March 14, 2002

Early on in March 14th's two-and-a-half hour journey into American "roots" music - as presented by Doc Watson, David Holt and Richard Watson - Doc settled back behind his guitar and said, "this is going to be about as informal as a couple of fellers' sittin' on the front porch at home."

David Holt on steel guitar and Doc Watson on guitar during the 'Hills of Home' concert.

And so it was.

And so went the "Hills of Home" concert at Richmond Community College's Cole Auditorium in Rockingham, NC, as Doc, Holt, and Doc's grandson, Richard, reached deep into a catalog of traditional folk, blues and bluegrass to the delight of a packed house.

The first half of the show was living legend Doc, along with Holt - a storyteller and Grammy winning musician who hosts numerous music programs on TNN, PBS and public radio - trading folksy stories of Doc's life growing up in Deep Gap, NC, as well as bluegrass and blues-styled breaks and runs on guitar, banjo, harmonica and hambone.

The duo of Doc and Holt opened the show with the traditional instrumental "Whiskey Before Breakfast." Holt beat it out "clawhammer" style (an old-time, percussive style of strumming employing three fingers) on a Stella vintage banjo, while Doc utilized his original trademark "flatpicking" on a Gallagher acoustic guitar that rang like a bell.

At 79, Doc showed he hasn't lost a lick in his playing or an edge off his strong, Grand Ole Opry baritone, as the pair quickly segued into the bluegrass favorite, "Shady Grove," which Doc dedicated to his wife and "love of 54 years … Rosa Lee."

Holt then took the vocal lead on Uncle Dave Macon's "Little Log Cabin In The Pines," before Watson took it back with his musical retelling of real-life, 1920s Tar Heel bandit, "Otto Wood."

Throughout the evening, Doc, coaxed by Holt, spun yarns about each of the songs the pair performed. On "Otto Wood," Doc explained how the bandit used a gun carved out of wood to escape from his jail cell, only to be shot down by a sheriff and his ".44 gun." And he talked about his father giving him his first harmonica in the preamble to "Sally Brown," explaining that he "needed more percussion" to flesh out the harp's sound.

Doc Watson on banjo and his grandson, Richard Watson, on guitar.

"So, when I was a little bitty feller,' Doc continued, "I got a length of bailing wire and strung it between a heavy door and the door frame and tapped it with one finger while I played the harmonica and it sounded something like this…"

Taking his cue, Holt demonstrated the sound in Doc's mind by pulling out a handmade "mouthbow," which was a mini-archer's bow strung with heavy gauge wire. As Doc tooted his harmonica, Holt accompanied him on percussion with what turned out to be the world's largest jaw harp.

Doc and Holt continued a string of "old-timey" music, playing "Cripple Creek," "Beaumont Rag," and the Etta James nugget "Railroad Bill," as Doc traded in his flattop for a Deering six-string banjo, or "gitjo."

After a short break, Doc came back solo, just the man and his guitar, playing and singing Orville Reid's "The Telephone Girl," Ernest Tubb's "Stand By Me," traditional "My Friend Jim," and the Hoagy Carmichael standard, "Little Old Lady."

He was then joined by his grandson, Richard, on guitar, and the two tore through the reinterpreted pop standard-turned wailing blues, "Frankie And Johnny." That was followed up by a retelling of the classic folk song, "If I Was A Carpenter" and a version of Gershwin's "Summertime" as hot and sultry as an Alabama August night.

Perhaps the highpoint of the evening was Doc and Richard's soulful take on the Moody Blues classic, "Knights In White Satin," which was, exponentially, about two million times better than the original.

After a spirited rendition of Merle Travis's "I Am A Pilgrim," Holt retook the stage with a shiny steel guitar and the trio tore into Sonny Terry's "Walk On," and then closed the evening with a rollicking "I Got The Blues And I Can't Be Satisfied."