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Archive for the ‘Bluegrass’ Category

Died On This Date (June 1, 2015) Richard Watson / Guitarist; Grandson of Doc Watson

Posted by themusicsover on June 1, 2015

Richard Eddy Watson
DOB Unknown – June 1, 2015

Photo by Lonnie Webster

Photo by Lonnie Webster

Richard Watson was an accomplished guitarist who was born into American folk music royalty.  His father was the last Merle Watson, after whom the yearly MerleFest music festival is named, and his grandfather was the late great Doc Watson.   A regular fixture at MerleFest throughout the years, Richard joined countless acts on stage. He regularly performed with Doc as well, both at the festival and beyond, until Doc passed away in 2012.  In 1991, Richard produced Third Generation Blues by him and his grandfather for the Sugar Hill label.  Richard Watson was 49 when he passed away on June 1, 2015.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

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Click to find at amazon.com


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Died On This Date (July 14, 2013) Curly Lewis / Western Swing Fiddle Legend

Posted by themusicsover on July 14, 2013

Julian “Curly” Lewis
1924 – July 14, 2013

curly-lewisCurly Lewis was an influential fiddle player who, over a career that spanned 80 – yes, 80 years, played on some of the greatest western swing records ever made and helped popularize the genre.  At the age of 11, Lewis won a fiddle contest that was sponsored by Bob Wills who probably would have hired him on the spot had he not been just a kid.  By the time Lewis was 20, he had relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he landed a job playing with Johnny Lee Wills with whom he’d stay for more than a decade.  He later spent time playing with Wills and later still, in Leon McAulliffe’s Cimarron Boys and Hank Thompson.  Lewis played what turned out to be his last gig in February of 2013 at his induction into the National Fiddlers Hall Of Fame in Tulsa.  Curly Lewis was 88 when he passed away on July 14, 2013.

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Died On This Date (December 29, 2012) Mike Auldridge / Dobro Legend

Posted by themusicsover on December 29, 2012

Mike Auldridge
December 30, 1938 – December 29, 2012

Mike-AuldridgeMike Auldridge was a much respected master of the resophonic guitar, or as it is more commonly known, the dobro.  Born in Washington, DC, Auldridge began playing the guitar at the age of 13.  He eventually transitioned to the dobro, but didn’t began playing music full-time until he was around 40, when the Washington Star-News closed its doors.  He had had been earning his living as a graphic artist for the paper.  In 1971, Auldridge co-founded the Seldom Scene with a handful of musicians he jammed with each week.  The band, much to the chagrin of traditionalists, married bluegrass with jazz, folk, and rock.  By doing so, they were pioneers of progressive bluegrass, or what they called “acid grass,” which has been popularized by such jam bands as String Cheese Incident. As an in-demand session player, Auldridge played on records by Bill Monroe, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, and many more.   During the ’90s, he played in Chesapeake with former members of the Seldom Scene.  Over the course of his career, Auldridge was awarded a Grammy as well as numerous other accolades, and in 2012, he was named a National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow.  Mike Auldridge was 73 when he died of cancer on December 29, 2012.

What You Should Own

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Click to find at amazon.com

Dobro / Blues and Bluegrass (Reissue) - Mike Auldridge

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Died On This Date (May 29, 2012) Doc Watson / Folk Music Icon

Posted by themusicsover on May 29, 2012

Arthel “Doc” Watson
March 2, 1923 – May 29, 2012

Doc Watson was an influential American singer, guitarist, and songwriter whose vast catalog of songs influenced several generations of folk, country, and bluegrass musicians.  Born in Deep Gap, North Carolina, Watson lost his eyesight before his first birthday due to an infection.  But that by no means stopped him from picking up whatever instrument was handed to him.  First it was the harmonica around age five, then the banjo at age 11, and ultimately, the guitar on which he mastered a style of flat-picking that the world had yet to hear and would seldom be matched since.  Although Watson was a popular draw wherever he played throughout the ’40s and ’50s, it wasn’t until the storied folk revival of the ’60s – when college kids took to the music like never before or since, that his popularity reached new heights.  Throughout his career, Watson received countless awards which included seven Grammys, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a National Medal Of Arts from President Bill Clinton.  In 1988, he launched Merlefest to honor his son and music partner, Merle Watson, who was killed in a tractor accident in 1985.  The Wilkesboro, North Carolina festival has grown to be one of the premier music gatherings in the United States with Watson playing host and sharing the stage with the likes of Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs, Earl Scruggs, Del McCoury, and Willie Nelson to name just a few.  The annual event draws an estimated 80,000 each year.  On May 29, 2012, Doc Watson passed away shortly following colon surgery.  He was 89.

What You Should Own

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Doc Watson - Doc Watson

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Died On This Date (May 16, 2012) Doug Dillard / Banjo Great; The Dillards

Posted by themusicsover on May 16, 2012

Doug Dillard
March 6, 1937 – May 16, 2012

Doug Dillard was a world-renowned banjo player and founding member of the Dillards.  Formed in 1962, the pickers eventually added electric guitars, drums and keyboards to the mix which in turn, laid the foundation for country rock to come in the early ’70s, and newgrass in the ’80s and ’90s.  Artists who have taken a cue for the Dillards include the Flying Burrito Brothers, the Eagles, New Grass Revival, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Sam Bush, String Cheese Incident, Ricky Skaggs, and the Byrds.  The Dillards made their mark on television as well.  During the ’60s, they had a recurring role as the Darlings, a bluegrass band that performed on the Andy Griffith Show.  The group continued to release albums well into the ’90s.   Outside of the Dillards, Doug also performed alongside the ByrdsGene Clark as the Dillard and Clark Band.  Throughout his career, he either performed or recorded with the likes of Elton John, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, and Linda Ronstadt.  Doug Dillard was 75 when he passed away on May 16, 2012.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

The Dillards

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