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Post being replied to

Go further back too by Atticus

There were, perhaps, only three or four LP’s I went out of my way to obtain as collector’s items. Just because. One of them was Folk Songs of the Hills, by Merle Travis, an underappreciated artist on the guitar and as a composer. Later, when the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was doing its great album of praise to roots music, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, the nonpareil Doc Watson first met Merle and informed him that he named his son after Merle and that his favorite album was Merle’s Folk Songs of the Hills. High praise from a master. Alas, Merle Watson turned out to be a superb guitarist too but was killed young in a farm accident. I can’t imagine a more terrible thing for a father or mother to endure. There is a yearly gathering of musicians named after Merle, the Merle Fest. Never made it, but hope to some day. If not, then I hope to catch up with them on the other side.

See link for a selection from Merle’s great album, Nine Pound Hammer. Great song, understated elegance on the guitar.