Artist:     Doc Watson & David Grisman

Album:     Doc & Dawg: Live At Acoustic Stage

Label:     Acoustic Disc

Release Date:     12.16.18

90

BUY DIGITAL

BUY PHYSICAL

Of the 53 albums “Doc” Watson recorded during his legendary career, 15 of them were of live concerts. In my opinion, his live recordings were always some of his best, because besides with all the great music, you also got glimpses into his personality. I base that opinion on having been a wide-eyed, foot-of-the-stage, audience member the first time I heard him play live in Greenwich Village, almost half a century ago, later a producer of Doc’s concerts, and being his “good buddy back on the soundboard” for several shows with Merle and T.Michael, and,once upon a time, a very memorable stage sharer with him, T. Michael and Jack Lawrence. I think Doc might concur on my assessment of his live recordings with his well-worn phrase “as sure as you’re living” on the wide variety of subjects we got to talk about.

We can now add a sweet 16th live album to his discography. Thanks to this now unearthed treasure, recorded in 1997 from the vast archives of former Earth Operaian, mando maniac, and originator of Dawg music, David Grisman. Listening repeatedly this week to its pristine 36 tracks, it sounds like it was made just the night before. It’s loaded with Watson concert staples like “Deep River Blues,” “Summertime,” and “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down,” and some of David’s iconic tunes like “E.M.D.,” that just flat-out burns as bright as it did 4O some years ago.

Doc’s grandson Richard joins in the musicmaking for some down home blues that his dad Merle liked so much. When it comes to guitar picking the apple stayed real close to the tree in the Watson family. Besides some furious flat picking, Jack Lawrence, who sat in Merle’s guitar chair for several decades, gets to sing one and, unlike Merle, who never even spoke in concert, Jack does a great job with his vocal as Doc harmonizes with him on “Cora Is Gone.”

For Elmore readers, my score of 90 is my way of saying it’s just grand, like a 9 foot Steinway. Whenever I go over that, I’m over the moon about it. I only dare go to a 90 here, ‘cause Doc, who was one the most grounded humble artists I ever had the good fortune to know, would most certainly pull my braggin’ on him back a bit—”as sure as you’re living’” _—Ken Spooner