Black Mountain Rag - Doc Watson Jam (6/24/79-Tq)

Doc Watson was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded. Watson taught himself to play fiddle tunes on his Les Paul electric guitar. He later transferred the technique to acoustic guitar, and playing fiddle tunes became part of his signature sound.
Deacon Dan Crary helped re-establish flatpicked guitar as a prominent soloing bluegrass instrument. Crary is an innovator of the flatpicking style of guitar playing. He is also a Speech communications Professor at California State University, Fullerton. Crary categorizes himself as a "Solo flatpicker" and has recorded several projects that feature him along with guests, usually other innovators of the guitar in all styles.
Norman Blake is an American instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter.He is considered one of the leading figures in the bluegrass revival of the 1970s
Sam Bush is an American bluegrass mandolin player considered an originator of the Newgrass style.
Directed by Terry Allen Williams, Produced by Thomas Lofstrom
This series features progressive bluegrass and country music performed at the Telluride Festivals, and is available on DVD from
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[@JoeBanjo88]

In 1971 I was playing electric guitar in a surf music band in Santa Cruz, CA. A few of us drove up to Berkley, CA to see this guy named Doc and life was never the same! Came back threw out the electrics and bought an acoustic guitar and started playing bluegrass and folk. Fond memories!

[@bobf9749]

I had the privilege of seeing Doc Watson before he died and this reminds me to treasure the memory of seeing a virtuoso.

[@mikegathercole]

I saw doc one time in Black Mountain, North Carolina. He couldn't play his guitar because he had cut his finger whittling the day before. Now what the hell is a blind man doing whittling? Hey just played harmonica and told stories.

[@reddog1959]

Doc Watson should be on the short list of the greatest guitarists ever,

[@petercady698]

That should read "Doc Watson and Norman Blake should be...

[@paulimondi9017]

Short/ Lists & listings go best unlisted, shortening ... writer; critic,; purist, analysts, "all talk is lies" ( listen to the mockingbird!)

[@jayree379]

He is!

[@TylerJohnson-wp2qf]

Doc Watson Norman Blake Tony rice Randy Scruggs Steve Kaufman Tommy Emmanuel Dan Crary

[@DeclanTKatt]

He is.

[@robertharris7464]

Doc Watson, Dan Crary, Norman Blake, and Sam Bush. It don't get no better than that!

[@roblinxweiler9951]

I always loved that Doc was not at ALL afraid to shush an audience! :-)

[@tobypuente8841]

I have a card that reads 'is the music interupting your conversation? ' I show it sometimes at concerts

[@victormcmanus8725]

norman blake is an absolute beast on the six string

[@BURGRKNG]

Dude his backup on this track is incredible, his boomchuck bassline style is unmistakeable

[@ZacchaeusNifong]

This makes me proud to be from NC.

[@leftypick4854]

Hey dad, I miss you. Hey aunt Liz. Hey there uncle John. Hey there aunt Sarah. Hey there uncle Joe. Hey there uncle David. Hey there aunt Clara. And hey there to my dads other brother who passed away before I was born. Yeah, be proud to be from NC my friend.

[@ZacchaeusNifong]

@@leftypick4854 yes sir.

[@cosmyccowboy]

along about 2007 i was living in lagrange ga and saw where doc watson would be playing in this small place that i didnt even know was there, it was a rv park!. now i didnt know who doc was but had seen his name on the back of some nitty gritty dirt band albums back in the day and figured i'd go check it out! so i went in with no idea what i was about to witness!!! his spirit glowed right thru his skin, doc and the boys played the best sound i'd ever heard! my jaw hit my chest and stayed that way for over an hour!!! my face hurt the next day from grinning so hard! i am so glad i got to see him while he was with us!

[@laurapalmer9323]

That is cool when God puts us in those places at just the perfect time.

[@richardcarew4708]

They don't call it "pickin and grinnin" for nothing... it's good time music.. and it carries my blues away 💙

[@bisonette5]

thanks for your story..i loved the man

[@veroniameredith2934]

❤l love Doc's playing. Such a good musician 🙂

[@JohnnysCoolStuff]

I sure miss those days when these guys were the big news in Bluegrass. Great times!

