Earl Scruggs / Ricky Skaggs / Doc Watson Three Pickers CD

/Doc Watson/Ricky Skaggs.
Personnel: Earl Scruggs (vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo); Ricky Skaggs (vocls, acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin); Doc Watson (vocals, acoustic guitar); Alison Krauss (vocals, fiddle); Gary Sgruggs (vocals, electric bass); Brad Davis, Darrin Vincent, Paul Brewster (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Cody Kilby, Richard Watson (acoustic guitar); John Jorgenson (electric guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Jim Mills (banjo); Rob Ickes (dobro); Glen Duncan (fiddle, background vocals); Andy Leftwich (fiddle).
Recorded live at the R.J. Reynolds Auditorium, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Includes liner notes by Jim Brown.
THE THREE PICKERS was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album. "Pick Along" was nominated for Best Country Instrumental Performance.
Adapter: Doc Watson.
Personnel: Earl Scruggs (vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo); Ricky Skaggs (vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin); Doc Watson (vocals, acoustic guitar); Alison Krauss (vocals, fiddle); Gary Scruggs (vocals, electric bass); Cody Kilby, Darrin Vincent, Brad Davis , Paul Brewster, Richard Watson (acoustic guitar); John Jorgenson (electric guitar, mandolin); Rob Ickes (dobro); Jim Mills (banjo); Glen Duncan, Andy Leftwich (fiddle); Mark Fain (acoustic bass); Martin Parker (drums).
Audio Mixer: Brent King.
Liner Note Authors: Doc Watson; Earl Scruggs; Jim Ed Brown.
Recording information: R.J. Reynolds Auditorium, Winston-Salem, NC (12/2002).
Director: Jim Ed Brown.
Editor: Alan Silverman.
Photographer: Les Leverett.
Arranger: Doc Watson.
Folk and bluegrass legends meet live on-stage on Rounder's bright and entertaining Three Pickers. The titular "pickers" are bluegrass banjo innovator Earl Scruggs, guitarist and folk purist Doc Watson, and relative newcomer (with only 45 years of musical experience under his belt) Ricky Skaggs on mandolin and guitar; they work most often as a trio but also perform with a wide variety of combos that were lucky enough to be invited on-stage. Recorded in Winston Salem, NC, in December 2002, the album reflects an honest interplay between the three main performers and the audience that seems lost in most concert experiences, and despite their age, Watson can still sing and Scruggs can still pick nearly as well as they did in their prime. Guest vocals and fiddle from the ubiquitous Alison Krauss liven up "The Storms Are on the Ocean" and the "one-sided prenuptial agreement" murder ballad "On the Banks of the Ohio," while Skaggs and his Kentucky Thunder inject some youthful exuberance into the evening during their set. The songs performed by "Earl Scruggs With Family and Friends" get a little loose around the edges, but the sweet and lowdown duo of Watson and his grandson Richard more than make up for it with their warm intimacy. All in all, it seems as though this was a spectacular exhibition of authentic folk music live on-stage, and the album lets that genuine honesty and warmth shine through perfectly. ~ Zac Johnson
This concert recorded for public television is a summit meeting of three of the most legendary bluegrass musicians around. Earl Scruggs pioneered bluegrass banjo technique, Doc Watson was the key bluegrass guitarist of the '60s, and Ricky Skaggs spent the '70s and '80s bringing the tradition into contemporary parlance. Here they tackle a mix of traditional songs and original material, lovingly picked by all three, with a minimum of fuss and plenty of country soul. Singing and picking together, they are the ultimate bluegrass dream team; high lonesome harmonies and earthy-but-flawless instrumental runs are the rule of the day. During sections of the performance, each artist got a solo spot accompanied by his own musicians, but it's the trio material that's truly awe-inspiring, displaying the simple majesty that's at the heart of the best bluegrass.Dirty Linen (12/03, p.51) - "...The music has the kind of relaxed quality that only the experience and skill of such a combination could bring..."