Portrait

Doc Watson was incapable of making a bad album, and this 1987 album was one of several gems he recorded for the Sugar Hill label in the Eighties. PORTRAIT was the first album Doc recorded following the tragic death of his son Merle.Filling in for Merle in the second guitar chair is Jack Lawrence, who recorded and toured with Doc over the next two decades. Also on board is longtime bassist T. Michael Coleman. Other musicians include Mark O'Connor (fiddle), Jerry Douglas (Dobro), Sam Bush (fiddle and mandolin) and Pat McInerney (percussion). In addition, members of the Nashville Bluegrass Band provide harmony vocals.There are no real surprises on this album. The lead-off track, "I'm Worried Now," is a terrific guitar workout on an old Delmore Brothers number. "Risin' Sun Blues" (AKA "House of the Rising Sun") is Doc's arrangement of a song popularized by the Animals in 1964, but was first recorded three decades earlier. In addition to showcasing his flatpicking skills as well as harmonica and banjo, Doc also accompanies himself on autoharp on the A.P. Carter tune "Storms on the Ocean."Overall, this is everything you would expect from a Doc Watson album--good pickin', good singin', good playin'. This album is a joy from start to finish. [Running Time - 39:31] HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This was the album that set me on the road to becoming a musican. From the funky swing of "My Blue Eyed Jane" to the unforgettable "leaving London" this is probably the best album Doc ever recorded. I bought this CD (back when I got my first copy it was a cassette) and two weeks later I was on the back steps with a guitar I had pulled out of a trash can and put back together with duck tape! It hit me that hard. If you are looking for more of Docs "Deep Gap" sond you may want to look elsewhere- this is more of a patchwork of styles than a traditional old time album. Get it, it's great stuf!