[@leei94]

seriously can not imagine how cool it would be to be alive at this time

[@edwardmorton6691]

I truly believe that for one reason or another some people are just perfectly suited to what they do. That's not to say that they don't have to put in the hard work of learning and practicing because they do , but here's a bunch of guys all suited to play that music. Good ole doc presiding over them and egging them on. A truly remarkable bit of music making and a privilege to hear and watch it. I'm not a hillbilly, he'll I'm not even from the states, but I too would be proud to be one if I was immersed in music such as this. There are so many nations traditional musical roots intertwined and intermingled to produce this wonderful sound, who could not be proud to part of it. Love it. I'm Ulster/Scotts bye the way and my roots are in there too.....ye ha,

[@paulimondi9017]

As I followed Clarence& Roland(& the byrds)/ Since1962(@ 10).Now living& playing in Newport/ folk fests? Doc names 1st son Merle ( Travis? ) 🙏His 2nd son Clarence- in revernce... What a honourable Virtuoso! Thank you all- sincerely- pki

[@barrygear8260]

One of the greatest pickers ever!

[@jeffcantrell3129]

He was one of the best ever still to this day

[@rolanddoucet458]

Doc was amazing. And he did not waste his time writing songs. He strictly played covers and his real worth to me are those 60 or so amazing albums he put out. Huge national treasure, but not a songwriter.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

When you are a virtuoso as Doc Watson was, you don't need to write your own material, unless you want to, that is! Top producers, songwriters and composers will handle that chore for you.

[@norbitcleaverhook5040]

Walk on boy is his isn't it?

[@Francisalbino39]

He did not waste his time writing songs? What the hell does that mean…has Bob Dylan been wasting his time for the last 50 years?

[@rivmitch7181]

​@@Francisalbino39 yes

[@DavidPerry-do6xt]

He re interpreted that's good.

[@frankcorrenti5941]

I was away from the screen and heard that flat pickin' and said to myself, "That's Black Mountain Rag, the way it should be played," and sure enough, it was. Ain't lost my mind yet. The Lord blessed us with Doc Watson and those he frequented.

[@barttuthill4043]

It is videos like this that remind me why I learned to love this music, What a lineup!

[@Gsteiman]

Norman Blake is the best of the best

[@isthisthecase]

I'd love to hear Sam Bush play fiddle more. He doesn't have the same virtuosity as someone like Stuart Duncan or Mark O'Conner but he's got the touch for sure.

[@jeffscott8323]

The great Doc Watson.

[@jrjr1295]

So much energy in the video and everyone is so locked in😭🙏

[@pilgrimjames8953]

For the longest time, since around '83, when this sound emerged to us somehow, back in the Motherland . Thank the lord ! this is what drove me and my pickin friends to crumble and fall on the north face of the Black Mountain, Blackberry Blossom and numerous Railroad wrecks. ... play that thing son !!....

[@jokeyman2943]

But Doc was the master. Still gives me goosebumps to here him play. I have my vinyls, 40 years old I guess. when he passed away, he left huge footprints to fill. All the younger players stand on his shoulders.

[@paulrobichaud7410]

Doc was not only a gifted musician he was the flatpicker of flatpickers to these young pickers and also to the next generations of flatpickers that will follow !

[@johnny4blues]

This was pure bliss...!! Thank you so much for posting this masterpiece!

[@lenwoodhudson7445]

I heard Doc,Vassar Clements and the dirt band in '71 . Been a fan ever since! The best of the best!

[@haroldhorton2603]

seems like yesterday to me😢❤

[@rll1954]

Doc's playing "Ol Hoss" here, the Gallagher G50 that J.W. loaned him in 1969. I got to play it at Gallagher's Guitars in Wartrace, TN in 2010.

[@jefffisher1297]

Two of the greatest pickers of all time, Doc and Norman...

[@Columbocops]

Music from a more civilized era.

[@PeterNGloor]

If this is in Telluride, I was there! Unforgettable for an overseas visitor to Colorado. I remember the air was filled with "Grass" smoke, folks still wore long hair and beards (the guys, that is). We did some hiking in the area, too.

[@cosmyccowboy]

i saw some blue smoke going up over the crowd!

