album on vinyl to celebrate its 40th anniver- sary. One of the many musical guests to appear


on that project was Watson. In an exclusive interview with Kudzoo Magazine, John McEuen of the Dirt Band remembers the hall of famer’s involvement on that influential album. “I wish he was there,” says McEuen, about


the upcom- ing Merlefest 2013. “But, his spirit will be, and it has always been a great thing to be able to say that I knew Doc Watson and that I played with him. But, (playing at Merlefest) will be a good time. On the origi- nal Circle album, which last year was the 40th anniversary of, The Dirt Band; Jimmie McFadden, Jeff Hanna and me and Norman Blake, we are the only ones with credits on the front of the album that are still here. And, that is a very strange thing. With Doc, I always felt like when I was playing with him and talking with him, that he was one of the ‘real’ guys. It was great to be in the same space as him. One of my biggest thrills was sitting onstage with him and playing some kind of lick that made him laugh and smile, where after a solo he’d go ‘Oh boy’ or some- thing, making that kind of comment.” On the Grammy Award-winning album


Legacy – Doc Watson and David Holt, Holt interviews Watson about his involvement onthe Circle record, and Watson tells the story of why he almost didn’t participate with the recording. “We were in California at the time, working


at the Ash Grove (a club in California)…and John (McEuen) got me off in the corner and told me he wanted me to work on that Will The Circle Be Unbroken album,” says Watson, on Legacy. “I said, ‘John, I’d like to do it. Have you invited Merle?’ He said, ‘Well, no.’ Well, he didn’t turn around and go over and talk to Merle. I won’t go into this anymore, but I just said, ‘I’m not going to do it.’ I told Merle, ‘No.’ I


Doc Watson said, ‘I’ll let you


know, John.’ I said, ‘Merle, I’m not going to do it.’ Merle said, ‘Dad, it hurts my feelings that he didn’t invite me. But, it will help us. We’re in a slump right now in the career. It really will help us if we’re heard in a wide au- dience, and that record will get us out there, even if you do it solo.’ I said, ‘Ok, Buddy. I don’t want to, but I’ll do it.’ I always called him ‘Buddy’ half the time if I really agreed with him, because he was as true a friend as he was a good son. Well, I did it, and he really hit it on the head. It really helped us.” Since the Legacy recording was released, as you can imagine, those statements have both-


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