Billy Strings_Shady Grove: The Music of Doc Watson_1080 Stereo

please welcome Billy Billy royal and drew give it up for Billy strings and ban thank you thanks a lot well I was uh we were at the the del Fest del McCurdy's festival and over that over there and this fella asked me if I'd wanted to play some Doc Watson music at High Sierra you know and I said hell yeah we do and I grew up listening to Doc Watson when I was little I played a lot of his tunes and I was listening to my dad play his music and doc you know if you don't know who he was he really invented a style or at least he was you know one of the main figures in what we call flatpicking guitar and hail that's how I make my living now so thank you doc we're gonna do start off with one a little medley here train that carried my girl from town Hey the town I wish to engineer and break the fireman snare hey the train that came through the town Hey - here she's new can you show me that woman than a man can trust someone but she got a hand in he said hey the train that came the girl from town heavy [Music] where the recipes are the table of the listen the train that caribou hometown [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] yeah flatpicking guitar man it's fun you know I think Doc Watson he was he was playing in a rockabilly band and and and he was also playing with a lot of people that were playing fiddle tunes and stuff like that and you know before him and a couple of the early flatpicking guitar players guitar was mostly a rhythm instrument it was the fiddle and the banjo and mandolin and stuff like that would take the breaks and the girl that was the guitar players role [Music] and Doc Kanna came along and said well man I could play I can play these the same notes as the fiddle so why can't the guitar take let's take a solo on a bluegrass song or something like that you know but this next tune here was written by a doc son Merle Watson and it's just such a great song another train song and it's called southbound [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] love in here montemor stuck in this all city have to call it a pity you know but I'm homesick songs I ever seen I go out and walk the street I get blisters all my free down southbound be sure there to call this rain cuz I like to see they'll only see the hills that I come from in Lisbon and taking me back or out southbound [Music] the window counting sheep but I couldn't sleep listening to the train though I began to find when I hear that big old down the line or uh get drunk if I ain't got a dime I'm southbound [Music] [Music] here in this city pity lower down homesick and the Blues are they I ever seen the tree history in as far south [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] I'm gonna do a couple songs here you know doc was a real historian and he's saying a lot of tunes that were either about people that really existed or that had just been passed down you know from his family and we'll do a couple songs about the the big strong steel-driving man John Henry I was born one morning the rain came pouring down well I hate my mama say to my papa list column John Henry Brown walk on board walk on down the road nobody in the whole world gonna help you carry gold just about the age of 10 and I got me on the levy total barter for the hard work ahead walk on boy walk on down buddy in the hole we're gonna help you carry on [Music] [Music] he told me some advice I'd like to give to you be good to her load she's gonna be good to you [Music] he'll carry you [Music] [Music] never ask you Brown my hammer smoking when I beat that old steam drill down walk off one down [Music] we're gonna help you carry your load a walk on boy Oh nobody gonna help you carry your low [Music] [Applause] [Music] yes well everybody I'd like to take a second to introduce these guys that's Billy failing on the banjo dramatic down there on the mandolin and this is mr. royal my shot on the bass and he's just learning these songs right here right now he doesn't need to to practice you know it's just jazz just kidding everybody I heard somebody go wow I heard somebody say that yesterday so we were joking about that this morning he goes yeah it's indeed just jazz jazz huh a little baby No I'm gonna be hello John I gonna be still no steam drill which are controlled fifteen feet while the steam drill was teamed it only midnight [Music] this caving in boss that's my hammer sucking to win laughter that's my hammer Sirkin we're well to inside and we said give me a cool drink of water for who drink of water before I die party when Johnny got see Laurie had a good bed Polly drove that steal a lot of man let's steal like a man well they took John Henry to the graveyard put in 16 little train is rolling by they say out yawn allows the steno job [Music] [Applause] [Music] okay so we did a couple songs about John Henry now we'll do a couple of these songs that doc sing and they're both these are two Murder Ballads the next two songs here and ones called little Sadie it's old old song one of the first melodies I really got attached to when I you know you can't forget this melody when you hear it [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] how I never allowed to make a little round saw little Sadie in a shouter down went back home back in a bit 44 pleased to honor my head got the next one in half past time hacks from the buggy standing in line Jensen gamblers turning around taking the CD to a burying ground [Music] well then I'll begin to figure what Abita down the grab my honey and away I run made a good run little little too slow although chummy in JIRA cool I was standing on the corner reading the bill I'm still Sheriff Thomas fairly says you'll manage remember the not to shot sitting down [Music] we all said yes sir my name is name murdered a little city in the first degree first degree in the second degree if you got any papers read up to me me and Jamie