On Monday, May 8, at 7 p.m., guests will enjoy a concert celebrating the life and legacy of Doc Watson at The Woodrow W. McGlothlin Center for the Arts at Emory & Henry College in Emory. Tickets are $28 in advance and $35 at the door. Tickets are now on sale: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/ehc/4926/event/1303446. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the McGlothlin Center box office during certain open hours. For more information, call the box office at (276) 944-6333. Doors open at 6 p.m. with live music provided in the lobby by Tyler Hughes and Seth Conkin. Guests are invited to arrive before the show and share their favorite memories of Doc Watson on a memory board, purchase local ciders and beer and enjoy the pre-show entertainment. All proceeds benefit Appalachian Sustainable Development.
Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson was one of the most beloved artists of the 20th century. 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. This celebration features his contributions and brings together artists who performed with Doc and were profoundly influenced by his music and called him a “friend”.
Artists, T. Michael Coleman and Jack Lawrence, performed, recorded and toured with Doc longer than any other musicians. Joining T. Michael and Jack are fellow guitarists Wayne Henderson and Jack Hinshelwood, who were both heavily impacted by Doc’s music through his many recordings and performances. Wayne counted Doc as a close friend, especially in Doc’s later years when he visited Wayne in his guitar making shop in Rugby, Virginia.
The concert host is Appalachian music historian, ETSU Professor of Appalachian Studies and current Grammy nominee, Ted Olson. Ted authored “Doc’s World: Traditional Plus”, the book that accompanies the 4 CD compilation of recordings from Doc’s career, “Doc Watson, Life’s Work: A Retrospective”, released in 2022 by Craft Records.
