Influential guitar picker Doc Watson recovering after fall, surgery

Doc Watson, the 89-year-old guitarist whose expert flatpicking style brought him a level of acclaim during the folk revival of the 1960s and who is still revered 50 years on, is recovering after he fell down at his Deep Gap, N.C., home. According to Mitch Greenhill, president of Folklore Productions International, which represents him, after being taken to to a hospital, other health issues were discovered.

"They determined after keeping him overnight that there were more serious things going on, and they transferred him to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem for surgery," said Greenhill.  The musician, who lost his eyesight when he was a year old, remains in critical but stable condition after undergoing colon surgery, he added.

A statement on the company's website reads, "Doc Watson is in critical but improved condition after undergoing colon surgery at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The family appreciates everyone’s prayers and good wishes."

The guitarist and banjo player didn't achieve national acclaim until age 30, but drew influential supporters after his first appearance at Gerde's Folk City in 1961. After hooking up with fellow folkies such as David Grisman, Watson became a well-known figure in the budding scene. He was a regular performer at the Ash Grove whenever he was in Los Angeles. 

These days, Watson is known as well for his founding of the popular North Carolina music event Merlefest, which brings together folkies from all over the country for a pleasant, family-friendly weekend of music. The event, which Watson started in the memory of his late son, celebrated its 25th anniversary in April, when the three-day event brought together dozens of acts, including Donna the Buffalo, Jim Lauderdale, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and John Hammond. And, of course, headlining was Watson himself.

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-- Randall Roberts
Twitter: @liledit

Photo: Music legend Doc Watson performs at the annual Merlefest at Wilkes Comunity College in Wilkesboro, N.C., on April 28, 2001.   Credit: Alan Marler / Associated Press.

Grammys 2012: Clive Davis sets the stage for Brandy/Monica redux

Clive Davis' annual Pre-Grammy Gala remains the hottest ticket outside of the big show on Sunday. The celebrated music mogul manages to solicit an elite who's who of musical talent, not to mention a surprise or two when it comes to the evening's performance.

Sanctioned by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and labeled a "Salute to Industry Icons," this year Davis will honor Virgin Group founder Richard Branson. Last year, Davis tapped R. Kelly, Janelle Monae, Mumford & Sons, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Whitney Houston to hit the stage.

RELATED: Clive Davis celebrates music with annual pre-Grammy party

Pop & Hiss dropped by the Beverly Hilton Hotel to take a peek at rehearsals for Saturday's gala, which features Brandy and Monica as headliners (we also spotted a run-through for the tribute set to the Kinks led by the band's former frontman, Ray Davies). The two R&B divas recently reunited nearly 14 years after the success of their chart-topping duet "The Boy Is Mine" for a new single, "It All Belongs To Me," that will appear on their upcoming albums.

After a run-through of the massive hit that brought them together, a loose and lively Houston dropped by to give the girls vocal tips for the performance.

We sat down with Brandy, Monica and Davis to talk about the reunion their fans had been waiting for, further collaborations and why Davis wanted them to debut the live performance on his stage.

DJ/producer 12th Planet picks five seminal dubstep tunes

It's impossible to identify the first DJ to spin dubstep in Southern California, but for all practical purposes, it might as well have been 12th Planet. After being galvanized by the sounds gurgling out of London nightclub FWD and captured by Mary Anne Hobbs' seminal "Dubstep Warz" special, the artist born John Dadzie became an apostle for the nascent sub-genre in early 2006.

Eschewing the drum-&-bass scene that had supported his touring lifestlye for the previous several years, Dadzie embraced the blistering wobble. One of the founders and the most prominent face of venerable bass-music promoters/record label SMOG, the L.A.-raised Dadzie is one of the city's biggest dance-music success stories. He's rocked festivals all over the world, toured with everyone from Daedelus to Skrillex and has officially remixed M.I.A. and John Legend (both will see forthcoming release). His own tunes have been remixed by fellow dubstep star Doctor P, and 12th has seen his videos played on MTV2. Moreover, he's done it all independently.