Blanc put me on a train and toting me back to me back to the time I school jail I had no body for to go my [Music] due to the state till the papers in his right hand 41 days for where the Bombers tried [Music] [Applause] [Music] here's another murder ballad well no this ain't necessarily a murder ballad it's more of a hanging song and well I guess it isn't murder ballad because somebody killed Laura Foster it wasn't necessarily Tom Dooley though that's how the story goes Laura Laura Foster yeah Tom Dooley was hanging in North Carolina for allegedly killing his old lady but there's a lot of people that don't think that he did it and there's a lot of people that were around at that time and some of these people were members of the Watson family and I think the Tom doula was actually his name in the song somehow it got switched to Dooley Tom Dooley but Tom doula was his name and I believe he was related to the Watson family of some sort and the way the story goes is everybody thinks it was actually a jealous girl that killed Laura Foster but Tom Dooley is the one that got hanged for it and so this is Tom Dooley [Music] [Applause] [Music] notice how the hanging song sounds so happy they don't they don't [Music] [Applause] egghead Tom Dooley hang your head and cry kill them today took her all the hillside for to make her your wife too three feet deep you will the Coldplay over her and Foster to my breasts as long as I'm on living booth ain't gonna let me rest I know they're gonna hang me tomorrow I'll be dead even though I never harm a hair on hang here time to leave kill in this world and one lower than record and where I'll be if it wasn't for sure praising out of it in Tennessee I know they're gonna hang me tomorrow I'll be dead kill the Lord faster at this time tomorrow where do you reckon I'll be wait on the other in the Harter hanging on a model train you take their mouth body please let this town tomorrow Bo's it'll be a bug used to me today [Music] I'm gonna do a solo I don't care either way [Music] well Doc Watson was also a excellent banjo player and harmonica player mandolin anything you know he could he could play just about anything [Music] so I'm gonna do a couple of these Tunes that Doc Watson played clawhammer banjo style and the first one here the way kind of Doc Watson was found there was this fella named Ralph Rinzler in New York City during the whole folk movement back then you know Greenwich Village and all those people were trying to figure out where this Appalachian music came from and Ralph Ralph Rinzler was a historian and he he had all these old records you know and he heard this record with this fellow named Clarence Ashley and figured out that he was from North Carolina so him in another of his buddies they traveled from New York City and this would have been probably in the early you know maybe in the mid 50's or something like that they went down there and they were looking for this Clarence Ashley fella because he just had the mountain sound and little did these mountain people in North Carolina who played on their front porch and with their neighbors little did they know in New York City there was a whole crowd of people that loved what they were doing and loved this sound and Ralph Rinzler was one of those people and so he went there to look for clearance Ashley and eventually he found them and Doc Watson was playing a Les Paul at that time in a rockabilly band so Ralph had no idea that he had this knowledge of this Appalachian music which is really what Ralph was hunting for is the true Appalachian music sound and Ralph and Doc were riding on the back of a flatbed truck one time and Doc said hey let me see that banjo son and Ralph handed it to him and he started playing some song on the banjo and Ralph Rinzler it was just like oh my gosh like this is the guy and so Ralph convinced doc to go to New York City you know a blind man from North Carolina gets on a bus and goes to New York City by himself with a guitar in hopes that he can make a couple couple bucks and get some cheeseburgers and sleep on like some couches you know and Ralph Rinzler was they on the other side to help Dachau and that's kind of how he got his Ralf really helped get out there and encouraged him and said no man this music that you were raised on this is not some family hokey thing this is real music and there's people out there that really want to hear this you know - doc he had always been around the music and he didn't think there was anything I mean he was just what what he did with his family you know everybody was into like Elvis and stuff at the time I didn't think anybody wanted to hear banjo music you know but this is the cuckoo [Music] gonna be a log cabin [Music] sima on ebay when she goes walking man the cuckoo she's pretty yes she was when she find never say cuckoo till the fourth of July [Music] well I played cards over an even and I'll gamble in Spain you know [ __ ] $10 then I'll beat you next game cuca she's a pretty bird yes she was when she find Saeko till the fourth of July [Music] for there's one thing that's been a puzzle since the day that time began Samantha woman and a woman so her man she's a pretty bird shave all over em she plies she'll name tell the [Music] [Music] my horses bein hungry no they won't eat your head I'm gonna drive home a little further wondering why you treat me this way she's a pretty bird yes she was when she fly till the fourth day of July [Music] [Music] thank you [Applause] [Music] don't get to play banjo very much it's pretty fun um this next tune is for all my feminist friends out there this is a song I'll just sing it for you and I think it's got great lyrics I'll see if I can keep the banjo going it's kind of hard to do this thing it's it's it's a really cool mountain thing the banjo is going really fast and then the vocals are long and slow over it and Doc Watson did this song and Jean Ritchie did this song as well it's