In a Doc Watson music book I have, this song is titled Settin On Top Of The World. It was originally done by the Mississippi Sheiks and has been covered by many people, including the Grateful Dead. Doc commented that I fashioned my arrangements from Frank Hutchinsons The Train That Carried My Girl From Town and Worried Blues; I just worked out a finger-picking version in an open tuning. (It is open D tuning, capo first fret). If you dont know Doc, consider finding his songs. He is a formidable finger-picker and flat picker, he sings, and plays other instruments such as banjo, blues harp, and mandolin. For a truly remarkable essay on meeting Doc, seeing him play live in later life, and how he interacts with other musicians, read the following article; it is fantastic: ekhornbeck.blogspot.com I have done a slideshow video featuring mostly early images of Doc and other bits and pieces, around the same period as this song. Update: Sadly, Doc Watson died on 29 May 2012 following surgery, at the age of 89. RIP Doc. (There were 80107 views as of 30 May 2012. Prior to Docs death, this slideshow video received around two and a half thousand hits per month since it was put up in Nov 2009 . In the two days following his death, there were 13000 hits). Comments are invited.
SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD (1964) by Doc Watson
20 thoughts on “SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD (1964) by Doc Watson”
Posted On in Open Tuning with 20 Comments.
Even in my hard rock days as a guitarist, I had the greatest love for Doc’s music. It’s universal!
and none since :D:D:D
WONDERFUL stuff! Checking for LP records on ebay
Super slideshow, lots of my faves thruout! I also learned to play this piece when I was starting out.
Prior to Doc’s death, this slideshow video averaged around two and a half thousand views per month since it was put up in Nov 2009 . In the two days following his death, there were 13,000 views.
R.I.P. Doc. You will be missed.
Just got the bad news. He’s been an inspiration to American folk music for decades, and I’m gonna miss him.
Another national treasure gone…but never to be forgotten. Thanks for 5+ decades of great music. Doc and Merle… finally together again.
RIP
For a great recollection of Doc Watson, see the article I refer to in the background to this song under the video. R.I.P. Doc Watson.
Rest in peace, Doc.
Never heard this guy before today……dying……..sounds like a REAL musician…….i’m enjoying listening to this (signed – a Led Head kinda rocker….)
He is the best guitar picking man I every heard. Awesome.
okay, i realize now, it is similar to deep river blues in that he’s doing some series of triplets which involve pull-offs and hammers, but i’m not sure which notes he’s hitting.
what is the double time thing he’s doing!? at 0:36 and then repeats at 0:40, 1:02 etc. It appears to keep happening immediately after the phrase "and I don’t worry".
That was just excellent! From what I’ve heard here on YT this is the best version. Gotta love Doc!
0:09 John C Reiley
Sometimes I can get a lick that sounds a little like him by playing with thumb and one-finger like he does, but he is the master of masters. And that’s not to even mention that he is tops of all flat pickers.
Chet Atkins and Merl Travis styles have been mastered by a multitude of player (though Chet still ranks as the greatest of all anyway), but two players that cannot be duplicated are Doc Watson and Jerry Reed (although I’ve heard Tommy Emmanuel come pretty close to imitating Reed’s hot licks). Doc has a rythmic feel and punch that no other player has.
Old songs are so beautifull ! I like to travel in the past, I like it more and more