An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke (''hertig''/''hertug''). In later medieval Britain, it became the equivalent of the continental count (in England in the earlier period, it was more akin to duke; in Scotland it assimilated the concept of mormaer). However, earlier in Scandinavia ''jarl'' could also mean sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty kingdoms of Norway had in fact the title of ''jarl'' and in many cases of no lesser power than their neighbours who had the title of king. Alternative names for the "Earl/Count" rank in the nobility structure are used in other countries, such as Hakushaku during the Japanese Imperial era.

In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above viscount. There never developed a feminine form of ''earl''; ''countess'' is used as the equivalent feminine title.

Etymology[link]

:''See also Ríg for the account in Norse mythology of the warrior Jarl or Ríg-Jarl presented as the ancestor of the class of warrior-nobles.''

According to Procopius, the Heruli, after having raided the European continent for several generations, returned to Scandinavia in 512 AD as a result of military defeats. As their old territory was now occupied by the Danes, they settled next to the Geats in present-day Sweden. While the Proto-Norse word for this mysterious tribe may have been ''erilaz'', which is etymologically near "jarl" and "earl", and it has often been suggested they introduced the runes in Scandinavia, no elaborate theory exists to explain how the word came to be used as a title. Arguably, their knowledge in interpreting runes also meant they were gifted in martial arts and, as they gradually integrated, ''eril'' or ''jarl'' instead came to signify the rank of a leader.

The Norman-derived equivalent "count" was not introduced following the Norman Conquest of England though "countess" was and is used for the female title. As Geoffrey Hughes writes, "It is a likely speculation that the Norman French title 'Count' was abandoned in England in favour of the Germanic 'Earl' […] precisely because of the uncomfortable phonetic proximity to c**t".

Earls in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth[link]

''See also List of earldoms''

Forms of address [link]

An earl has the title Earl of [X] when the title originates from a placename, or ''Earl [X]'' when the title comes from a surname. In either case, he is referred to as ''Lord [X]'', and his wife as ''Lady [X]''. A countess who holds an earldom in her own right also uses ''Lady [X]'', but her husband does not have a title (unless he has one in his own right).

The eldest son of an earl, though not himself a peer, is entitled to use a courtesy title, usually the highest of his father's lesser titles (if any); younger sons are styled ''The Honourable'' [''Forename''] [''Surname''], and daughters, ''The Lady'' [''Forename''] [''Surname''] (Lady Diana Spencer being a well-known example).

Furthermore in Scotland, when there are no courtesy titles involved, the heir to an earldom, and indeed any level of peerage, is styled ''Master of [X]'', and successive sons as ''younger of [X]''.

England [link]

Changing power of English earls [link]

In Anglo-Saxon England, earls had authority over their own regions and right of judgement in provincial courts, as delegated by the king. They collected fines and taxes and in return received a "third penny", one-third of the money they collected. In wartime they led the king's armies. Some shires were grouped together into larger units known as ''earldoms'', headed by an ''ealdorman'' or ''earl''. Under Edward the Confessor earldoms like Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria—names that represented earlier independent kingdoms—were much larger than any shire.

Earls originally functioned essentially as royal governors. Though the title of Earl was nominally equal to the continental duke, unlike them earls were not de facto rulers in their own right.

After the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror tried to rule England using the traditional system but eventually modified it to his own liking. Shires became the largest secular subdivision in England and earldoms disappeared. The Normans did create new earls like those of Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Cheshire but they were associated with only a single shire at most. Their power and regional jurisdiction was limited to that of the Norman counts. There was no longer any administrative layer larger than the shire, and shires became "counties". Earls no longer aided in tax collection or made decisions in country courts and their numbers were small.

King Stephen increased the number of earls to reward those loyal to him in his war with his cousin Empress Matilda. He gave some earls the right to hold royal castles or control the sheriff and soon other earls assumed these rights themselves. By the end of his reign, some earls held courts of their own and even minted their own coins, against the wishes of the king.

It fell to Stephen's successor Henry II to again curtail the power of earls. He took back the control of royal castles and even demolished castles that earls had built for themselves. He did not create new earls or earldoms. No earl was allowed to remain independent of royal control.

The English kings had found it dangerous to give additional power to an already powerful aristocracy, so gradually sheriffs assumed the governing role. The details of this transition remain obscure, since earls in more peripheral areas, such as the Scottish and Welsh marches and Cornwall, retained some viceregal powers long after other earls had lost them. The loosening of central authority during the Anarchy also complicates any smooth description of the changeover.

