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(Submitted photo)
The North Carolina flatpicker, blind since childhood, is a legend in the world of acoustic guitar playing, and he's spent the last 43 years or so expanding that legend with guitars made right here in Bedford County.
In fact, a life-sized statue of the famed singer and native son was unveiled in Boone, N.C. last Friday at the annual Doc Watson Celebration. His figure sits on a bench in the middle of town and appears to be playing his favorite guitar -- a Gallagher "Doc Watson" signature model, custom made just for the musician.
'Special relationship'
"In terms of music, it's a special relationship," said owner Don Gallagher, who got to visit with Doc and his wife Rosa Lee at the unveiling ceremony in Boone. "You think of Les Paul, and you think of Gibson. You think of Segovia, and you think of Ramirez. With Doc -- its a Gallagher."
In fact, said Gallagher, he recently got an e-mail from the son of James and Ida Gordon, Bob, who is spending a year in England.
"He went to a music festival and some one asked him what kind of guitar he had," said Don. "When he started talking, they asked him where he was from. He said he was originally from some small town in Tennessee and they wouldn't know it -- Wartrace."
"With that, the two of them spoke up simultaneously, in unison and almost in harmony," wrote Bob. "Wartrace?! That's where Doc Watson's guitar was made!"
That's where Doc Watson's guitars have been made since the 1960s, in fact.
Long partnership
(Submitted photo)
By the time the two Wartrace men left North Carolina, they had made a new friend, Doc and his son Merle (who died in a tragic farming accident in 1985); and Doc had a new guitar, a G-50 model.
Doc called it "Ol' Hoss" and played it almost exclusively until 1974, when he asked the senior Gallagher to custom design him a new one. Doc liked it so much, Don said, that the musician requested the new model be named after him -- and the Doc Watson line was born.
Taking notice
In the time between his first Gallagher guitar and now, Watson won eight Grammy Awards for his music, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.
"Someone called us from the Grammys and wanted us to buy an ad in the program, congratulating Doc," said Gallagher. He hesitated, sure that Hollywood advertising rates were going to be beyond Wartrace pockets, but he was told he could have a full-color, full-page ad "for whatever contribution I could make," he said.
The ad thanked Doc for setting the bar high for all musicians and for his contributions to the music world. Doc also set the bar high for musical instrument designers, too, challenging the Gallaghers to explore new styles and opportunities. The first "Cutaway" Gallagher guitar was custom designed for Merle, who wanted to do some slide work, said Don.
Others in the music industry began to pay attention to the sound of the Gallagher guitar in the hands of Doc and Merle. Johnny Cash got one of his own that was kept in a special display case in his house. Grandpa Jones of Hee-Haw and Opry fame was another Gallagher fan, and his very guitar continues the tradition in the hands of his grandson. Zach Brown and Roy Clark have used Gallagher guitars, and Neil Diamond has at least two.
Perfect look
(Submitted photo)
The relationship between the Watsons and the Gallaghers has been as much about friendship as business. When MerleFest, one of the biggest bluegrass festivals in the country, was established after Merle's death, the Gallaghers provided the guitar that is given away as the top prize.
When Don, his wife Jean and son Stephen went to the unveiling of the statue, it was as much to see Doc and Rosa Lee as it was to see their name-brand guitar cast in bronze in the middle of Boone, N.C.
"It was a nice crowd," said Don. "The weather was perfect. Doc came over and sat down with us and visited. It was a very special day."