Doc Watson said I’m not worthy, I’m just one of the people, there is no need to make a statue of me. His wife Rosa Lee said, well, hypothetically, if you did have a statue, what shirt would you ware, which is your favorite? He mentioned a shirt and she laid it out on the bed. The gentleman that came to visit had raised money from the community of Boone North Carolina. He was patient because Rosa Lee was making progress. You see he had come to take pictures to make the statue.
Rosa Lee next asked, hypothetically speaking, which guitar would you be holding? Doc, went and got his favorite guitar at the time, a Gallagher G-50 6-string. And with this process, a photo shoot commenced for the hypothetical statue.
With photos in hand, a local artist Alex Hallmark was commissioned to sculpt a life size model of Doc. At a later stage, the model will be placed in a mold and filled with molten bronze, but there was still work to do. Doc was buying into the idea made it completely clear that he would make the final decision on making a statue.
The clay model was brought to the house for Doc’s assessment. He took his time, and with his hands (Doc is blind), he inspected every bit of the statue. Finally, he said the model was good but needed one change. He was adamant that he be holding the Cmaj7 chord, a chord that had enabled so much of his music. Finally, he relented and the statue was made.
The Cmaj7 (notes: C-E-G-B) has a dreamy, unresolved sound compared to the brighter C major (C-E-G) or tense C7 (C-E-G-Bb). While picking, Doc would have liked the flexibility of making the traditional major sound with the extra harmony of adding the 7th note for effect.
Alexander Hallmark (1949–2021) was an artist and longtime resident of Blowing Rock. Deeply embedded in this community, his career in the studio, though developed later in life, produced many of the works of public art that serve as visual anchors throughout this village and the wider High Country.
BRAHM: How did the Doc Watson statue come about?
Interview with Jo Ann Hallmark
JH: John and Faye Cooper, owners of the Mast General Store, first approached Alex about creating the statue. Alex submitted a proposal and worked on it for minimal cost. He sculpted around 13 or 14 bronze heads of Doc Watson, casting them himself and charging only $250 each to help raise funds for large donors. His motivation was to support the project.
Alex spent a day with Doc Watson and his friend Jeff Little at Doc’s home. He took numerous photos, which are still on his computer, and discussed Doc’s favorite guitar. Alex contacted the guitar’s manufacturer for detailed references to ensure accuracy. Doc wanted the statue to be simple. They sat on his porch, possibly on a swing, and when it was time for photos, Doc initially wanted to change into nicer clothes. Alex preferred his casual jeans, but Doc opted for slightly dressier work clothes. They had a great day together.
Alex first sculpted the head in clay and got Doc’s approval before casting it. When he showed the finished bronze to Doc’s wife and daughter, they were deeply moved, seeing it on their dirt road. The statue was installed at night in downtown Boone to surprise the community, with a celebration at the Jones House the next day. Alex ensured the statue’s feet aligned perfectly with commemorative bricks sold for the project. He was proud of the statue and his connection with Doc Watson.
Mural on Howard street.
At King and Howard: A Statue Alive in Community
The statue now sits at the corner of King and Howard Streets, a central gathering place in Boone. Over four days I watched individuals, young and old — even entire families — settle in beside Doc for a photo. At one point, a half-dozen musicians formed a jam circle around him, with twenty more listeners spilling onto the busy streets. After a cordial word from the police, the circle shifted a few feet away, and the music carried on.
The story of the Doc Watson statue in Boone, NC, was told at the Antlers and Acorns music festival 2025.
Back for a visit and here is Doc in the snow!
