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|  Let
It Slide, David’s newest CD adds the slide guitar
and original songs to his vast repertoire of musical skills.
David says: “The slide guitar saved my life. After my
ten year old daughter, Sara Jane, was killed in a car accident,
I actually had to make a list of reasons to stay alive. A
friend gave me an old National guitar. I immediately broke
off the neck of a wine bottle and started experimenting with
slide. The aching, liquid, bluesy notes that came out were
an antidote to my pain.” Sam Bush, Doc Watson, Kenny
Malone, Byron House and Gina Wammock round out the stellar
artists featured on Let It Slide.
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|  Live
& Kickin' at the National Storytelling Festival
is multi-Grammy winner David Holt's snapshot edition of his
musical and storytelling odyssey over the last forty years.
It is a journey full of rollicking good times, laughter and
musical adventure.
Travel with David from his beginnings as a Texas bones player
to a rock and roll drummer in Southern California in the 60's
to a nationally acclaimed Southern Appalachian musician. He
learned music and stories from greats like Roy Acuff, Grandpa
Jones, Doc Watson, and the oldest person in the world, 123-year-old
Susie Brunson.
Tap your toes and sing along as David brings to life his
vast array of musical instruments: banjo, slide guitar, washboard,
paper bag, Jack Daniel's bottle and more.
Accompanied by his son, Zeb, David will entertain you with
humor, music and stories he's lived and gathered from coast
to coast. All the stories are true, perhaps bent a little
for the listener's ear, but hey, he's a storyteller.
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|  Great
news! Legacy, Doc Watson and David Holt's newest release,
just won the prestigious Grammy Award for Best Traditional
Folk Music Recording of 2002. David won for both artist and
producer.
"Legacy is a project we worked hard on and are very
proud of it," Holt said after the ceremony February 23
in New York City. "We're delighted fellow members of
the Recording Academy recognized the quality of Legacy and
honored it with this award."
USA Today writes, "A captivating portrait of Doc Watson...Critic's
choice."
Doc calls this win for Legacy "a great honor."
He now has six Grammys on his mantle. This makes two for David.
 Legacy
is a revealing and entertaining portrait of Doc Watson, a
man who, for more than half a century, has been a force in
the creation, interpretation and preservation of American
roots music.
Producer Steven Heller: "Doc and David play amazingly
well together. It was joy to work on this project with them,
and a pleasure to honor Doc, an inspiration to so many of
us. Through all the months we worked on this project, I never
tired of hearing Doc sing and play and talk about his life.
It was always like we were just having a visit."
This collector's edition contains three CD's of newly recorded
conversation and song, as well as a 72-page companion book
filled with historical photos, stories and interviews from
Doc Watson and his longtime friend and collaborator, David
Holt. Together they pass on to you Doc's inspiring life story
and generous musical legacy.
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From folk
art and folk music to simple pioneer living, many of North Carolina's
residents have passed down history and traditions begun by the
first state settlers. Folkways, hosted by David Holt, introduces
some of the people who strive to keep the state's history alive,
either by their splendid handcrafting or continuing an old story
or way of life that began in pioneer days.
This season is rich with episodes from September to December,
introducing you to some of the Seagrove potters, an old folk
legend, folk music and different types of folk art that make
North Carolina a state rich in history and culture.
The show airs every Friday at 8:30pm on UNC-TV.
| Sept.
13 |
301 Potters
of Seagrove part 1 |
Nov.
8 |
106 Face
Jugs/Folk Pots |
| Sept.
20 |
302 Potters
of Seagrove part 2 |
Nov.
15 |
202 Pottery
Revival |
| Sept.
27 |
303 Legend
of Tom Dula |
Nov.
22 |
102 Music
from the Hills |
| Oct.
4 |
304 The
Guitar |
Nov.
29 |
103 Spin/Dye/Weave
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| Oct.
11 |
305 Homestead
Living |
Dec.
6 |
203 Earthskills
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| Oct.
18 |
204 Piedmont
Blues |
Dec.
13 |
107 Toys
from the Field |
| Oct.
25 |
205 Traditions
of the Cherokee |
Dec 20
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208 Workers
in Wood |
| Nov.
1 |
206 Coastal
Carvers |
Dec 27
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209 The
Banjo |
|
Click
Here To Visit
The Official Folkways Website
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click the photo for
a larger version.
O, Brother Where Art Thou? |
It was fun
doing the film, O Brother Where Art Thou. It came about on very
short notice in Dec. of 1999. John Hartford had recorded the
music for the Baby Face Nelson scene...an old fiddle tune called
Indian War Whoop. He suggested the Coen Bros. call me to play
one of the musicians in the film. So on a Monday Joel Coen called
and said they needed a press kit from me that day. I told them
I live in North Carolina and couldn't get them anything that
very day. Luckily, I had just got my website up and told them
to check that. They called me later that day and said they wanted
to use me for the movie. I left for California on Thursday.
I flew out to California and wend directly to the wardrobe department.
They chose my 1930’s outfit from thousands on hand….and it ended
up being pretty much what I wear on stage everyday, a fedora,
pleated pants and an old tie.
The filming took place on the back lot at Warner Bros. in LA.
There is a huge 1930s town set there. I arrived on the set around
5 PM but the scene was not shot until 5 AM...so, since I was
considered cast, and not an extra, I was able to hang out with
Clooney, John Turturo, Tim Blake Nelson, Holly Hunter, Frances
McDarmond (Joels wife) the other cast members and the Coen Bros.