By the 13th century, earls had a social rank just below the king and princes, but were not necessarily more powerful or wealthier than other noblemen. The only way to become an earl was to inherit the title or marry into one—and the king reserved a right to prevent the transfer of the title. By the 14th century, creating an earl included a special public ceremony where the king personally tied a sword belt around the waist of the new earl, emphasizing the fact that the earl's rights came from him.

Earls still held influence and as "companions of the king", were regarded as supporters of the king's power. They showed that power for the first time in 1327 when they deposed Edward II. They would later do the same with other kings they disapproved of. Still, the number of earls remained the same until 1337 when Edward III declared that he intended to create six new earldoms.

Earls, land, and titles [link]

A loose connection between earls and shires remained for a long time after authority had moved over to the sheriffs. An official defining characteristic of an earl still consisted of the receipt of the "third penny", one-third of the revenues of justice of a shire, that later became a fixed sum. Thus every earl had an association with some shire, and very often a new creation of an earldom would take place in favour of the county where the new earl already had large estates and local influence.

Also, due to the association of earls and shires, the medieval practice could remain somewhat loose regarding the precise name used: no confusion could arise by calling someone earl of a shire, earl of the county town of the shire, or earl of some other prominent place in the shire; these all implied the same. So there were the "earl of Shrewsbury" (Shropshire), "earl of Arundel", "earl of Chichester" (Sussex), "earl of Winchester" (Hampshire), etc.

In a few cases the earl was traditionally addressed by his family name, e.g. the "earl Warenne" (in this case the practice may have arisen because these earls had little or no property in Surrey, their official county). Thus an earl did not always have an intimate association with "his" county. Another example comes from the earls of Oxford, whose property largely lay in Essex. They became earls of Oxford because earls of Essex and of the other nearby shires already existed.

Eventually the connection between an earl and a shire disappeared, so that in the present day a number of earldoms take their names from towns, mountains, or simply surnames. Nevertheless, some consider that the earldoms named after counties (or county towns) retain more prestige.

Scotland [link]

The oldest earldoms in Scotland (with the exception of the Earldom of Dunbar and March) originated from the office of mormaer, such as the Mormaer of Fife, of Strathearn, etc.; later earldoms developed by analogy.

Coronet[link]

A British earl is entitled to a coronet bearing eight strawberry leaves (four visible) and eight silver balls (or pearls) around the rim (five visible). The actual coronet is mostly worn on certain ceremonial occasions, but an Earl can bear his coronet of rank on his coat of arms above the shield.

Scandinavia [link]

Norway[link]

In later medieval Norway, the title of ''jarl'' was the highest rank below the king. The ''jarl'' was the only one, beside the king himself, who was entitled to have a ''hird'' (large armed retinue). There was usually no more than one ''jarl'' in mainland Norway at any one time, sometimes none. The ruler of the Norwegian dependency of Orkney held the title of ''jarl'', and after Iceland had acknowledged Norwegian overlordship in 1261, a ''jarl'' was sent there as well as the king's high representative. In mainland Norway, the title of ''jarl'' was usually used for one of two purposes:

To appoint a ''de facto'' ruler in cases where the king was a minor or seriously ill (e.g. ''Håkon galen'' in 1204 during the minority of king Guttorm, Skule Bårdsson in 1217 during the illness of king Inge Bårdsson).

To appease a pretender to the throne without giving him the title of king (e.g. ''Eirik'', the brother of king Sverre).

In 1237, ''jarl'' Skule Bårdsson was given the rank of duke (''hertug''). This was the first time this title had been used in Norway, and meant that the title ''jarl'' was no longer the highest rank below the king. It also heralded the introduction of new noble titles from continental Europe, which were to replace the old Norse titles. The last ''jarl'' in mainland Norway was appointed in 1295.

Some Norwegian jarls:

Jarl Toste

Skule Tostesson, killed by peasants near Haverö church in 12th century.

Erling Skakke, father of king Magnus Erlingsson

Hakon Galen

Sweden [link]

The usage of the title in Sweden was similar to Norway's. Known jarls from the 12th and 13 century were Birger Brosa, Jon jarl, Folke Birgersson, Karl Döve, Ulf Fase and the most powerful of all jarls and the last to hold the title, Birger jarl.

