Smithsonian Folkways has released four tracks from the forthcoming Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton album, due out on Friday, May 29th.
The songs come from two concerts in New York City in 1962 headlined Doc Watson and his father-in-law, Gaither Carlton. These shows marked one of the first times anyone outside of Appalachia had heard Watson’s music. While he had performed in New York City once before, he had done so as part of Clarence Ashley‘s band. As 1962 came and went, people across the United States fell in love with Watson’s heartfelt, powerful singing and his inimitable acoustic guitar playing.
The first four songs to see a release from the album are “Corrina”—a traditional 12-bar blues song—”Double File”, a cover of Blind Lemon Jefferson‘s “Groundhog”, and the traditional folk song, “My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains”.
The album contains mostly unreleased songs and depicts a concert event that was more than just drinking and dancing—it captures a moment where two very different worlds, the rural Appalachia and the urban New York City, came together. Listen to the first four songs below ahead of the album’s May 29th release and click here to pre-order the vinyl or CD.
Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton