Provenance

Don Gallagher

Country Music Hall of Fame

Doc Watson





Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson was born in Deep Gap, North Carolina in 1923. After losing his eye sight as an infant he would develop an uncanny ability to navigate his surroundings and environment through heightened hearing powers and his auditory strengths would later contribute to his musical abilities and excellence. Watson's performance career began as a street musician and later with country dance bands, playing banjo, guitar, and harmonica. He developed a dynamic and melodic approach to finger picking and flat picking styles with his interpretations of American colloquial music. He was equally adept in performing a multitude of musical genres from ragtime, bluegrass, gospel, rock and roll, popular song, and country music. In his sixty years as a performer he would garner eight Grammy awards and indelibly influence generations of flat picking and finger-picking guitarists.

Doc Watson was known to play on a Martin D-18 as well as Gibson Les Paul among other guitars. But his most iconic instrument would become this Gallagher G-50. Gifted to him by the maker J.W. Gallagher, Watson christened the guitar "Ol' Hoss"and used it on the seminal recording sessions for the 1972 LP Will the Circle Be Unbroken. In 1975 the guitar was placed with the Country Music Hall of Fame where it resided on exhibition until recently.