Iceland [link]

Only one person ever held the title of Earl (or Jarl) in Iceland. This was Gissur Þorvaldsson, who was made Earl of Iceland by King Haakon IV of Norway for his efforts in bringing Iceland under Norwegian kingship during the Age of the Sturlungs.

Notes[link]

References[link]

David Crouch, ''The Normans'' (2002) ISBN 1-85285-387-5

Marc Morris, ''The King's Companions'' (''History Today'' December 2005)

Geoffrey Hughes, ''Swearing : a social history of foul language, oaths and profanity in English'', ISBN 0-14-026707-7

Lindström, Fredrik; Lindström, Henrik (2006). ''Svitjods undergång och Sveriges födelse''. Albert Bonniers förlag. ISBN 91-0-010789-1

Category:History of Norway Category:History of Sweden Category:Men's social titles Category:Nobility of the United Kingdom Category:Noble titles Category:Norwegian noble titles Category:Peerage Category:Swedish nobility

be:Эрл be-x-old:Эрл cs:Earl da:Jarl (titel) de:Earl fr:Earl (titre) hr:Earl ka:ერლი nl:Earl no:Jarl nn:Jarl pl:Earl ru:Эрл simple:Earl sv:Earl tl:Erl th:เอิร์ล tr:Earl uk:Ерл

name	Earl Scruggs
background	solo_singer
birth name	Earl Eugene Scruggs
birth date	January 06, 1924
death date	March 28, 2012
death place	Nashville, Tennessee
origin	Shelby, North Carolina, U.S.
instrument	5-string banjo, guitar
genre	Bluegrass, country, gospel
occupation	Bluegrass artist
years active	1945–2012
label	MCA Nashville Records
associated acts	Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, Flatt and Scruggs, Earl Scruggs Revue
website	earlscruggs.com
notable instruments	A 1934 Gibson Granada previously owned by Don Reno and Snuffy Jenkins, and "Nellie", a 1935 Gibson RB-3 flathead }}

Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for perfecting and popularizing a three-finger banjo-picking style (now called "Scruggs style") that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. Although other musicians had played in three-finger style before him, Scruggs shot to prominence when he was hired by Bill Monroe to fill the banjo slot in his group, the Blue Grass Boys.

Early life[link]

Scruggs was born near Shelby, Cleveland County, North Carolina, to Georgia Lula Ruppe and George Elam Scruggs, a farmer and bookkeeper, who played banjo and died when Earl Scruggs was only 4. His older brothers Junie and Horace, plus his two older sisters Eula Mae and Ruby Scruggs all played banjo and guitar. Earl Scruggs mother played the organ. He grew up in Cleveland County, North Carolina.

Career[link]

Scruggs joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in late 1945, and quickly popularized his syncopated, three-finger picking style. In 1948 Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt left Monroe's band and formed the Foggy Mountain Boys, also later known simply as Flatt and Scruggs. In 1969, they broke up, and he started a new band, the Earl Scruggs Revue, featuring several of his sons.

On September 24, 1962, singer Jerry Scoggins, Lester Flatt and Scruggs recorded "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" for the TV show ''The Beverly Hillbillies'', which was released October 12, 1962. The theme song became an immediate country music hit and was played at the beginning and end of each episode. Flatt and Scruggs appeared in several episodes as family friends of the Clampetts in the following years. In their first appearance (season 1 episode 20), they portray themselves in the show and perform both the theme song and "Pearl Pearl Pearl".

On November 15, 1969, Scruggs played his Grammy-winning "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" on an open-air stage in Washington, D.C., at the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam, becoming one of the very few bluegrass or country-western artists to give support to the anti-war movement. In an interview after his performance, Scruggs said:

I think the people in the South is just as concerned as the people that's walkin' the streets here today ... I'm sincere about bringing our boys back home. I'm disgusted and in sorrow about the boys we've lost over there. And if I could see a good reason to continue, I wouldn't be here today.

In January 1973, a tribute concert was held for Scruggs in Manhattan, Kansas. Among the artists playing were Joan Baez, David Bromberg, The Byrds, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Doc and Merle Watson. The concert was filmed and turned into the 1975 documentary film ''Banjoman''.

