NC Reads Book Discussion: Doc Watson

North Carolina Reads is North Carolina Humanities’ award-winning, statewide book club! North Carolina Reads annually features five books that explore issues of racial, social, and gender equity and the history and culture of North Carolina. All featured books pose critical questions about how North Carolinians view their personal roles in helping to promote and form a more just and inclusive society.  Learn more about the book selections here.

Doc Watson: A Life in Music by Eddie Huffman

A musician’s musician, Doc grew up on a subsistence farm in the North Carolina mountains during the Depression, soaking up traditional music and learning to play guitar even though he was blind. Rising to fame in the 1960s as part of the burgeoning folk revival scene, Doc became the face of traditional music for many listeners, racking up multiple GRAMMY Awards and releasing dozens of albums over the course of his long career. Eddie Huffman tells the story of Doc’s life and legacy, drawing on extensive interviews and hundreds of hours of archival research. Full of fascinating stories—from Doc’s first banjo made from his grandmother’s cat to the founding of MerleFest— this promises to be the definitive biography of the man and how he came to be synonymous with roots music in America and shows how his influence is
still felt in music today.

Registration is required to join our discussion of Doc Watson: A Life in Music.  Registration will begin in July.

After June 24th, NC Humanities’ virtual book event featuring author Meagan Church can be viewed here.