Most of the time we sat out by the trailers and sang old time
songs. They had done their research and knew quite a few. Of
course, music producer T. Bone Burnett (who selected the songs
for the movie and produced the sound track) knew a lot of the
old time songs...actually, so did Clooney. It was like scout
camp with the stars. Clooney was very personable and regaled
us with stories about the crazy things they did on the cast
of ER. This was the middle of the night...so his buoyant energy
was appreciated.
The Coen Brothers are probably in their early 40s. Very casual
and friendly. Dressed like NY hippies. They work quietly...constantly
thinking about how the scene should look and be shot, taking
time to talk to guys like me about the movie and the old time
music.
Finally about 5 am they began shooting my scene leading Baby
Face Nelson to the electric chair. They filmed it about 4 times.
With 300 extras, many carrying burning torches, it took forever.
They had to relight and pass out new torches each time. When
I was hired I thought I was going to be playing fiddle so I
had worked like crazy to learn the tune so I could sync my fingers
to the music. As it turned out, my friend Ed Snodderly was also
going to be doing the music scene and the Coen Bros. decided
he should be the fiddler and I should play mandolin...they said
I looked "too normal" for a fiddler. As we shot the scene, Joel
Coen kept telling us to act crazier...as though we were drunk.
I started dancing wildly and acting goofy, fully expecting the
scene to end up on the cutting room floor.
In October of 2000 I started getting emails from England where
the movie had been released first. My English friend said, “I
have good news and bad news. The good news is you fill the screen
and are easy to recognize. You have a full 15 seconds of fame,
it is great…but the bad news is you have been billed as ‘the
village idiot’!”
It has been a lot fun being connected to the movie…it is amazing
how many people have seen it and recognized me acting crazy.
O Brother has given a great boost to traditional mountain music
and I am glad to have been part of it.
The 2002 Grammys show that there is real public interest in
roots music. Who would have thought they would ever see Ralph
Stanley as Male Country Vocalist of the Year. Amazing. I really
like "the roots" music label. It pulls the traditional music
community together into a loose category that everyone can understand.
In this culture the media needs to name everything. For the
general public, bluegrass or old time or blues is too specific.
Roots music doesn't denote any kind of clique...just good soulful
music, based on older traditions.
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By Sara
Askew Orr
(excerpt,
Click
Here to Read More)
... David's passion for old-time mountain music began when,
as a college student in California in the late 1960s, the Texas
native attended a concert by banjoist Ralph Stanley. He fell
in love with the sound, then followed Stanley's suggestion to
explore the Southern mountains, the source of the musical style.
"I wasn't the kind of guy that liked to learn music from books.
I wanted to visit the people. So I came here with a friend.
We had an old '52 Chevy truck, his dog, and our instruments.
We traveled all around the mountains, all summer long, visiting
festivals and musicians," David recalls, thinking of that first
trip in 1969. There was more than music in the mountains.
Click
Here To Read
The Rest Of The Southern Living Article |
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"A treasury of well-chosen, clear, succinct tales for anyone
who has ever yearned to tell a story."
--Dr.
Wendy Nowlan, Director, Storytelling Institute, So. Connecticut
State University and Board Member, National Storytelling Network
When David Holt and Bill Mooney collaborated on their original
Ready-to-Tell Tales in 1994, they knew they had a tiger by the
tail. How do you top what School Libray Journal called a "highly
recommended...extraordinary collection"? With more terrific
stories contributed by seasoned storytellers, and with a number
of enhanced features:
- Stories from
forty-four of the world's finest storytellers
- Age level and
audience recommendations
- Performance
tips suggested by the contributing storytellers
- Background information
on the stories
- An index of
cultural sources
- Thematic section
groupings for easy reference
- Profiles and
photographs of the contributing storytellers
Click
Here To Order
"More Ready-To-Tell Tales from Around the World"
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An
Evening With Doc Watson and David Holt
An
Evening With Doc Watson and David Holt
is a must have collection of music and story from two of traditional
music’s great artists.”
-WXYC, Chapel
Hill, NC |
 Recorded
live, An Evening With Doc Watson and David Holt, presents
folk tunes and mountain wisdom from living legend Doc Watson
and storyteller and musician David Holt. “We had a great time,”
said Grammy winner Holt. “It was particularly fun for me because
I got to play not only banjo, but slide guitar and throw in
a little hambone as well.” Doc’s soulful singing and signature
guitar playing highlight the recording.
There is plenty of down-to-earth folk wisdom too, as the five-time
Grammy Award winner and national treasure shares personal recollections
and stories from his long and remarkable Appalachian life. He
tells a fascinating version of the “true” story of Tom Dula
(his relatives knew everyone involved in the murder and are
sure Tom didn’t do it). Doc also tells how he developed his
revolutionary guitar style that has influenced every guitar
player since. “ |
The music
on the CD includes:
- Way Downtown
- Soldier’s Joy/Ragtime Annie
- I’ll Rise When The Rooster Crows
- Shady Grove
- Little Log Cabin In The Lane
- Train That Carried My Girl From Town
- Life Gets Tee-jus, Don’t It?
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- Tom Dula
- Raincrow Bill
- The Death Of John Henry
- Rovin’ On A Winter’s Night
- Free Little Bird
- Talk About Suffering
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(Doc Watson can also be heard on David Holt’s
recordings Reel
And Rock and Grandfather’s
Greatest Hits).
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Click
Here To Hear Samples And Order
"An Evening With Doc Watson and David Holt"
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