There’s been an extraordinary loss of major figures in Americana and roots music in the last few months, including Earl Scruggs, Levon Helm, and Duck Dunn.  Yesterday another musical giant, Doc Watson, passed away, at the age of 89.

Doc Watson was blind from infancy but taught himself to become one of the best guitar players in popular music. He was to the guitar what Earl Scruggs was to the banjo: an innovator who forever changed the way bluegrass and country musicians approached their instrument. Although there are similarities to the Piedmont-style blues that was popular near his North Carolina home, Doc Watson’s “Carolina flatpickin'” guitar style was all his own.

It’s also extraordinary that Doc Watson was not discovered until the folk music boom in the early 1960s, when he was nearly 40. His amazing fretwork and warm, engaging personality soon made him a fixture on the folk circuit.

I first became aware of Watson from the seminal, three-album compilation “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” where the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band partnered with legendary, old-time musicians like Earl Scruggs, Vassar Clements, and Maybelle Carter to play traditional country standards. Among the album’s highlights are the recorded conversations of the musicians before and between sets. Doc Watson’s sunny, amiable personality shines through at these times and provides a light-hearted contrast to Roy Acuff’s more curmudgeonly, business-like attitude.

I was fortunate to see Doc Watson play solo about eight years ago, near the end of his touring days. The lightning-quick picking had certainly slowed a little, but his unique talent was still obvious. His song selections were also surprising and showed the diversity of his musical tastes. One of the most memorable songs from the show was “Nights in White Satin,” which he had just recorded with the London Philharmonic.

Four years ago I traveled to Wilkesboro, NC to attend Merlefest, the annual multi-day music festival that Doc Watson organized in the late 80s in honor of his son and recording partner, Merle, who died in 1985 in an accident on his farm. Doc Watson reportedly made at least one appearance at every Merlefest, but I missed seeing him there. I would have loved to have seen him play this little ditty, which I tried so unsuccessfully to master during my own brief, guitar-playing days. RIP Doc.