Awards and honors[link]

Flatt and Scruggs won a Grammy Award in 1969 for Scruggs' instrumental "Foggy Mountain Breakdown". They were inducted together into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1989, Scruggs was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship. He was an inaugural inductee into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1991. In 1992, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. In 1994, Scruggs teamed up with Randy Scruggs and Doc Watson to contribute the song "Keep on the Sunny Side" to the AIDS benefit album ''Red Hot + Country'' produced by the Red Hot Organization. In 2002 Scruggs won a second Grammy award for the 2001 recording of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", which featured artists such as Steve Martin on 2nd banjo solo (Martin played the banjo tune on his 1970s stand-up comic acts), Vince Gill and Albert Lee on electric guitar solos, Paul Shaffer on piano, Leon Russell on organ, and Marty Stuart on mandolin. The album, ''Earl Scruggs and Friends'', also featured artists such as John Fogerty, Elton John, Sting, Johnny Cash, Don Henley, Travis Tritt, and Billy Bob Thornton.

On February 13, 2003, Scruggs received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That same year, he and Flatt were ranked No. 24 on ''CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music''.

On September 13, 2006, Scruggs was honored at Turner Field in Atlanta as part of the pre-game show for an Atlanta Braves home game. Organizers set a world record for the most banjo players (239) playing one tune together (Scruggs' "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"). On February 10, 2008, Scruggs was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

Personal life[link]

Scruggs' wife and manager, Louise, died on February 2, 2006, aged 78, at Nashville's Baptist Hospital following a lengthy illness.

Death and Funeral[link]

Scruggs died from natural causes on the morning of March 28, 2012, in a Nashville hospital. His funeral was held on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at the Ryman Auditorium, former home of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee at 2pm and was open to the public. He was buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in a private service.

Around 2,300 of Scruggs’ loved ones, friends, and fans were present at his funeral, in the same building where he recorded his final album. The two-hour funeral service celebrated Scruggs with speeches and performances by some of bluegrass’s biggest stars. Scruggs’ five-string Gibson Mastertone banjo rested in its stand on the stage during the funeral.

Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs gave the eulogy at Scrugg’s funeral, which was followed by a performance of Scruggs and Flatt song Who Will Sing For Me, a song that fittingly was about death. The longest ovation of the night went to Scruggs, who was carried from the auditorium in a silver-colored casket. He was buried at Spring Hill Cemetery which is the final resting place of many legendary country music performers.

Legacy[link]

At an 80th birthday party for Mr. Scruggs in 2004, country singer Porter Wagoner said, “Earl was to the five-string banjo what Babe Ruth was to baseball.”

“He is the best there ever was,” Mr. Wagoner said, “and the best there ever will be.”

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Year	Single	Chart Positions
		! style="width:60px;"	! style="width:60px;"	! style="width:60px;"	! style="width:60px;"
1967	''Strictly Instrumental'' (with Lester Flatt and Doc Watson)
1967	''5 String Banjo Instruction Album''
1968	''The Story of Bonnie and Clyde'' (with Lester Flatt and the Foggy Mountain Boys)
1969	''Changin' Times''
1970	''Nashville Airplane''
	''I Saw the Light with Some Help from My Friends''
''Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends''
''Live at Kansas State''
	''Rockin' 'Cross the Country''
''Dueling Banjos''
''The Earl Scruggs Revue''
1975	''Anniversary Special''
	''The Earl Scruggs Revue 2''
''Family Portrait''
	''Live from Austin City Limits''
''Strike Anywhere''
1978	''Bold & New''
1979	''Today & Forever''
	''Storyteller and the Banjo Man'' (with Tom T. Hall)
''Flatt & Scruggs''
1983	''Top of the World''
1984	''Superjammin'''
1998	''Artist's Choice: The Best Tracks (1970–1980)''
2001	''Earl Scruggs and Friends''
2002	''Classic Bluegrass Live: 1959-1966''
2003	''Three Pickers'' (with Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs)
2004	''The Essential Earl Scruggs''
2005	''Live with Donnie Allen and Friends''
2007	''Lifetimes: Lewis, Scruggs, and Long''

Singles[link]

Year	Single	Chart Positions		Album
		! style="width:50px;"	CAN Country
1970	"Nashville Skyline Rag"			''Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends''
	"I Sure Could Use the Feeling"			Single only
"Play Me No Sad Songs"
1980	"Blue Moon of Kentucky"
	"There Ain't No Country Music on This Jukebox"(with Tom T. Hall)

Guest singles[link]

Year	Single	Artist	Chart Positions	Album
			US Country
1998	"Same Old Train"	Various Artists

Music videos[link]

! Year	! Video	! Director
1992	"The Dirt Road" (with Sawyer Brown)	Michael Salomon
2001	"Foggy Mountain Breakdown" (Earl Scruggs and Friends)	Gerry Wenner

DVDs[link]

Earl ScruggsHis Family and Friends (2005)

:(Recorded 1969. Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Bill Monroe, Joan Baez et al.)

