Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Doc Watson: Trouble in Mind

157

Doc Watson: Trouble in Mind

By

Sign in to view read count
Doc Watson: Trouble in Mind
Culled from ten Vanguard and Sugar Hill recordings, Trouble in Mind is an exquisite assemblage of white rural blues by its greatest living practitioner, Arthel "Doc" Watson, the now 80-year-old flat picking savant from Deep Gap, North Carolina. Watson exists today as the only extant proponent of that link between African-American and Caucasian rural music. He is equal parts John Hurt and Jimmie Rogers, Blind Blake and Merle Travis. Doc Watson is like Ray Charles in the respect that neither is restricted by genre designations. They will play whatever they damn well please and will play better than most everyone else. That makes them American Treasures, as I have been trying to tell you, gentle reader, all along.



The majority of these cuts have Merle Watson playing first and second fiddle. Profoundly influenced by John Hurt as well as Duane Allman, Merle Watson proved himself a formidable blues expert. The support he provides his father on "Spike Driver Blues" and "Never No More Blues" is important and exceptional. He learned his father’s craft well and carried it further than his father before his death in 1985. The majority of tunes here fall in the public domain, those that are not belong to the great Jimmie Roger. That is about as close to the source as Moses got.



Trouble in Mind is an important recapitulation of the art of Doc Watson. Should you desire more, I recommend the Flying Fish recording Pickin’ the Blues.

For more information, see Sugar Hill Records and Doc Watson .

Track Listing

Country Blues; Sitting On Top Of The World; Little Sadie; Rain Crow Bill; My Little Woman, You

Personnel

Doc Watson
guitar

Doc Watson

Album information

Title: Trouble in Mind | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Sugar Hill Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.