Died On This Date (June 1, 2015) Richard Watson / Guitarist; Grandson of Doc Watson
themusicsover Richard Eddy Watson
DOB Unknown – June 1, 2015
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.
What You Should Own
Mike 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 
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, 
At 104 years old, Wade Mainer was one of the last of bluegrass’ founding fathers. He has been cited by no less than Ralph Stanley, Doc Watson, and 
Terry Clements is perhaps best remembered as the longtime guitarist for folk legend, Gordon Lightfoot. He joined up with Lightfoot in 1970 and continued to play with him for some 40 years. Clements was just five years old when he picked up the guitar, and over the years his playing would be influenced by the likes of Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs, and Dick Dale. After high school, he served in the US Navy for a couple of years and then returned to his music career, first playing with Golden Sunflower while working as a session player for Lou Adler, and later joining forces with Lightfoot with whom he stayed until the final years of his life. Terry Clements was 63 when he died on February 20, 2011. The cause was attributed to a stroke he had recently suffered.