Billy Strings presided over an all-star tribute to Doc Watson on Friday at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Wisnton-Salem in Doc’s home state of North Carolina on what would have been the bluegrass and folk legend’s 100th birthday. Along with Billy and his band, the 43-song show also saw contributions from Molly Tuttle, Bryan Sutton, Ted Olson, Jack Hinshelwood, Jack Lawrence, T. Michael Coleman, Wayne Henderson and Wyatt Ellis. All the musicians performed seated.
Billy and his band — mandolinist Jarrod Walker, bassist Royal Masat, banjoist Billy Failing and fiddler Alex Hargreaves — got the concert underway with “Way Downtown,” with Hargreaves teasing a song, “Back Up And Push,” from another bluegrass legend, Bill Monroe. “Shady Grove,” “Down Yonder,” “Freight Train Boogie” and “Red Rocking Chair” followed. Strings then welcomed guitarist Molly Tuttle to debut the Delmore Brothers-penned, Doc Watson recorded “Blue Railroad Train.” Molly stuck around to help unveil “Your Lone Journey” and Stanley Brothers’ “The Old Home” along with performances of “I Told Them All About You” and “Going Down The Road Feeling Bad.”
Billy then went it alone to dust off “Otto Wood The Bandit” and “Wagonners Lad,” with the latter seeing Billy on clawhammer banjo. The next sit-n came on “Sadie,” which saw Jack Lawrence, Wayne Henderson and Jack Hinshelwood on guitar along with bassist T. Michael Coleman joining in. That lineup would stay on for “Walk On Boy” as well as bust outs of “Steel Guitar Rag” and “Deep River Blues.” Billy then welcomed young mandolinist Wyatt Ellis for performances of “Watson’s Blues” and “Soldier’s Joy.”
Strings then went solo again for “Nashville Blues,” an acapella “And Am I Born To Die?” and a clawhammer banjo rendition of “Georgia Buck.” Band versions of “Doc’s Guitar,” Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright” and the Gershwin standard “Summertime” came next. Guitarist Bryan Sutton then joined in to help dust off “Fifteen Cents” and “Nothing To It” and stuck around for “Groundhog,” “The Train That Carried My Girl From Town” and “Black Mountain Rag.” Bryan also helped Billy and company debut “Greenville Trestle High” and joined Billy for performances of “Salt Creek,” the debut of “Sheeps In The Meadow,” “Give The Fiddler A Dram,” “Whistling Rufus,” “Ragtime Annie” and “Southbound.”
Billy and his band closed out the set with “In Case You Ever Change Your Mind,” Moody Blues’ “Nights In White Satin,” “Tom Dooley,” “Hold That Woodpile Down” and “Tennessee Stud.” All guests woud join for the encore which featured two debuts, “We Shall All Be Reunited” and “Mama Don’t Allow No Music.”
Listen to full-show audio via Team Dirty South and check out official photos below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpX0hd8Objg/?hl=en
Setlist (via BillyBase)
Set: Way Downtown[1], Shady Grove, Down Yonder, Freight Train Boogie, Red Rocking Chair (Doc and Merle version), Blue Railroad Train[2][3], Your Lone Journey[2][4], I Told Them All About You[2], The Old Home[2][5], Going Down The Road Feeling Bad[2], Otto Wood The Bandit[6], Wagoner’s Lad[7], Miss The Mississippi And You, Open Up Them Pearly Gates, Ready For The Times To Get Better, Peartree, Sadie[8], Walk On Boy[8], Steel Guitar Rag[8], Deep River Blues[8], Watson Blues[9], Soldier’s Joy[9], Nashville Blues[6], And Am I Born To Die?[10], Georgia Buck[7], Doc’s Guitar, Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alrigh, Summertime, Fifteen Cents[11], Nothing To It[11], Groundhog[11], The Train That Carried My Girl From Town[11], Black Mountain Rag[11], Greenville Trestle High[11][12], Salt Creek[13], Sheeps In The Meadow[13][14], Give The Fiddler A Dram[13], Whistling Rufus[13], Ragtime Annie[13], Southbound[11], In Case You Ever Change Your Mind, Nights In White Satin, Tom Dooley, Hold That Woodpile Down, Tennessee Stud
Encore: We Shall All Be Reunited[14][15], Mama Don’t Allow No Music[14][15]
Notes:
- [1] – Back Up and Push” tease by Alex Hargreaves
- [2] – Molly Tuttle on guitar
- [3] – FTP – Delmore Brothers
- [4] – FTP – Doc Watson and His Family
- [5] – FTP – The Stanley Brothers
- [6] – Billy Strings solo on guitar
- [7] – Billy Strings solo on clawhammer banjo
- [8] – Billy Strings with Wayne Henderson on guitar, Jack Hinshelwood on guitar, T. Michael Coleman on bass guitar, Jack Lawrence on guitar
- [9] – Billy Strings with Wyatt Ellis on mandolin
- [10] – Billy Strings solo, acapella
- [11] – Bryan Sutton on guitar
- [12] – FTP – Doc Watson
- [13] – Billy Strings with Bryan Sutton on guitar
- [14] – FTP – Traditional
- [15] – With Bryan Sutton on guitar, Wayne Henderson on guitar, Jack Hinshelwood on guitar, T. Michael Coleman on bass guitar, Jack Lawrence on guitar, Molly Tuttle on guitar, Wyatt Ellis on mandolin
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