Private Sessions (2005)

The Bluegrass Legend (2006)

Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs

The Three Pickers (2003)

Flatt and Scruggs

The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 1 (2007)

The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 2 (2007)

The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 3 (2007)

The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 4 (2007)

The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 5 (2008)

The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 6 (2008)

The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 7 (2009)

The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 8 (2009)

The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 9 (2010)

The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 10 (2010)

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

Rosenberg, Neil V. (1998). "Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 173–4.

Willis, Barry R. "Biography of Earl Scruggs". Retrieved October 5, 2008.

Lifetime Honors – National Medal of Arts

External links[link]

Official Website

Interview with www.CountryMusicPride.com Interview with www.CountryMusicPride.com

at the Country Music Hall of Fame

on MCA Nashville

on Rounder Records

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Los Angeles Times obituary

Category:1924 births Category:2012 deaths Category:American bluegrass musicians Category:International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor inductees Category:National Heritage Fellowship winners Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients Category:Musicians from North Carolina Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:American anti–Vietnam War activists Category:American country banjoists Category:People from Shelby, North Carolina

cs:Earl Scruggs cy:Earl Scruggs de:Earl Scruggs eo:Earl Scruggs fr:Earl Scruggs it:Earl Scruggs nl:Earl Scruggs pl:Earl Scruggs pt:Earl Scruggs ru:Скраггс, Эрл fi:Earl Scruggs sv:Earl Scruggs

name	Doc Watson
background	solo_singer
birth name	Arthel Lane Watson
alias	Doc Watson
birth date	March 03, 1923
Birth place	Deep Gap, North Carolina US
instrument	Vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica
genre	Blues, bluegrass, country, folk, Gospel
occupation	Musician, Singer-Songwriter
label	Folkways, Vanguard, United Artists, Flying Fish, Sugar Hill
website	}}

Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (born March 3, 1923) is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded. He performed with his son Merle for over 15 years until Merle's death in 1985, in an accident on the family farm.

Biography[link]

Watson was born in Deep Gap, North Carolina. According to Doc on his three CD biographical recording ''Legacy'', he got the nickname "Doc" during a live radio broadcast when the announcer remarked that his given name Arthel was odd and he needed an easy nickname to go by. A fan in the crowd shouted "Call him Doc!" presumably in reference to the Sherlock Holmes sidekick Doctor Watson. The name stuck ever since.

An eye infection caused Doc Watson to lose his vision before his first birthday. Despite this, he was taught by his parents to work hard and care for himself. He attended North Carolina's school for the visually impaired, The Governor Morehead School, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

In a 1988 interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air, Doc explains how he got his first guitar. His father told him that if he chopped down all the small, dead, chestnut trees along the edge of their field he could sell the wood to the tannery. He and his brother did the work and with the money they earned Doc bought a $10 Stella from Sears Roebuck and his brother bought a new suit of clothes. Later in that same interview, Watson explained that his first high quality guitar was a Martin D-18.

The first song Doc ever learned to play was "When Roses Bloom in Dixieland". Doc proved to be a natural and within months he was performing on local street corners playing Delmore, Louvin and Monroe Brothers' duets alongside his brother Linny. By the time he reached his adult years Doc had become a proficient acoustic and electric guitar player.

In 1947, Doc married Rosa Lee Carlton, the daughter of popular fiddle player Gaither Carlton. Doc and Rosa Lee had two children—Eddy Merle (named after country music legends Eddy Arnold and Merle Travis) in 1949 and Nancy Ellen in 1951.

In 1953, Doc joined the Johnson City, Tennessee-based Jack Williams' country and western swing band on electric guitar. The band seldom had a fiddle player, but were often asked to play for square dances. Following the example of country guitarists Grady Martin and Hank Garland, Doc taught himself to play fiddle tunes on his Les Paul electric guitar. He later transferred the technique to acoustic guitar, and playing fiddle tunes became part of his signature sound. During his time with Jack Williams, Doc also supported his family as a piano tuner.