[@richardcarew4708]

Some still do wear long hair and beard... including the folks up in the Smoky Mountains.. they always have.. it's nothing new.. just more hype.. ;;☆》♡♡♡

[@jrayproductions7790]

@@richardcarew4708 Yep. We still smoke that homegrown, too.

[@wayneconn1079]

No listen up folks this is real music 🤗

[@crazycat1345]

No body can play blue grass guitar like Doc.

[@KimIrby]

Thank you! Doc is one of my guitar heroes!

[@raycookson416]

Teamwork, skill, empathy and heart = happiness ❤️🎶

[@Tracy3006]

It's great to watch this video. I have been listening to this exact same recording on an album for decades and to be able to watch as they play is awesome. Thanks for posting! Ya never know what you might find on youtube.

[@robertharris2018]

I'll always love and cherish Doc's pickin' and Norman Blake is running him a close second in my book and Dan Crary ain't no slouch. Another great picker that a lot of people overlook is Ewe Kruger of the Kruger Brothers.

[@gskessingerable]

Masterpiece

[@jayeiben9431]

Living in Ky I have heard many great bluegrass bands over the years. But this is royalty right here......

[@michaelbaldwin6543]

Didn't know Sam Bush could fiddle like that. Wow!

[@ethosyourbro]

Docs laugh makes me smile!

[@SuperOlds88]

Norman was really smoking.

[@richardperkins5046]

Norman always smokes it.

[@Hendrix.]

Yeah, Doc killin' it too.

[@betsymess8532]

I remember back in the day before so corporate way before most born. It was the best!

[@haydenmccasland9992]

love the great Norman Blake

[@jeffscott8323]

I could listen. This all night. And day

[@barrycook6603]

Crary on guitar, Bush on fiddle - loving it!

[@jimsanford9215]

Awesome thanks so much!

[@pauleshelman5862]

This music is “Chicken Soup” for my broken heart! Thank y’all and God’s very best!

[@KStewart-th4sk]

Wish the cameraman had been a little more on the ball, he missed a good portion when Dan Crary was being featured; other times back of their heads. Purists want to see THOSE HANDS in action. What talent these guys show!!

[@MrEd9574]

Umm, perhaps all the blue smoke was getting to him!!!!! This was the seventies! And I was there!

[@henrygregor7336]

And, on the other hand, we all, especially those who were not there, can be grateful we have this much to see and hear.

[@larrygbailey4479]

Love their Playing 🇺🇸👍🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸

[@williamkavanagh8805]

Virtuosos. Beautiful playing.

[@billstrouse2655]

This is SO GREAT! I have always loved the way that Doc seems to get a "happy" sound out of his guitar on everything that he plays. I don't know quite how to explain it. Mississippi John Hurt also seems to get this "happy" sound. What do you think?

[@mt-nv4jd]

There will not be another Doc. Ol' Norman keeps up pretty good.

[@轍二名田]

何の言葉もありません。 此れこそが、ワタシが十代の頃から尊敬ではなく崇敬していた、ドックワトソンの命です。

[@williambeaulieu9873]

3 masters and one national treasure at work and we have 2 negatives. Amazing.

[@jameswarren819]

Merlefest

[@richardcarew4708]

Shows to go ya... you can't please everyone all the time... only a few times... and sometimes never at all No worries mate... it's not your or my problem 😕 It is easy to pass along hatred and anger at everything.. that's all around us all the time... but It costs billions of dollars to blow each other up... It costs nothing to be nice Peace y'all Walk in Beauty Go in Peace ✌ 🙏 Peace ✌☮

[@scray00]

Richard Carew amen 💕

[@dsmith1723]

Spectacular

[@frankdiscussion2069]

Stellar line up. The only picker missing is the late great Tony Rice...RIP.

[@billmitchell2827]

He is awesome. Best flat picker there is

[@TullMorse]

My only problem with this is the 'artistic' filming. That person filming was not a musician. ANY musician wants to see a focus on the front with the fingers in view! 😜

[@maikelf5351]

I'm not even a musician, but stil want to see them fingers go

[@joshiewhite]

Hes probably so dosed up on acid that you should count yourself lucky he remembered to hit record.