called the Wagoner's lad [Music] No how does the four they're always control they're always confined controlled by their parents they are wives they're slaves to their husbands the rest of their [Music] I [Music] a poor girl my fortune is I'll always been courted by the way he ordered me daily in and now he didn't go away [Music] [Laughter] don't like me because I am they say I'm unworthy [Music] entering your door I work for my living my money's mine so folks that don't like me can lead me [Music] you're wagon needs greasing your whip is two men come sit down here buddy as long as you can my wagon is my weaves in my head so fare thee well darling no longer too [Music] horses are illegal feed them Sir here mommy Morgana's you may my horses ain't hurt me they won't eat your head so fare thee well darling I'll be on my way [Music] your heart is the fortune of a womankind they're always control we just kind of fine controlled by their pain - they are wise this leave to their husbands the rest of their life [Music] thank you never really played that song in front of people before well we got another let's see 5 10 15 20 25 minutes here and he that's good well uh you know I was telling you folks earlier that when I was growing up learning how to play the guitar my dad was playing a lot of Doc Watson's music and one of the tunes that really stuck out for me I was I was about six years old and when I was younger I just played the rhythm [Music] and my dad would play to the lead other all that you know and when I was learning this tune I kept messing it up on the on the second part I kept playing the wrong chord or something and and I got really frustrated and I was about six or seven when this happened and my dad was teaching me these fiddle tunes and I got real frustrated man and right in the middle of the song I just said stop just stop and I go you just play it and I'll just listen you know and so I listened to him play it and I listened to what he was doing you know instead of just counting okay I stay on this for four times and then I stay on that for four times or whatever I listen to what he was doing instead of just counting it you know I listen he was okay he's going [Music] I started listening to the melody instead of trying to count it out and then I was like alright I think I got it and I freakin nailed it and he's just like he reached over and squeezed my little hand and he was laughing and man it was the one of the proudest moments of my entire life and one of the profound memories that I have that is the reason that I do this and so this is the tune that we were playing and I'm old enough now that I can pick the lead on it the Beaumont rag [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] as I went down in the valley to pray studying about that good away in who shall wear the robe in crown good lord show me the way Oh brothers let's go down come on down don't you wanna go down Oh brothers let's go down down in the valley to pray as I went down in the valley to pray studying about that cut away and who shall aware the thorny crown good Lord show me the way Oh sisters let's go down home come on down don't you wanna go down Oh sisters let's go down home down in the valley to pray as I went down in the valley to pray studying about that good away in who shall wear the robe and Crown good lord show me the way Oh fathers let's go down home come on down don't you wanna go down Oh fathers let's go down down in the valley to pray as I went down in the valley to pray studying about that good away and who shall wear the thorny crown good lord show me the way Oh brothers let's go down come on down don't you wanna go down Oh brothers let's go down down in the valley to pray as I went down in the valley to pray study in a bath and get away and who shall wear the robe and Crown good Lord show me the way Oh mothers let's go down come on down don't you wanna go down Oh mothers let's go down down in the valley to pray as I went down in the valley to pray studying about all that good away in who shall wear the rope'n crown good lord show me the way Oh sinners let's go down come on down don't you wanna go down Oh sinners let's go down down in the valley to pray [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] well sniffing that cocaine all over town honey don't let my dear girl hey let's cocaine be is not the man dedicated but he didn't do win little baby we are tell it to me tell it to me during corner political can behave here Berlin baby it's me corn liquor ethical can be hey [Music] I'm walking to the field going down manchala found a nickel for the back cocaine hey hey baby says not the man doc said IKEA but he didn't know where hey hey bud live cocaine be it's me tell it to me during for looking at the cocaine be hey let's go it's meter 2 meter II cornica ethical can be it's killed my friends gonna kill me - hey hey bud let the cocaine be saamiya people you think you're tough sniffing their cocaine just likes me me drink or Nicoletta cocoon here tiller to me each other to me leader in comical ethical can be little baby can be let's go Greendale yeah tell it to me to the metering with cocaine thank you guys so much this is really really a lot of fun for me this is good for me and you folks are so beautiful it's so awesome to be here [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] this is the easy one and II [Music] all right to do [Music] way down Fuli took me it's all it was late last night when he came home what I hear never knocking off the door he's a swimming in us there's no shooters on Papa said Billy don't you Arab we don't to me [Music] well it's over I wish I was over at my Suites and his house sitting in that big on chair [ __ ] and the my beer way down took me to the [Music] shirt is about all I've got and a dollar - this hole hey taking another to my wait and took me to the [Music] Oh [Music] wait and to me to the jail Oh no one thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] if you want to well thank you so much folks for hanging out with us and I hope you enjoyed our set we sure enjoyed playing for you and please please take this energy with you when you leave this festival out into the world keep this going it doesn't have to just be here that it's like this you can be colorful every day and another hand for Billy failing on the banjo drew Matt let's on mandolin Royal mossad on the bass listen to Doc Watson folks listen to Doc Watson [Applause] [Music] I'm gonna lay down my old guitar gonna lay down my or guitar I wished I could tie it to my side and take it along with me I'm sick and alone so bed oh [Music] to hold my aching head Lord I'm sick and alone so better gonna lay down my old guitar only damn I'll get her I wish they could tie it to my side and take it along with me [Music] [Music] ain't no one to cry for me to cry for me so far don't you say that ain't no one I'm gonna lay down my guitar Alina get her tired to my side and take it along with me [Music] I'm telling this world goodbye Oh goodbye I'm today in this world in my pretty little girl I'll sing tale only down my guitar my guitar tied to my side and treated along with me [Music] [Music] [Music] I've gotta lay down Oh I wish I could tie it to my side and take it we should tie it to myself take it thank you folks [Music] all right we're here with Billy strings after his Doc Watson plays shop here at High Sierra Music Festival so how did it come about that you were gonna do doc watts and we approached was he your idea I was approached I was standing in the audience I think watching the Del McCoury band and spacing on his name right here but he's got a lot to do with this festival Dave possibly the guy who announced us yeah yeah Margolis so Dave Martin was he close enough he just came up to me and said hey man you know would you be willing to do another set a Doc Watson said it High Sierra and I was just like yes you know immediately yeah so it was a lot of fun well the talk material fits you hand and glove man and you talked about it a little bit about how are you dad used to play the songs you talk about what Doc mean still bluegrass scene yeah well I mean he's one of the first students to start playing the fiddle tunes on the guitar you know bluegrass and bluegrass music or you know a lot of old-time music I think the guitar was primarily a rhythm instrument and the fiddles could take the leads and man and banjos could take the solos but sure the bass and the guitar held it down Wow in the early days and you know people like Doc Watson and he was one of the first ones to do it he said well I can pick the same notes as the fiddle and he kind of invented a flatpicking guitar you know we kind of go up and down with it with a pick and and really play the melody and man now look at it had a it's just I mean there's a bunch of kids like me flatpicking guitar players I'm I mean if he wouldn't figure that I wouldn't even know what I'd be doing for a living right now so because of some take me a guy figured out on his guitar you know it's like a whole whole thing now unbelieva unbelievable man and you played some of the what I call the cluster pluck like the bluegrass jam last year yeah and the approach to that when you get that many of you guys up there is it just hand signals or it's just songs you guys all know well that's the cool thing about bluegrass music and you know folk music is that we all grew up singing the same songs and you can go to a Bluegrass Festival not I say a Bluegrass Festival I mean like a little traditional Bluegrass Festival where there's people picking in the campground that's what we used to go to when I was little but like you can go there and meet five people who you've never met in your life and get together and play and sound like a band that has rehearsed because oh yeah I know old Joe Clark what key let's do it in a all right everybody knows the melody dude it'll do it'll do today today to do so we shared language it is yeah it's like you know you know this tune yeah I know that one and it doesn't I don't know it's a it's a conversation everybody has to listen epic well thanks for taking a little bit of time and having a conversation here how many times you played hi Sierra now this is our second year yeah I played last year too and it's it's a great festival man you know it's one of those you getting swarmed by a bunch of people covered and butterfly wings and glitter I'm stilts and stuff and you're just like wow man this is another day at the office oh it's great everyone's so colorful and kind and and I keep kind of saying like we just came here for a festival and everybody has this energy about them and I don't know if it's just everybody that's here or if they're it just feels like that because everybody's here a man take this energy back out into the world with you you know because I think that's about the best message we can give one last question all that you get out of it yeah if you were Winnie the Pooh character which one would you be Winnie the Pooh there you have it folks thanks man thanks so much you

Channel: Teton Film Works HSMF- 2017

Views: 292,594

Rating: 4.9007773 out of 5

Keywords: Doc Watson, Billy Strings, Shady Grove, High Sierra Music Festival, Teton Film Works, Arthel DocWatson, Bluegrass, Whiz Kid, Michigan, Nashville

Id: Nk4SWmDbMNI

Length: 65min 9sec (3909 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 13 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/JayfishSF]

This was epic, as in the original definition of the word. Best 'fest in the west ...

[u/is-this-now]

Yeah, this is a great set. Was supposed to see him at MerleFest this year and was expecting a Doc set there.

[u/CMKBangBang]

Missing it so bad. This was the year I first saw Billy and fell in love.

[u/Ragtime07]

I was so excited to get the chance to see Billy perform at Merlefest. Maybe next year...