In 1960 as the American folk music revival grew, Doc took the advice of folk musicologist Ralph Rinzler and began playing acoustic guitar and banjo exclusively. That move ignited Doc's career when he played on his first recording, ''Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's''. He also began to tour as a solo performer and appeared at universities and clubs like the Ash Grove in Los Angeles. Watson would eventually get his big break and rave reviews for his performance at the renowned Newport Folk Festival in 1963. He recorded his first solo album in 1964 and began performing with his son Merle the same year. The pair would tour and record together until 1985 when Merle was killed in a tractor accident.

After the folk revival waned during the late 1960s, Doc's career was sustained by his performance of "Tennessee Stud" on the 1972 live album recording ''Will the Circle Be Unbroken''. As popular as ever, Doc and Merle began playing as a trio, with T. Michael Coleman on bass, in 1974. The trio toured the globe during the late seventies and early eighties, recorded nearly fifteen albums between 1973 and 1985, and brought Doc and Merle’s unique blend of acoustic music to millions of new fans.

Doc plays guitar in both flatpicking and fingerpicking style, but is best known for his flatpick work. His guitar playing skills, combined with his authenticity as a mountain musician, made him a highly influential figure during the folk music revival. He pioneered a fast and flashy bluegrass lead guitar style including fiddle tunes and crosspicking techniques which were adopted and extended by Clarence White, Tony Rice and many others. Watson is also an accomplished banjo player and in the past has accompanied himself on harmonica as well. Known also for his distinctive and rich baritone voice, he has over the years developed a vast repertoire of mountain ballads which he learned via the oral tradition of his home area in Deep Gap, North Carolina. His affable manner, humble nature and delightful wit have endeared him to his fans nearly as much as his musical talent has.

Doc played a Martin model D-18 guitar on his earliest recordings. In 1968 he began a relationship with Gallagher Guitars when he started playing their G-50 model. His first Gallagher, which Doc refers to as "Old Hoss", is on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1974, Gallagher created a customized G-50 line to meet Doc's preferred specifications, which bears the Doc Watson name. In 1991, Gallagher customized a personal cutaway guitar for Doc that he plays to this day and refers to as "Donald" in honor of Gallagher guitar's second generation proprietor and builder, Don Gallagher.

In 1986 he received the North Carolina Award and in 1994 he received a North Carolina Folk Heritage Award. Also in 1994, Watson teamed up with Randy Scruggs and Earl Scruggs to contribute "Keep on the Sunny Side" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization.

In 2000 he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. In 1997, Doc received the National Medal of Arts from U.S. president Bill Clinton.

In recent years, Watson has scaled back his touring schedule. As of 2007, he is generally joined onstage by his grandson (Merle's son) Richard, as well as longtime musical partners David Holt or Jack Lawrence. Recently, on June 19, he was accompanied by Australian guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel at the Bass Performance Hall. He also performed, accompanied by Holt and his grandson, Richard, at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in 2009, as he had done in several previous years.

He is host to the annual MerleFest music festival held every April at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The festival features a vast array of acoustic style music focusing on the folk, bluegrass, blues and old-time music genres. It is named in honor of Merle Watson and is one of the most popular acoustic music festivals in the world, drawing over 70,000 music fans each year.

In 2010, Blooming Twig Books published "Blind But Now I See" by Dr. Kent Gustavson, the first comprehensive biography of the seminal flatpicking guitarist.

Discography[link]

Grammy awards[link]

1973 Best Ethnic Or Traditional Recording (Including Traditional Blues): Doc Watson for ''Then And Now''

1974 Best Ethnic Or Traditional Recording: Merle Watson & Doc Watson for ''Two Days In November''

1979 Best Country Instrumental Performance: Doc Watson & Merle Watson for ''Big Sandy/Leather Britches''

1986 Best Traditional Folk Recording: Doc Watson for ''Riding The Midnight Train''

1990 Best Traditional Folk Recording: Doc Watson for ''On Praying Ground''

2002 Best Traditional Folk Album: Doc Watson & David Holt for ''Legacy''

2004 Lifetime Achievement Award

2006 Best Country Instrumental Performance: Bryan Sutton & Doc Watson for ''Whiskey Before Breakfast'' track from ''Not Too Far From The Tree'' by Bryan Sutton

References[link]

External links[link]

Doc's Guitar : A site dedicated to the guitar and music of Doc Watson

Podcast of Doc Watson and Jack Lawrence performing live at the 1996 Florida Folk Festival from the Florida Folklife Collection (made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida)

Live 1977 recording of "The Cuckoo Bird" by Doc and Merle Watson from the Florida Folklife Collection (made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida)

Live 1996 recording of "Shady Grove" by Doc and Jack Lawrence from the Florida Folklife Collection (made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida)

MerleFest

* MerleFest official website

* "Doc's orders: No heavy metal at MerleFest" 2007 article in the Hook weekly

National Public Radio

* Guitarist Arthel 'Doc' Watson Interview on NPR's Fresh Air

* ''Morning Edition's'' Bob Edwards interview Doc Watson from 1985

* ''Morning Edition's'' Bob Edwards interview Doc Watson from 1989

Prairie Home Companion

* Doc Watson & Taj Mahal August 9, 1986 (db.etree.org)

* October 23, 1999

* February 14, 2004

Article on Doc Watson and other western NC guitar players

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Name	Gene Chandler
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Eugene Dixon
Birth date	July 06, 1937
Birth place	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genre	R&B;, soul
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer, record company executive
Years active	1957–present
Aliases	"The Duke of Earl", "The Duke"
First album	''Duke of Earl''
Notable songs	"Duke of Earl"
Website	www.genechandler.com }}

Gene Chandler (born Eugene Dixon, July 6, 1937) also known as "The Duke of Earl" or simply "The Duke", is an American R&B; and soul singer-songwriter, producer and record executive. He is one of the leading exponents of the 1960s Chicago soul scene. He is best known for his million-selling hits, "Duke Of Earl," and "Groovy Situation," and his associations with the Dukays, the Impressions and Curtis Mayfield. A Grammy Hall Of Fame inductee, and winner of the National Association of Television and Radio Announcers Producer of the Year Award, and the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award, and one of the few artists to chart hit records during the doo-wop, rhythm and blues, soul, and disco eras. Between 1961 and 1986 Chandler has had forty Pop and R&B; chart hits.

Early years[link]

Chandler attended Englewood High School on Chicago's south side. He began performing in the early 1950s with the Gaytones. In 1957, he joined a doo-wop group, The Dukays, with James Lowe, Shirley Jones, Earl Edwards and Ben Broyles, soon becoming their lead singer. After his draft into the US Army he returned to Chicago in 1960 and rejoined the Dukays.

Career[link]

The Dukays were offered a recording contract by Nat Records and recorded a single with producers Carl Davis and Bill "Bunky" Sheppard, "The Girl Is a Devil" (1961). This recording was followed with a session in August 1961 with four sides, most notably "Nite Owl" and "Duke of Earl." Nat Records chose to release "Nite Owl," and it became a sizable r&b; hit at the end of 1961. Meanwhile, Davis and Sheppard shopped the "Duke of Earl" recording to Vee-Jay Records, which picked it but released it as by a solo artist, Eugene Dixon, who was renamed "Gene Chandler." "Duke of Earl" sold a million copies in just over one month.

After spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Magazine charts, Chandler purchased a cape, a monocle, a top hat and a cane and became "The Duke of Earl". Chandler can be seen in the full 'Duke' outfit singing "The Duke of Earl" in the movie ''Don't Knock the Twist'' 1962, starring Chubby Checker. His concerts became popular and he performed encores, usually "Rainbow '65," one of his collaborations with Curtis Mayfield. This song was recorded by Chandler three times during his career, becoming a hit each time.

Chandler left Vee Jay in the fall of 1963 and recorded for Constellation Records. After Constellation went under in 1966, he was signed first to Chess Records and then Brunswick Records. For a time Chess and Brunswick alternated with each other when releasing Chandler's recordings. He had a Top 20 Pop hits on Constellation with "Just Be True" (1964) and "Nothing Can Stop Me" (1965), both songs written by Curtis Mayfield and produced by Carl Davis. Other hits included "What Now", "Rainbow", "I Fooled You This Time", "Think Nothing About It"', "A Man's Temptation", "To Be A Lover", "Rainbow '65" (recorded live at Chicago's Regal Theater), "Bless Our Love", and "You Can't Hurt Me No More." These songs enabled Gene to successfully shed his "Duke Of Earl" typecasting, and go on to become a major R&B; star. Chandler also had success with his hit cover of James Brown's "There Was A Time" and "You Threw A Lucky Punch", which was released as an "answer" song to Mary Wells's Motown hit "You Beat Me To The Punch". In 1970, Chandler recorded the album Gene and Jerry: One on One, with Jerry Butler.

After a number of years on the road, Chandler decided to become more involved with production of music. He produced, wrote, arranged and had a major hit with "Groovy Situation" (1970), which reached #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on the ''Billboard'' R&B; chart, becoming his second biggest hit since "Duke Of Earl". "Groovy Situation" sold more than a million copies, and received a gold disc awarded by the R.I.A.A. in November 1970.

The hits he recorded and produced earned him The National Association of Television and Radio Announcers Producer of the Year Award in 1970, against competition from other nominees including Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Norman Whitfield. He also appeared with The Impressions and Curtis Mayfield on the live album ''Curtis in Chicago'' (1973). Chandler appeared on Arthur Louis's album ''Knocking on Heaven's Door'' (1974) alongside Eric Clapton. Later he had success with disco music, creating hits such as "Get Down" (1978), "When You're #1", "Does She Have A Friend?" and "Rainbow '80". During this time he was also the Executive Vice President of Chi Sound Records and worked with reggae star Johnny Nash. In the late 1970s, an interest in older musicians inspired the US DJ Wolfman Jack to put together a tour including vintage acts such as Chandler.

"Duke of Earl" was sampled by Cypress Hill, on the song "Hand on the Pump" from their album ''Cypress Hill'' (1991); plus Chandler's song "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" was sampled on their album ''Black Sunday'' (1993). In Argentina, where Cris Morena was the host of a popular teenage programe ''Jugate Conmigo'', the song was included on the main intro on the fiction novel, inside the program called: "Life College" (1994). In 1997, Chandler was inducted as a Pioneer Award honoree into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Chandler's "Tomorrow I May Not Feel the Same" was sampled by Reflection Eternal on the song "Ghetto Afterlife" from ''Train of Thought'' (2000).

In 1988, "Duke of Earl" was included on the soundtrack of ''Hairspray''. "Groovy Situation" appeared on ''Anchorman: Music from the Motion Picture'' (2004). In 2002, "Duke Of Earl" was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame. Groovemaster K. and 88-Keys sampled Chandler's "When You're #1" for their song "Frisco Disco".

Chandler still performs in Chicago, Las Vegas and elsewhere in the US.

Discography[link]

Chart singles[link]

Year	Single	Chart Positions
		! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"
		64	-	-
		1	1	-
	73	-	-
	91	-	-
	4749	1125	-
		71	17	-
		92	n/a	-
	19	n/a	-
	39	n/a	-
	40	18	-
		92	40	-
	18	3	-
	92	40	-
	69	2	-
		88	-	-
	45	3	-
		66	16	-
	94	9	-
	98	46	-
		-	30	-
	-	-	41
	-	19	-
	82	22	-
	57	16	-
		12	8	-
	75	29	-
	align="left"	94	32	-
	-	14	-
	-	44	-
		-	47	-
		-	51	-
	53	3	11
		99	31	43
	-	73	-
		-	28	28
	-	73	-
		-	40	-
		-	89	-
		-	61	-
		-	43	-

Bibliography[link]

Pruter, Robert. ''Chicago Soul''. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1991, ISBN 978-0-252-06259-9

References[link]

External links[link]

Gene Chandler on the ''Future Rock Legends'' website

Gene Chandler interview

Gene Chandler fan page

''Rainbow 65'' (live on stage) - Gene Chandler - YouTube

''Duke Of Earl'' vintage 1962 video- YouTube

''Nothing Can Stop Me'' - Gene Chandler (1965) YouTube video

''There Was A Time'' (live in England- early 1990s)-by Gene Chandler - YouTube video

''Duke Of Earl'' -by Gene Chandler (live-early 2000s)

Gene Chandler - A history on the Soulwalking U.K. website

Category:1937 births Category:Living people Category:African American singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American rhythm and blues musicians Category:American soul musicians Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Vee-Jay Records artists Category:Northern soul musicians Category:Wearers of monocles

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