[@joshiewhite]

I think this was the first Merle fest and there only an audio recording of all the acts. So any footage that does go with the timing is lucky

[@The_Blue_Banjo_Giraffe]

I think the camera person did a great job

[@KStewart-th4sk]

You really have to wonder what type of goofball gives this a thumbs down? The ones that flock to shows to see hip hop and rap CRAP? The ones that are making millions with NO TALENT compared to these guys. Unbelievable!

[@richardcarew4708]

Can't please everyone.. etc etc etc

[@jasonodell79er]

Such an incredible video. Just watched for the 1000th time.

[@barbaratromellodesantis3712]

Thank you Doc, Norman, Dan and Sam! I am Mimmo, from Genova, Italy. God bless you!!!

[@danielperry8221]

Dang ...the good old days..

[@chicharoni2822]

Amazing picking!!!

[@johnshore6318]

Dang them boys could pick

[@theeaskey]

Is that Sam bush on fiddle

[@rabokarabekian409]

Search for: "Dan Crary performs Durang's Hornpipe", flatpicking a firestorm on a 12 string. Yep, that.

[@delnogalvan533]

Now man thats great music love it

[@richardmindemann6935]

This is fantastic.Love all these guys.

[@borderway]

Doc Rules!

[@MeridithQueenOfSpades]

2:06 Seeing Blake Norman just jamming away. The amount of talent on that stage, I'm surprised it didn't collapse lol.

[@joshthomas9992]

Thank you for making this available!!!! If I may, do ya have BlackBerry Blossom?? Thanks again!

[@Stevespoken]

What fun they had fantastic

[@Hollcall]

OH MY, What a TREASURE HE WAS...........!

[@enzo6804]

man if only you could see that crowd doc

[@kylebackman6461]

Happy birthday doc

[@rosspatton8306]

Damn! That was great!!

[@benmccrory7755]

God Bless!

[@franksavage8730]

KING!

[@tobypuente8841]

Cameras missed a bunch of handiwork

[@sundaydiver]

Great jam, but the video editing is terrible. Who's playing the solo at 3:30? Crary?

[@mikerichards6608]

And there is Sam Bush. He has played with every great musician. He pops up everywhere on videos

[@mikerichards6608]

Whoops not Sam.

[@taylormorris_]

That is Sam alright. I knew he played fiddle also but never have seen him play, so this is quite the treat.

[@frankdiscussion2069]

Yeah it's Sam Bush. I believe he won a national fiddling championship when he was young. I could be wrong though.

[@JohnnysCoolStuff]

Cool! I didn't know Norman Blake ever played with Doc.

[@thenakedbootleggers]

So good Crary and Doc

[@nelsonharman4582]

Great vibe

[@larrygbailey4479]

Way Super COOL 🇺🇸👍🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸

[@gutbucket260]

Sam Bush looks like the Geico Cave Man in this old footage.

[@dorothypartridge4209]

It boggles my mind to know Doc is blind and can pick and play and sing like this!!!!!!!

[@WilliamHTait]

the best of the besr rip

[@markcox7497]

The music is great...The crowd makes me feel sad. So much hair and so many starving barbers during the Seventies!

[@keithcoeburn2163]

Im a proud Hillbilly.. mighty fine pickin

[@TimIreland]

Who the f@#k thumbs down this? Bang it up ya jaxxy!

[@BryanClark-gk6ie]

This is good but there is no thumbs down thanks to you' So you might want to jam your comment up your juxxy.

[@peterosborn6056]

Marvelous!

[@zlgofast]

I just saw myself in the audience!

[@thinkpad20]

1:46 "Oh watch out!" I love it

[@troybrown976]

KZbin sucks but at least Doc is here...for now

[@andrwlr1]

A some serious pickin' going on!

[@barrycook6603]

Norm Blake too!

[@Justin-hb9wc]

Not much into bgrass any more but docs picking is still nice

[@cadetmouse]

Thank God for film.......

[@jayfreewood3695]

Let’s see any of guitar player magazine’s too 50 guitarist do that 😂

[@ballofwax9yards]

A plus

[@tylerjohnson4635]

40 years ago today