Elementary Doc Watson [Audio CD] Watson, Doc

This 1972 disc, the first of three he made for Tomato Records, proudly brings Doc Watson's country roots to the fore. Recorded in Nashville and produced by renowned country producer Jack Clement, Elementary offers mostly understated renditions of songs by artists such as Jimmie Rodgers, Merle Travis, and Eddy Arnold. Meanwhile, traditional tunes like "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad," "Freight Train Boogie," "More Pretty Girls Than One," and "Worried Blues," plus Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind," are all folk songs that have long histories in the country music canon. For the most part, Watson reins in his fiery flat-picking, opting for warmth and intimacy over instrumental firepower, with son Merle (on guitar and banjo), fiddler Vassar Clements, and Dobro player Norman Blake sitting in. Watson has built his esteemed reputation by bridging concepts of country, folk, and bluegrass, reminding us all along that, in a musical sense, these terms are rather arbitrary in nature anyway. --Marc Greilsamer