Country Legends Doc Watson and David Holt to Perform at UNCW
10/28/2005 9:22:07 AM
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Wilmington, NC– Living legend Doc Watson and David Holt will pay tribute to North Carolina mountain music in “Hills of Home” at 8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28 in UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium. This is the third event of the seven-part UNCW Presents Arts in Action Performance Series.
Arthel “Doc” Watson has had a deep, enduring, and profound influence on the way the acoustic flat top guitar is played as a lead instrument in folk, old-time, and bluegrass music today.
Fans love Watson’s smooth baritone voice, sharp wit, easy-going manner, country charm, and story-telling abilities almost as much as his guitar playing and singing. He plays, sings, and speaks from the heart. A fan of Watson says, “I would pay to hear Doc Watson read names out of the phone book.”
“NC mountain music has a heritage tightly interwoven with local history and folklore,” said Shannon Hooker, assistant director for UNCW Presents. “It’s wonderful to have such talented musicians introduce that heritage to our students, many of whom may never have experienced this kind of music in a live setting before.”
The sixth of nine children, Watson was born in Stoney Fork, NC in 1923. He was born with a defect in the vessels that carry blood to the eyes. Within the first year of his life, he developed an eye infection which resulted in lifelong blindness. He enrolled in the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh at age ten.
Watson is also the founder and host of MerleFest, an outdoor music festival held every year on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC. It is named for his son, Merle Watson, also an accomplished musician, who died in a farming accident in 1985.
Watson was honored with a National Medal of Arts and National Heritage Fellowship. The Recording Academy has presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award and six Grammys.
David Holt, a native of Garland, Texas, is a prolific musician, storyteller and historian. He plays ten acoustic instruments and has released numerous recordings of traditional mountain music and southern folktales. Holt is a Grammy Award winner and four-time nominee. He is known for his folk music and storytelling recordings. His numerous programs have been featured on TNN, Folkways on PBS and Riverwalk on public radio. He founded and directed the Appalachian Music Program at Warren Wilson College.
Since meeting in 1971, Watson and Holt have made several CDs together.
BOX OFFICE AND TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are $8 for university and area students, $16 for UNCW faculty/staff and senior citizens, and $20 for all others. Arts in Action Choose-Your-Own subscriptions may be purchased at a savings of up to 10% off ticket prices until February 21, 2006. For tickets, call Kenan Auditorium Box Office at 910.962.3500 or 800.732.3643 outside the Wilmington area. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
ABOUT UNCW ARTS IN ACTION PERFORMANCE SERIES
Sponsored by the University Union at UNC Wilmington, the Arts in Action Performance Series seeks to culturally enrich, educate and entertain both students and the general public through the presentation of diverse programs featuring professional, high-quality performing artists. For more information, please visit the Arts in Action Web site at www.uncw.edu/arts.
UNCW Arts in Action is a member of the NC Presenters Consortium and the US National Association of Performing Arts Presenters. The 150 member venues of the NC Presenters Consortium may be visited at www.presenters.org.
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Doc Watson
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