Bluegrass Great Doc Watson Hospitalized
Word has come that Doc Watson, beloved 89-year-old flat-picking genius and elder statesman of the Americana music scene, has been airlifted to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after suffering a fall at his home.
According to reports in Bluegrass Today and the Raleigh News & Observer, Watson is being treated for pneumonia and possible kidney failure.
One of the last links to the Appalachian roots of bluegrass, Watson played Houston frequently in the late 1960s and '70s, when the local folk scene was vibrant and flourishing.
Vintage Doc Watson album Ballads From Deep Gap
Watson is best known for his tune "Black Mountain Rag." A blind man, Watson performed and traveled with son Merle until his untimely death in October 1985, when his tractor rolled down a steep hillside. The elder Watson started the annual MerleFest to honor his son.
Watson was next scheduled to perform June 30 at a tribute show dedicated to his life.
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