Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music.

His father told him if he and his brother David chopped down all the small dead chestnut trees along the edge of their field, they could sell the wood to a tannery.

[11] Watson's earliest influences were country roots musicians and groups such as the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.

[13] In 1953, Watson joined the Johnson City, Tennessee–based Jack Williams's country and western swing band on electric guitar.

Following the example of country guitarists Grady Martin and Hank Garland, Watson taught himself to play fiddle tunes on his Gibson Les Paul electric guitar.

After the folk revival waned during the late 1960s, Doc Watson's career was sustained by his performance of the Jimmy Driftwood song "Tennessee Stud" on the 1972 live album recording Will the Circle Be Unbroken.

The trio toured the globe during the late seventies and early eighties, recording eleven albums between 1973 and 1985, and bringing Doc and Merle's unique blend of acoustic music to millions of new fans.

His guitar playing skills, combined with his authenticity as a mountain musician, made him a highly influential figure during the folk music revival.

He pioneered a fast and flashy bluegrass lead guitar style including fiddle tunes and crosspicking techniques which were adopted and extended by Clarence White, Tony Rice and many others.

Known also for his distinctive and rich baritone voice, Watson over the years developed a vast repertoire of mountain ballads, which he learned via the oral tradition of his home area in Deep Gap, North Carolina.

He was generally joined onstage by his grandson (Merle's son) Richard, as well as longtime musical partners David Holt or Jack Lawrence.

On June 19, 2007, Watson was accompanied by Australian guitar player Tommy Emmanuel at a concert at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas.

Watson hosted the annual MerleFest music festival held every April at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

It was an annual tradition for Watson to join the Nashville Bluegrass Band for a gospel set on the festival's Sunday morning.

[25][26] In 2002, High Windy Audio released a multi-CD biographical album of Watson's work, titled Legacy.

The collection features audio interviews with Watson interspersed with music, as well as a complete recording of a live performance at the Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville, North Carolina.

[33] The popularity of the flat picking style of guitar playing has been partially credited to Doc Watson and bluegrass bands have incorporated it widely including artist such as Billy Strings.