DOC WATSON, who influenced generations of country, folk and bluegrass artists with his flatpicking approach to the guitar, died on Tuesday in Winston-Salem, NC, of complications from abdominal surgery. He was 89. He’d been in the hospital since May 21, after suffering a fall at his home in Deep Gap. After going blind at age one following an eye infection, Watson became a prodigy on the banjo and harmonica, but his career didn’t kick in until he was 40. His performance at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival created a buzz during the height of the folk boom, and he released his solo debut, Doc Watson and Family, later the same year. Watson spent 15 years recording and performing music with his son Merle, who died in a tractor accident in 1985, at 36 years old. In his son’s honor, Watson founded MerleFest, an annual acoustic music gathering in Wilkesboro, NC., which has become a destination event for pickers and Americana fans. A life-size sculpture of Watson was erected in Boone, NC, last year with an inscription that he had personally requested: "Just one of the people." A statement from the Recording Academy said of the seven-time Grammy winner and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient: “Doc Watson was a singer, songwriter and guitar player known for his masterful skills as a musician and his beautiful, emotion-filled voice. He toured the country with various acts and family members for nearly six decades, bringing Americana music to fans everywhere, and he is highly regarded as a major influence on today’s country and folk artists. Watson’s immense talent and spirit will be deeply missed, and our sincerest sympathies go out to his family, friends and all who were inspired by his music.” (5/30a)