MerleFest: A Celebration of Life and Americana Music

In an accident as tragic as the blues ballads he loved so deeply, Eddy Merle Watson, son of the legendary "Doc" Watson, died just days before Frets Magazine named him the "best finger-picking guitarist of the year in folk, blues, or country music" in 1985.

During the dark, early morning hours of October 23, 1985, while re-grooving paneling in his basement, Merle had a serious woodworking accident. Fumbling in his all weather coat to find his tractor keys, he set out to seek help. After getting assistance from the fourth house he was able to reach and though weakened by trauma, he headed for home. The brakes on his farm tractor locked up on a steep hill and flipped the vehicle off an embankment. The accident ended the life of one of the world's greatest acoustic musicians in his prime.

A year after Merle's death, one of the family's best pickin' buddies, Bill Young, along with Frederick W. "B." Townes, Director of Development at Wilkes Community College (WWC) and Ala Sue Wyke, approached the Watson family with a proposal to produce a concert at the college and use the funds to establish a memorial garden in honor of Merle as well as celebrate the music of both Merle and Doc. Rosa Lee, Merle's mother and Nancy, his sister, suggested local organizers invite a number of family friends to play, including some of the finest musicians in the country.

The inaugural Merle Watson Memorial Festival was held in the spring of 1988. Artists played on stage in WCC's John A. Walker Center and on the back of two flatbed trucks to a crowd of 4,000 people. What began as a modest proposal called MerleFest in 1985 has grown to become one of the most critically acclaimed acoustic music festivals in the world.

"Since it hadn't been that long since Merle had passed away, our thoughts that first year were basically centered on wanting to be with the Watson family to celebrate Merle's life," Sam Bush told the Wilkes Journal-Patriot in 2001. Bush appeared with New Grass Revival at the first festival. "We had gotten to play with Doc and Merle in the '70s and '80s, so our concern that first year was about Merle, Doc and Rosa Lee."

Leading the Way in Americana Music

From its humble beginning, MerleFest has expanded to encompass 13 stages spread across the 150-acre college campus. Through its growth and deep musical roots, MerleFest has defined and led the way for the emerging field called "Americana music." MerleFest offers a genre of music, synergistically blending traditional and contemporary roots music, the very best bluegrass, contemporary acoustic, Celtic, blues, folk, old-time, Cajun, jazz, and singer-songwriter musics, along with traditional dance and crafts.

Doc Watson calls his music "tradition plus," creatively and playfully integrating blues, bluegrass, old-time gospel and folk music into a sound millions recognize and enjoy. As a musical prodigy, Merle quickly learned guitar and moved from bluegrass banjo to old-time banjo, and finally to slide guitar. He had mastered more than a dozen styles by age 25. Since its start, MerleFest has continued to maintain this integrity by reflecting musical diversity and presenting new sounds inspired by traditions.

Americana encompasses a kaleidoscope of musical styles, ranging from bluegrass, alternative country, folk, singer-songwriter, to ethnic and American roots music genres, all spun together by a bit of old-time and classic country. Doc and Merle Watson's heritage and musical contributions have been cited as one of the main reasons the Americana music exists, and is as diverse as it is popular.

In November 2000, the first conference of the Americana Music Association promoted this "new" sound that had actually been around for many years. This eclectic blending of style and tradition won Doc, often with Merle by his side, several Grammy Awards.

Their taste is reflected in the selection of artists who perform at MerleFest. Acoustic music aficionados attending the festival over the years enjoyed music of performers ranging from the Menhaden Chanteymen (singing work songs of the Afro-American fishing communities), to leading singer-songwriters such as Guy Clark and Mary Chapin Carpenter, to blues and Celtic musicians Kelly Joe Phelps and Natalie MacMaster as well as exploratory artists such as Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.

MerleFest regularly attracts the giants of bluegrass music. Recent performers have included Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, and Ralph Stanley, Sam Bush, Allison Krauss, Del McCoury, side-by-side with country superstars like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and the Dixie Chicks.

MerleFest 2004

This year's celebration will be held from April 29 through May 2 at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, N.C. Once again, festival coordinators have lined up an extraordinary talent roster. Among those joining Doc Watson and Merle's son, Richard Watson, will be Earl Scruggs with Family & Friends, Vince Gill, Roseanne Cash, Patty Loveless, Sam Bush Band, Natalie MacMaster Band, Nickel Creek, Tim O'Brien, Béla Fleck & Edgar Meyer, John Cowan Band, the Derailers, Donna the Buffalo, Dry Branch Fire Squad, the Gourds, David Grisman Quintet, Hot Tuna, Jeannie Kendall, the Kruger Brothers, Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio, Old Crow Medicine Show, Reeltime Travelers, Tony Rice Unit, Savoy Doucet Cajun Band, the Waifs, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison and many others.

Each year MerleFest also hosts the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Finals will take place April 30. Pete Fisher, formerly with Warner Records and current general manager of the Grand Old Opry and Kari Estrin initiated the contest in honor of the memory of the late Chris Austin, a native of the North Carolina mountains.

Austin spent several years with the Ricky Skaggs Band and wrote the Top 5 country hit "Same Ol' Love." In 1991, the 27-year-old Austin, along with several members of Reba McEntire's band were killed in a tragic plane crash outside San Diego only a few hours after Skaggs recorded his song.

Jim Lauderdale will again serve as the honorary chair and will oversee a panel from the music industry in Nashville to evaluate performers in four categories: bluegrass, country, gospel and general. Lauderdale, also a native of western N.C., is a recording artist and writer for Bluewater Music. He has been instrumental in finding songs for mainstream artists, such as George Strait, Patty Loveless and the Dixie Chicks. MerleFest also features many other contests for mandolin (April 29), guitar (April 30), and banjo (April 30).

MerleFest's Americana Traditions

Working through their mission, MerleFest is committed to producing a high quality, diversified Americana musical experience for its guests, supporters and performers. The festival compliments the Americana phenomenon, exploring musical forms representing the repertoire of Doc and Merle Watson. MerleFest's highly acclaimed Outreach Program extends the festival experience to young people throughout Wilkes County. The goal: to share, educate and enhance cultural heritage through the celebration of roots music.

In addition to new music and cultural opportunities, MerleFest also promotes arts and crafts representing the heritage of Western North Carolina. MerleFest supports the Eddy Merle Watson Memorial Garden for the Senses and provides funds for the Garden's upkeep. The garden provides an interpretive, educational, artistic and cultural experience for the visually-impaired and non-impaired. Festival directors remain dedicated to promoting the work and efforts of Wilkes County non-profit community organizations and the mission of Wilkes Community College.

Through MerleFest's website, promoters nurture a deeper appreciation of the festival by providing year round communication with fans, volunteers and other participants. In 2003, festival organizers released a music project on DVD, Video and CD titled, "MerleFest Live! The 15th Anniversary Jam." This and other festival-related products can be purchased online at www.merlefest.org. The MerleFest 15th Annual CD is an amazing, bold effort to share the Americana music experience.

MerleFest serves as an important regional economic catalyst. It significantly influences the host community each year. In 2003, MerleFest's overall festival attendance, including ticketed participants, artists, volunteers, children admitted free and community outreach, totaled 77,337. Visitors came from 47 states, the District of Columbia as well as 10 foreign countries. More than 50 non-profit civic and college organizations benefit from participation in the festival.

Proceeds generated by MerleFest underwrite on-going capital improvements on the campus of Wilkes Community College. These include the Eddy Merle Watson Memorial Garden for the Senses, the Doc & Merle Watson Theatre, fiber-optic wiring for the campus and a scholarship endowment for students in need of financial assistance. These funds annually supplement the college's state and local budget. Over the festival's 16-year history, MerleFest has contributed more than $4.4 million to the college. The regional economic impact was estimated to reach $15 million in 2003.

You can order MerleFest tickets by visiting www.merlefest.org, or by calling 1-800-343-7857 (US only) or 336-838-6267 (non-US) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST, weekdays. Tickets may also be ordered by mail at MerleFest, PO Box 1299, Wilkesboro, N.C. 28697.

Call out number #1:
Never before has Americana music enjoyed the popularity it does today, clearly supported by the success of movies such as "O Brother Where Art Thou?" and "Songcatcher." "O Brother" has sold more than six million copies and spent weeks on top of the country music charts. Along with MerleFest 2002 artists Allison Krauss and Earl Scruggs, "O Brother" dominated the 2002 Grammy Awards.

by Carol Bracewell