Doc Watson And Gaither Carlton: “Doc Watson And Gaither Carlton” (2020) CD Review

It seems that more and more these days we are looking for some escape – to another place, to another time, to… well, just Somewhere Else. You know? And on this live album, Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton offer some great old-time music to take us away from our current troubles, from a world turned ugly with stupidity to a place where there might still be troubles, sure, but where people are working together to overcome them. Or, at least, where we get the sense that that is the case. So join Doc and Gaither at a small folk club called Blind Lemon’s, and enjoy some good music. Doc Watson plays guitar, banjo and autoharp, and sings. Gaither Carlton plays fiddle and banjo. This release includes a lot of photos in the liner notes, along with pieces written by Mary Katherine Aldin, Stephanie Coleman and Peter K. Siegel. Siegel is responsible for this album, having recorded the performances with his tape machine. Most of the tracks were recorded at Blind Lemon’s on October 18, 1962. Four tracks were recorded on October 12, 1962 at the auditorium of NYU’s School of Education.

The album opens with a song from the October 12th performance, a good instrumental tune titled “Double File,” composed by Gaither Carlton. The disc then moves to the October 18th show, with “Handsome Molly,” a song that Doc and Gaither would later play at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. “She goes to church on Sunday/She passes me on by/I can tell her mind is changing/By the roving of her eye.” And I love the comments Doc shouts out from time to time, such as “Handsome Molly, prettiest woman in the world.” That’s followed by “He’s Coming To Us Dead,” a song about a father waiting for the body of his son to be shipped home. “He's coming home to mother/The old man gently said/He's coming home in a casket, sir/He's coming to us dead.” They then offer a good rendition of “Corrine, Corrina,” here titled simply “Corrina.” This is a song that has been recorded by a lot of artists over the years, starting in 1928 with a recording by Bo Carter. Doc Watson would later include a version of this song on Then And Now, an album he recorded with Merle Watson. “Brown’s Dream” is an instrumental featuring some excellent work on fiddle. Well, it is sort of an instrumental; it’s an instrumental tune, but with some vocal encouragement.

The album features two versions of “Groundhog,” one recorded at each venue. This first one is from the show at Blind Lemon’s, and features Gaither on banjo. There is some humor to the introduction and to the delivery, and it’s a fun track. And is that a phone ringing we hear at one point? Yes, indeed, it is. That first version of “Groundhog” is followed by the first of two songs on this release to mention the Blue Ridge Mountains in its title, “My Home’s Across The Blue Ridge Mountains.” This one has more of an air of melancholy, with him not expecting to see his darling again. “How can I keep from crying/When I never expect to see you anymore.” “Bonaparte’s Retreat” is an interesting instrumental, and one of my personal favorites. That’s followed by “Willie Moore,” a somewhat somber-sounding tune telling the tale of a couple that are kept apart by the girl’s parents, and the girl’s subsequent death (possibly sharing the same fate as Ophelia). “Willie Moore” is one of the four tracks to come from the October 12th show. It is followed by the second of two songs on this release to mention the Blue Ridge Mountains in its title, “The Blue Ridge Mountain Blues.” There is something about those mountains that makes them perfect for the subject of songs. Once when I was camping in those mountains, there was an insane storm, which kept causing our tent to collapse. It was a miserable night, but in the morning, the air was clear and the view was gorgeous. A cop came by to tell us we were camping illegally, and I was sick for a week afterward, but I still look back at that place fondly.

“Goin’ Back To Jericho” is fast-paced and totally enjoyable song driven by the banjo. That’s followed by “Billy In The Low Ground,” an instrumental tune featuring the fiddle. It is also one of the four tracks from the NYU School Of Education show. Then we get another lively number, “Reuben’s Train,” a banjo song that uses the line “I’m going where these chilly winds don’t blow,” a line that also shows up in “Cold Rain And Snow” and of course in “Chilly Winds” and “Chilly Winds Don’t Blow.”  “The Dream Of The Miner’s Child” is a moving song about a child having a premonition about her father’s death, begging him not to go down into the mine that day. “She gave him a kiss, and then cried/Oh Daddy, don’t go to the mines today.” The album concludes with the second rendition of “Groundhog,” this one from the October 12th show. On this version, Gaither is on fiddle and Doc is on autoharp, and they are joined by Arnold Watson on banjo.

CD Track List

1. Double File
2. Handsome Molly
3. He’s Coming To Us Dead
4. Corrina
5. Brown’s Dream
6. Groundhog
7. My Home’s Across The Blue Ridge Mountains
8. Bonaparte’s Retreat
9. Willie Moore
10. The Blue Ridge Mountain Blues
11. Goin’ Back To Jericho
12. Billy In The Low Ground
13. Reuben’s Train
14. The Dream Of The Miner’s Child
15. Groundhog

Doc Watson And Gaither Carlton is scheduled to be released on May 29, 2020 on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and will be available on both CD and vinyl.