Doc and Merle Watson
Doc and Merle Watson - Listening to the Rain
This here is the sound of talent blooming. In 1998, some dusty tapes from 1967 of legendary flat-picker Doc Watson and his gifted son, Merle punching out some tunes were released. These tapes were (almost) seamlessly embellished by the addition of other modern players inspired by what they heard. Merle was just 18 when these songs were recorded and had been playing the banjo for a mere 5 months. The results are wonderful. You can sense the energy of Merle's playing, with Doc urging him on. Doc's everyman voice suits this song perfectly too. No warm three part harmonies here, thank you. This is the tale of a solitary man. Worry and jealously are playing on his mind. He's nearing breaking point. The song finishes with the story unresolved but the real tale ends in tragedy, of course, as Merle was lost to us in a tractor accident in 1985.
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This here is the sound of talent blooming. In 1998, some dusty tapes from 1967 of legendary flat-picker Doc Watson and his gifted son, Merle punching out some tunes were released. These tapes were (almost) seamlessly embellished by the addition of other modern players inspired by what they heard. Merle was just 18 when these songs were recorded and had been playing the banjo for a mere 5 months. The results are wonderful. You can sense the energy of Merle's playing, with Doc urging him on. Doc's everyman voice suits this song perfectly too. No warm three part harmonies here, thank you. This is the tale of a solitary man. Worry and jealously are playing on his mind. He's nearing breaking point. The song finishes with the story unresolved but the real tale ends in tragedy, of course, as Merle was lost to us in a tractor accident in 1985.
[Buy]
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