Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson, the Grammy-award winning folk musician whose lightning-fast style of flatpicking influenced guitarists around the world for more than half-century, died Tuesday (yesterday) at a hospital in Winston-Salem.
Sources did not disclose the cause of his death but mainly attributed it to his health (for he had had abdominal surgery quite recently which resulted in his hospitalisation).
Doc Watson, who became blind at age 1 began playing the banjo at age 5. He hailed from a family of musicians. His mastery of flatpicking aided in making the case for the guitar as a lead instrument in the 1950s and 1960s, when it was often considered a backup for either of the mandolin, fiddle or banjo.
Seven of his albums won Grammy awards; his eighth Grammy was a lifetime achievement award in 2004. He also received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton in 1997.
It will be recalled that he got his nickname "Doc" at age 19 when someone couldn't pronounce his name and a girl in the audience shouted, "Call him Doc!"
Adieu Doc! The folk musical industry will greatly miss you.
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