Blind But Now I See
Blind But Now I See: The Biography of Music Legend Doc Watson is a book written by Kent Gustavson. The book serves as a comprehensive biography of the late guitarist and singer-songwriter Doc Watson (1923–2012).[1]
![]() First edition | |
Author | Kent Gustavson |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Biography |
Publisher | Blooming Twig Books Sumach-Red Books |
Publication date | April 2010 (1st ed.) 1 March 2012 (2nd ed.) |
Media type | E-book, Print (Paperback) |
ISBN | 978-1-933918-87-7 (1st ed.) 978-1-937753-00-9 (2nd ed.) |
Description
The book uses a variety of sources to tell the story of Watson's life and musical career, including historical archives, interviews, and news/media material.[2] There is a particularly strong emphasis on interviews with people familiar with Watson; the book features interviews with around 100 of Watson's friends and collaborators.[1]
Additionally, the book features a collection of quotations by various well-known people regarding Doc Watson, including former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton and musicians Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, Chet Atkins, Béla Fleck, Warren Haynes, Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show, and Ricky Skaggs, among others.[3]
Reception and awards
The book has been well received by critics and fans of Watson's music, with many critics praising the extensive research and detail put into the book. Greg Yost of Country Standard Time stated that "Gustavson uses his academic background to present an extensively researched and fairly even accounting of the artist's life."[4] Dustin Ogdin of No Depression additionally praises the extensive research into both the positive and negative aspects of Watson's life and career.[5]
The book won the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Award for best biography and was a 2010 finalist in the ForeWord Magazine book of the year awards.[6][7]
Release history
The first edition of the book was released in April 2010 by Blooming Twig Books and a second edition was released in March 2012 by Sumach-Red Books.[3][8]
Gustavson is currently working on an expanded third edition of the book, addressing Watson's death and featuring new interviews and photographs.[1]
List of interviews
The following is a selected list of people interviewed for the book:
- Annie Bird
- Norman Blake
- Greg Brown
- Sam Bush
- Jonathan Byrd
- Guy Clark
- Michael Cleveland
- John Cohen
- Dan Crary
- Guy Davis
- Pat Donohue
- Jerry Douglas
- Stuart Duncan
- Tommy Emmanuel
- Tim Eriksen
- Béla Fleck
- Bill Frisell
- Don Gallagher
- Alice Gerrard
- Ben Harper
- Warren Haynes
- Beppe Gambetta
- David Grisman
- Si Kahn
- Steve Kaufman
- Jack Lawrence
- Larry Long
- Taj Mahal
- Edgar Meyer
- Paddy Moloney
- Maria Muldaur
- Alan O'Bryant
- Tom Paxton
- Tony Rice
- Don Rigsby
- Jean Ritchie
- Tao Rodríguez-Seeger
- Peter Rowan
- Ketch Secor
- Mike Seeger
- Peggy Seeger
- Michelle Shocked
- Marty Stuart
- B. Townes
- Tony Trischka
- Abigail Washburn
- Roland White
- Robin Williams
References
- Mateer, Chris (12 September 2012). "Interview: Author Dr. Kent Gustavson Discusses His Doc Watson Biography "Blind But Now I See"". No Depression. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- Carr, Steve (November 2010). "Book Review: Blind But Now I See - The Biography of Music Legend Doc Watson". Doc's Guitar. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- Gustavson, Kent (2010). Blind But Now I See: The Biography of Music Legend Doc Watson. New York: Blooming Twig Books. ISBN 978-1-933918-87-7.
- Yost, Greg (November 2010). "Blind But Now I See By Kent Gustavson". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- Ogdin, Dustin (5 October 2010). "Doc Watson: Blind But Now I See (Book Review)". No Depression. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- "2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards". Next Generation Indie Book Awards. 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- "BOTYA 2010 Finalists in Biography (Adult Nonfiction)". ForeWord Reviews. 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- Gustavson, Kent (2012). Blind But Now I See: The Biography of Music Legend Doc Watson. New York: Blooming Twig Books. ISBN 978-1-937753-00-9.