played with Doc a few times and was able to attend his funeral. Truly a legend. He is missed.

Thank you to Tim O'Brien for such a wonderful remembrance of Doc. I think I'll listen to it a few more time as I get ready to head up to Wilkesboro for my 10th Merlefest. It will be sad - the first year without Doc. But no doubt Doc and Merle will be there in all the musicians and fans whose lives they have touched.

Saw Tim shortly after this performance, this story was a highlight from that show. Tim's the man.

Always happy to hear you, Tim.

Damn this song is hard enough to play without telling a tale on top of it

Maybe tenth time I’ve enjoyed n will listen many, many more times. Thank you!!

Very well played Tim. Super!! Grt Tribute.

Great tribute to a wonderful man and musician! R.I.P. Doc.

A great homage to a legend. Thank you, Tim!

Very nice to meet you just now. Of course this tune is now on my favorites list and you are too!

Tim, That was a beautiful tribute to Doc Watson. John

Doc Watson was the best......outstanding tribute to maybe the greatest...

Brilliant tribute.

Back around 2007 I was living in Lagrange ga. I somehow either heard on the radio or read a flyer where doc Watson would be coming to town. Now I wasn't quite sure who doc was but I seemed to remember reading his name on the back of the great nitty gritty dirt bands circle be unbroken album from the early 70's! So I went to a small auditorium in a RV park not really having any expectations. . . My bottom jaw dropped to my chest and stayed there for over an hour. . . My face hurt the next day from sitting there for so long with a big ole grin on my face! It wasn't just doc but the group of pickers that sat in a semi circle around him produced the best guitar music I have ever heard!

Thanks for the upload. We got to see Tim memorialize Doc with this same diatribe live at a festival. He added this: When it came time to leave, Doc was apologetic that he did not have any food cooked and thus could not hold to the Southern Mountain Tradition of feeding a guest, so he offered Tim a twenty dollar bill and told him to stop and get him something to eat. Doc Watson. What a Treasure.

doc would be proud of you ,doc fan, i'm 64 first time i heard doc i was 19

I also love Doc. Thanks for a great performance and story about Doc wrapped together. I thank you for the smile I'm wearin' right now!

Well played Tim ... what a great, but simply told tribute to one of the greatest individual artists of our times. Your captivating "story telling" had me on the edge of my seat the entire time!

Excellent! Simply excellent!

I met doc at bill monroe's 3 bluegrass festival. I spent 4 day's being together. He asked me to do him a favor. If I would drive him to louisville to catch a bus home. I was going that way so I said sure. He played guitar and sang all the way asking my opinion of different songs and arrangements for his next album. One of the songs was deep river blues. Doc didn't sign autographs. He gave me his artist pass and we had a picture taken. They are in my guitar case. He was a really good person.

Wonderful, great tribute, Tim!

My goodness, what a wonderful story and tribute.

Way Cool , T . I love that you really make it a talking blues.

This is what I call a great upload. Thank you! Zs

Love this

Priceless memory of one of the things that really matters in life,human interaction of great artists that will last a lifetime.Tim you are sooo lucky.

Thanks for the story Tim.

This is why I love you Tim, all of it matters.

What and awesome story bout Doc.

Tim, you nailed it!

Very nice.

Great tribute and a nice story

Very nice job!!

Tim is an unbelievable talent...Listen to Tim playing the main guitar line while talking the life story of Doc. Playing that guitar line is difficult in itself not to mention talking while playing the line...If you don't think that's very difficult, try it. It gives one a truly profound respect for Tim's talent and ability.

Fantastic

Wonderful !

I like the idea of the bottled water being next to Tim. Great performance Tim as usual. Thanks for paying tribute to my hero too.

Tim, you are my hero now...see how that torch gets passed? I met you in San Diego at a Harvest Festival when you were touring Red Knuckles and I was a Jackstraw. You were the best then, and remain so... btw, this performance is as good or better than Alice's Restaurant. Cheers, man.

Doc would be proud Tim !! Let's get you to Stanfest in the near future... I play in a local Cape Breton band "Wills Addiction" ... hope ya don't mind.. but we borrowed a few of your tunes for our nightly sets ;)

Must important thing said (Doc profession about being Saved), may you rest in peace see you in the Lord's Kingdom.

you got the doc

Great story.

I got them Doc Watson blues. More magic from the Timster.

Really good job Tim O'Brien

It’s all water under the bridge now... but in the mid 80’s my cousin and I were talking to Nick Forester after the Hot Rize show at Langley, OK, Tim walked up and my cousin tried to talk to him, but Tim said “I ain’t got time for you kids”... lol We were probably in our late teens...He just thought we were someone’s kids running around at a festival but we were really there playing the festival. I never let that bother me though, but it’s funny that my story kind of goes with this one in reverse. Nick was very cool though and made up for Tim brushing us off!

This man was right, needed more than 25 to get the same sound of guitar.Found that if you have a "Martin" D-35 or higher you'll probably get the sound.Of course,you have to know how to play and sing!!!!

The Doc would have heard the disturbance he would have said yeah I remember my first beer too buddy

always nice to see a west-virginia boy make good. and you did tim! coming to tonder this year? (2013)

Tim remembers the roads numbers and where Doc lived. Yep, east of Boone.

Now about that jacket...

message hear

Arloesque

This guy can obviously walk and chew gum at the same time, so to speak….👍🏻

You need to sing for at least twenty years to be able to get tone like Tim's 🤣