Doc Watson, Eddie Huffman
Doc Watson, Eddie Huffman
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Doc Watson
A Life in Music

Author: Eddie Huffman

Narrator: David Lee Garver

Unabridged: 12 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 05/27/2025


Synopsis

Arthel "Doc" Watson (1923–2012) is arguably one of the most influential musicians Appalachia has ever produced. A musician's musician, Doc grew up on a subsistence farm in the North Carolina mountains during the Depression, soaking up traditional music and learning to play guitar even though he was blind. Rising to fame in the 1960s as part of the burgeoning folk revival scene, Doc became the face of traditional music for many listeners, racking up multiple Grammys and releasing dozens of albums over the course of his long career. Eddie Huffman tells the story of Doc's life and legacy, drawing on extensive interviews and hundreds of hours of archival research. In making the most comprehensive biography of Watson ever, Huffman gives us an affecting and informative portrait of the man they called Doc.

Full of fascinating stories—from Doc's first banjo made from his grandmother's cat to the founding of MerleFest—this promises to be the definitive biography of the man and how he came to be synonymous with roots music in America and shows how his influence is still felt in music today.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Cory on March 15, 2025

Great deep dive into the life of one of America’s best musicians. Well written and very informative. A must read for any fan of traditional music.......more

Goodreads review by Susanne on May 12, 2025

I am a Doc Watson fan (and even attended my first MerleFest last year) so was curious to read this book selected by the North Carolina Humanities’ North Carolina Reads program. This certainly is a very comprehensive treatise on Watson’s musical career trajectory, almost down to detailing every venue......more

Goodreads review by Mike on March 10, 2025

An exhaustive and detailed account of the life of the legendary guitar and banjo picker who was responsible for bringing Appalachian mountain music into fashion in the 1960s and beyond. His early life in Deep Gap is described in great detail as is his travels with his son Merle and then his grandson......more