Doc Watson, Country Guitar Wizard, Dies at 89 - NYTimes.com

His mountain music came as a revelation to the folk audience, as did his virtuoso guitar playing. Unlike most country and bluegrass musicians, who thought of the guitar as a secondary instrument for providing rhythmic backup, Mr. Watson executed the kind of flashy, rapid-fire melodies normally played by a fiddle or a banjo. His style influenced a generation of young musicians learning to play the guitar as folk music achieved national popularity.

Doc Watson, Country Guitar Wizard, Dies at 89 - NYTimes.com: