Dock Boggs

about

Moran Lee "Dock" Boggs (February 7, 1898–February 7, 1971) was an influential old-time singer, songwriter and banjo player. His style of play, as well as his singing, is considered a unique combination of old-time Appalachian mountain music and the blues. Boggs is deemed by contemporary old-time musicians and performers as a seminal figure in old-time music, at least in part because of the appearance of two of his recordings from the 1920s, "Sugar Baby" and "Country Blues", on the influential Anthology of American Folk Music collection. Boggs was born in Norton, Virginia and began working in the coal mines of Appalachia at the age of twelve. At around this time, Boggs became interested in the banjo. As was the case of many musicians and performers of his era, Boggs learned to play the banjo watching and listening to family members and other performers, drawing additional influence from local African American musicians. Boggs, while playing a traditional-style of play, did not play in the knock-down, sometimes called clawhammer or frailing style, instead employing a three-finger method that involved picking upwards on the strings of the banjo and permitted him to execute crisp single-note runs in a manner similar to that of a fingerstyle guitarist. Nevertheless, Boggs' style should not be confused with the bluegrass style of playing otherwise known as Scruggs style, made famous by Earl Scruggs, which also involves up-picking the banjo strings. In 1920 Dock Boggs became infl

top songs

albums

▥

His Folkways Years (1963-1968) (disc 1)

Dock Boggs: Legendary Singer and Banjo Player

▥

Dock Boggs: His Folkways Years 1963-1968

Dock Boggs, Vol. 2

Country Blues: Complete Early Recordings

Legendary Singer and Banjo Player

His Folkways Years, 1963-1968

Dock Boggs

▥

Sugar Baby (2020 Remaster)

Anthology Of American Folk Music, Vol. 3A: Songs

Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways

▥

Anthology Of American Folk Music, Vol. 3B: Songs

similar artists