Doc Watson & Gaither Carlton

This wonderful recording of Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton performing in New York in 1962 begins with a short, sweet instrumental featuring Watson on guitar and his father-in-law on fiddle. ‘Double File’ is one of those old-time Appalachian ditties of unknown but probably Scots-Irish origin, which fiddler nerds love to haggle over to determine whose version best represents what the song should sound like. Carlton (of Scots, Irish and Cherokee ancestry) usually wins the day. Here, the North Carolinians reel off the song with casual mastery. A few tracks later, at Doc's request, Carlton picks up the banjo for a ripping rendition of ‘Groundhog (Blind Lemon's Version)’, a reference to the West Village club Village where some of the album's recordings were made; others came from a concert at the NYU School of Education. Part of the charm of this 15-track compilation stems from the live atmosphere captured by then 18-year-old Peter Siegel's Tandberg reel-to-reel tape machine. Watson's lively banter between songs conveys the quiet confidence of an artist destined to become one of America's most revered musicians, while the audience's enthusiastic reaction reminds us of the heyday of the American folk revival.