Doc Watson, the virtuoso folk guitarist, was in critical condition at a North Carolina hospital after falling down at his home in Deep Gap earlier in the week, The Associated Press reported. The 89-year-old blind musician is the winner of seven Grammy Awards and was given the National Medal of the Arts. His daughter told The Associated Press that Mr. Watson, whose given name is Arthel, had not broken any bones but was suffering from an undisclosed illness at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem. She said he was “real sick.”
Mr. Watson is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists and singers the American folk tradition has ever produced, a master not only of bluegrass flat-picking but also of alternating-bass finger-picking styles. Among his hits are “Deep River Blues” and “Windy and Warm.” He also founded Merlefest, an annual gathering of folk musicians in North Wilkesboro, N.C., named after his son, a musician who died in a tractor accident in 1985.
No comments:
Post a Comment